The Carolina Panthers already pulled off one of the biggest blockbuster trades of the offseason leading up to Thursday night’s NFL Draft.
General manager Scott Fitterer and Co. moved up from the No. 9 overall pick all the way to No. 1 with the Chicago Bears with an unnamed quarterback as the target.
We now know that Alabama product Bryce Young will be the first pick in the draft once Roger Goodell takes to the podium Thursday evening from Kansas City.
But that might not be it for the Panthers on the first night of the three-day event. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Carolina is exploring trading back into the bottom of the first round to add another youngster for first-year head coach Frank Reich. Breer notes that the target is expected to be a pass rusher on defense.
Carolina did a lot of work on the defensive side of the ball during NFL free agency. That included adding defensive tackle Shy Tuttle and safety Vonn Bell. However, there is certainly a need opposite Brian Burns out on the edge.
As of right now, former second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos is slated to start opposite Burns. The Stanford product has registered a mere 8.5 sacks spanning 43 games over three seasons. That’s just not going to cut it.
Related: 2023 Carolina Panthers mock draft
Carolina Panthers options in NFL Draft trade up scenario
There are a number of players who could be available if Carolina were to trade up from the 39th overall selection.
We have Clemson’s Myles Murphy and Will McDonald from Iowa State slated as late first-round picks heading into Thursday night. Given Carolina’s 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Murphy might not be an option. He’s better with his hands down in a 4-3 defense.
McDonald could make more sense. The 245-pound edge guy recorded 33.5 tackles for loss and 27 sacks over the course of his final three seasons with Iowa State.
Some other options include Keion White (Georgia Tech), Adetomiwa Adebawore (Northwestern) and Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State).