The Carolina Panthers passed up on their chance to grab Justin Fields almost two years ago, instead selecting cornerback Jaycee Horn with the eighth pick in the 2021 draft. But will they get a redo this spring?
Well, 33rd Team’s scouting department believes they may—or at least should. In their latest 2023 mock draft, the group of T.J. McCreight, Kevin Cohn, Justin Casey and Evan Pritt—all of whom have NFL front office experience—gets creative with Carolina’s first-round selection.
Rather than drafting and developing their own franchise quarterback in this projection, the Panthers trade their ninth overall pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Fields. Yup, straight up!
Fields is fresh off a record-breaking 2022 campaign, one in which he rushed for the most yards (178) by a quarterback in a game. The electric playmaker finished up with 1,143 yards on the ground, second only to Lamar Jackson’s all-time mark for single-season rushing yards by a quarterback (1,206) set back in 2019.
Through the air, Fields was a bit less impressive from a statistical standpoint. He completed 60.4 percent of his throws for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
But would new Panthers head coach Frank Reich be able to unlock Fields’ gifts as a passer? And if so, would he—with two years of NFL play already under belt—expedite the process and be worth the ninth pick?
