The Carolina Panthers could look a lot different right now—like, a lot different. But they didn’t make the jump.
That jump would have required a bold move up into the 2020 NFL draft to grab Justin Herbert, who went one pick ahead of the Panthers’ first-round slot. In a new deep dive into the franchise’s recent struggles under center, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler notes that team scouts wanted the University of Oregon quarterback, but were ultimately rebuffed. He writes:
The scouting department did enough legwork on Herbert to know the other teams that might also be in pursuit. There was a sense of what it
would take to move from their No. 7 selection to the New York Giants’ spot at No. 4, jumping the Miami Dolphins (No. 5) and Los Angeles
Chargers (No. 6), who were believed to be
locked on quarterbacks. Then-Giants general
manager Dave Gettleman was a longtime
Panthers executive with existing relationships
in the building. A trade seemed plausible, but
would not be pursued.Though Carolina’s scouts wanted Herbert. a
Panthers front office source said there was
concern that trading draft capital to make it
happen could hurt other areas of the team.
After Herbert went sixth overall to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Panthers settled on Auburn University defensive tackle Derrick Brown at No. 7. And although Brown hasn’t exactly helped solve Carolina’s quarterback issues (because, ya know, he’s not a quarterback), the 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman has been a fixture in the trenches—particularly here in 2022.
Herbert, of course, has gone on to be regarded as one of the game’s premier passers. Over his 39 outings to this point, the 24-year-old has passed for 11,369 yards, 81 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, however, they’ve since fumbled through a handful of failed projects at the position. Following their misses at Herbert and former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford that offseason, the offense has folded—in varying degrees—under the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield in the last three years.
Well, there’s always 2023 . . .
