The Panthers traded up for the No. 1 pick on Friday, becoming the first NFL team to do so since the Los Angeles Rams back in 2016 (for Jared Goff). The move ends what was thought to be weeks of uncertainty, at least through the early days of April.
Chicago gets itself out of the quarterback market and can spend a boatload of capital on more cornerback depth, a better, more aggressive front that can suit Matt Eberflus’s stunt-heavy defenses and, of course, a few more assets that can formulate a backfield of Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s dreams (while we’re not comping Justin Fields to Lamar Jackson, any quarterback with the ability to escape the pocket benefits from the presence of position-versatile pass catchers and blockers).
After only Kenny Pickett was taken in the first round last year, we’ll have something closer to the 2018 draft coming down the pike—Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson. There are a ton of team-specific preference players on the board (Will Levis, for example, played in a Kyle Shanahan offense in college and also a Sean McVay-type offense while at Kentucky). Now the only remaining question is whether Carolina made the move for the player we thought they did, or if there is another surprise remaining.
