NFL insider clears up wild Panthers draft controversy

The Panthers do in fact still own the pick the Bears seemingly claimed.

Oct 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (15) makes a diving catch against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers moved on from Jonathan Mingo at the 2024 trade deadline, netting them what turned out to be the 114th pick in the draft. This fourth-round pick was more than they were expected to get for Mingo, but in the last few days, it's been the subject of controversy.

The Panthers website maintained that they owned that pick, but several others, including the Chicago Bears site and some NFL sites, said it was owned by Chicago via Carolina. This implied a trade or something, and it had some in the NFL world panicking about who actually owned the pick.

Per Panthers insider Darin Gantt, it was a whole bunch of nothing. While there was some confusion about who had the pick, it never actually left Carolina following the trade deadline. Gantt revealed, "For some reason, when the league sent an internal list of picks to teams, the team-by-team slate of picks was right, but the round-by-round list included the line '4-114 Chicago from Carolina.' That one got shared with the media, and shared and shared. This was a relic of a previous time, perhaps, and most likely a simple clerical error."

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces South Carolina Gamecocks receiver Xavier Legette as the No. 32 pick of the first round by the Carolina Panthers during the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When something gets shared out, it goes viral pretty quickly, and NFL media members and fans shared this draft pick controversy like wildfire. It spread, and it eventually forced the teams to look into it and fix the issue. The Panthers do own that pick, at least for the time being. The Panthers still have nine picks in the draft to play with.

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