Why trading down from No. 8 should be a strong consideration for the Panthers

Picking up additional draft capital and getting an impact player? Seems like a smart move.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select... or do they?

Figuring out whether or not the Panthers stay at No. 8 is the biggest question heading into this month's draft. For a team that has failed to record a winning season since 2017, much less make the playoffs, you would assume the best option would be to stay where you are and take the best player available.

That's not always the case.

Carolina only has one pick inside the top 50 and three inside the top 100 (No. 8, No. 57, and No. 74) of this year's draft. Instead of holding firm at eight, GM Dan Morgan should strongly consider trading out of the spot to pick up an extra pick (or two). How much the Panthers get in return will depend on how far the other team has to come up.

For Morgan and every GM who considers trading down, there's a certain spot or area they are not willing to entertain. No one knows exactly sure where Morgan will draw that line in the sand but I'd imagine it would be somewhere around 15 or 16.

By moving back five to eight spots, you'll have the ability to pick up an additional top 50-ish pick, a package of picks equivalent to that, or a future 2nd. Carolina has a lot of work to do to improve its depth, so the more cracks you get at the plate, the more likely it becomes you hit on a few.

Plus, sliding down the board isn't going to completely knock you out of range of adding an immediate impact player on the defensive side of the ball. Depending on how far back Morgan could go, several of the following prospects could still be available: EDGE Mykel Williams, EDGE Shemar Stewart, EDGE James Pearce Jr., EDGE Mike Green, LB Jalon Walker, LB Jihaad Campbell, CB Will Johnson, S Nick Emmanwori

The Panthers need more high-end picks and trading out of No. 8 is the smartest way to achieve that.

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