The Carolina Panthers have been thrown into a bind with Luke Kuechly retiring but they replace him in this latest seven-round 2020 mock draft
Things have been moving quickly for the Carolina Panthers in the 2020 offseason, for better or worse. On the one hand, you have to like their revamped coaching staff and the optimism they bring as Matt Rhule takes over at head coach and Joe Brady assumes the role of offensive coordinator. At the same time, however, the team also lost superstar linebacker Luke Kuechly to surprise retirement.
The value of Kuechly for this defense and team as a whole can’t be fully calculated. He was the best player at the position in the NFL for the entirety of his eight-year career and a guy that every player in the Panthers locker room gravitated toward and followed. Now a team that was already facing a complicated offseason has another complication that they must address.
Of course, the reason that the Panthers offseason was going to be complicated comes down to the quarterback spot. After Cam Newton was limited to only two games this year, talk heated up about Carolina moving on from the former MVP. But after Kyle Allen fell off a cliff and Will Grier failed miserably when he got the start, that now feels much more uncertain.
Given the state of the Panthers, they should not move on from Newton just yet. Yes, it would save them a ton of money. However, as Joe Brady takes over this offense and as they now have a ton of holes to fill in the 2020 NFL Draft and in free agency, they should give a possibly healthy Newton the opportunity to prove himself in a new offense and culture.
Standing pat for now at quarterback ultimately opens a ton of doors for the Carolina Panthers in the 2020 NFL Draft. They can look to replace Kuechly, address other needs on the defense and also add necessary pieces on the offensive line and at wide receiver.
How will they do that? Let’s take a look at one possible way to accomplish those things with a seven-round 2020 mock draft for the Panthers. (Note: This mock was compiled using The Draft Network’s mock draft machine.)