2021 NFL Draft: Five team fits for Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman

2. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are another team that could benefit from having Rashod Bateman on the roster. Carolina underwent some major changes in the offseason and brought in Matt Rhule to be the new head coach. They also added Joe Brady to be their offensive coordinator and signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year deal.

Brady guided the LSU Tigers offense to an extremely prolific 2019 season, which led to Joe Burrow winning the Heisman and LSU winning the title. His offense will be fun to watch in 2020, and while they have a lot of weapons, including D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, adding another receiver on the outside makes sense.

The Panthers are projected to pick early in the 2021 NFL Draft, and most analysts have them picking a quarterback early on. Bateman is usually a first-round pick in mocks, but things could change between now and April. There’s a chance Carolina could be in a position to draft Bateman, either early in round two or with a trade up.

Bateman could line up at the “X” in Brady’s offense, and play the role that Ja’Marr Chase did last season at LSU. He could be part of the quick passing offense Brady deploys, and be a reliable deep threat for shot plays down the field.