Carolina Panthers find new franchise QB in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

The Carolina Panthers are going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason. Under the direction of head coach Matt Rhule, the Panthers appear to be a team on the rise and are in a good position to improve this offseason.

In this 2021 NFL mock draft, we are going to go seven rounds deep with this team and see how we can help them improve. Can Rhule and company find the right pieces to help them compete going forward? Find out in this complete seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft for the Carolina Panthers.

Note: This 2021 NFL mock draft was completed using Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator.

Carolina Panthers 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 1, 5th overall

The Carolina Panthers kick off this 2021 NFL mock draft with a trade. The Miami Dolphins stand out as an obvious trade-down candidate at No. 3 but did not seem interested in a move down in this mock draft. However, this worked out well for the Panthers here, as quarterbacks went off of the board with the first two picks, but the Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons went in other directions with the next two picks.

This set up a relatively easy trade scenario for Carolina, as they sent their 2021 second-round pick (39th overall) and a 2022 fourth-rounder to the Cincinnati Bengals to trade up to No. 5 from No. 8. With Zach Wilson still on the board, this was an easy decision for Carolina to make as they now have their franchise quarterback on the roster.

Quarterback will likely be the number one priority for the Carolina Panthers early in the 2021 NFL Draft. Teddy Bridgewater was solid for the team last season, but he is only a bridge quarterback. They need to find a good, young player at the position who they can build their offense around. The Panthers may be able to stand pat at No. 8 and snag one of the top four quarterbacks in this class, but it is more likely that they will have to get aggressive and move up like we see here.

Wilson is one of the most exciting players in this draft class. He is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands who can make plays out of structure when needed. Wilson is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback who can create with his legs, and he also does a great job of keeping his eyes down-field and looking for the big play.

As great as Wilson is out of structure, do not sleep on his ability to simply sit in the pocket and let it rip. Wilson has good arm strength, throws the ball with fantastic anticipation and has impressive accuracy to all levels of the field.

In this scenario, the Panthers could let Wilson compete for the starting job right away, but if they determine that he needs more time to develop, Carolina could easily go back to Bridgewater for a year. There would not be any early pressure on Wilson in Carolina and once he is ready to compete, the Panthers have a strong and stable organization and many impact playmakers who can help him have early success.