Carolina Panthers 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft after Sam Darnold trade

The Carolina Panthers have been expected to make an aggressive move for a quarterback throughout the entire offseason. That move finally came on Monday and honestly, it was a bit of a letdown. In a trade with the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers acquired quarterback Sam Darnold. In exchange for Darnold, Carolina sent the Jets a 2021 sixth-round pick (226th overall), a 2022 second-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick.

Darnold has undoubtedly been a disappointment ever since the Jets selected him with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Darnold always struggled with consistency with the Jets but how much of that blame does he really deserve? The Jets have been a disaster of an organization in recent years and Adam Gase undoubtedly deserves some blame for the poor development of Darnold. Getting the young quarterback in a stable situation should be great for his career.

The Carolina Panthers have put together a strong roster and are led by an impressive coaching staff. Matt Rhule and company have this team going in the right direction and putting talented offensive coordinator Joe Brady in control of the offense will be great for Darnold’s career. He may not reach his high ceiling as an NFL quarterback but landing in Carolina is undoubtedly great for the career of Sam Darnold.

It always seemed most likely that the Carolina Panthers would take a quarterback in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. With Darnold now in the fold, that is no longer the case. How should the Panthers attack the 2021 NFL Draft with the quarterback position taken care of? Find out in this complete seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft for the team.

Note: This NFL mock draft was completed using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine.