ESPN ran an interesting exercise today with their NFL Nation writers. They re-drafted the entire league with everyone available using the 2020 NFL draft order for four rounds (128 players). Naturally, Patrick Mahomes came off the board first, followed by Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson.
The Panthers picks were made by David Newton and he chose Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa with the No. 7 overall selection. In the next round, he doubled up on the edge by taking DeForest Buckner. Then in the third he chose Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham, followed by Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills in the fourth.
It’s easy and popular to dunk on everything Newton does, but that’s not the idea here. We actually like the positions that he prioritized, just not the details – starting with taking Bosa way too early. We recently placed him No. 6 at his position in our league-wide edge rankings.
Given the opportunity, we would have chosen Kyler Murray at this spot as he was the best young QB still on the board. In ESPN’s re-draft, he fell to the Cowboys at No. 17.
We also like the Buckner and Wills picks. Stidham was a confusing choice, though. Here’s how Newton explained himself:
“The key to my draft ultimately will be Stidham. To help him, I took Wills — the 10th overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft — in the fourth round. You can fill in receivers and running backs with average talents, but look at most Super Bowl teams and you’ll find a solid interior core with a lot of high draft picks. I also chose to build the roster around players 26 or younger to get the best years of their careers. If Stidham is the real deal, I’ll see you in the Super Bowl.”
Alright, then. We’ll have to assume Newton thinks Bill Belichick knows something about Stidham that the rest of us don’t. If BB thinks he’s a potential diamond in the rough, that would help explain why New England has not yet signed somebody like Cam Newton to replace Tom Brady.
Speaking of Newton, he got picked by ESPN’s Titans writer, Turron Davenport at No. 36. That’s a good value, especially as he paired him with Tyreek Hill, who he chose in the first round. In our re-draft of the atrocious Carolina class of 2016, we picked Hill at No 141 overall with the same idea in mind.
Other notable Panthers who made the cut included quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (Steelers – No. 18), running back Christian McCaffrey (Rams, No. 20) and wide receiver D.J. Moore (Lions – No. 126). No defensive players were chosen.
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