On Thursday, the Carolina Panthers released their latest video feature, which followed the team’s inside activity in and around the 2021 NFL draft. And among the many compelling nuggets that were revealed throughout the 35-minute project, a bit of a conspiracy theory has now been spawned . . .
There you go. #Panthers tried to edit it out but Justin Fields was, in fact, on their shortlist of names at No. 8 overall. You see his name on the list for a split-second.
(h/t @zoboa for catching this) pic.twitter.com/KBlsmzeIDM
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) May 28, 2021
The above tweet made the rounds within the Panthers’ Twittersphere on Friday afternoon. Its author suggests quarterback Justin Fields’ name was edited out of the audio during the moment head coach Matt Rhule reviews the team’s options for their eighth overall selection.
Rhule, when speaking with owner David Tepper, general manager Scott Fitterer and salary cap manager Samir Suleiman about how the board could pan out, lists off the “cluster” of prospects they “really love.” The names that can be heard and subsequently written on the dry erase board were offensive tackle Penei Sewell, cornerback and eventual pick Jaycee Horn, cornerback Patrick Surtain II and wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
But when the video is paused, as in the tweet, you can see what appears to be Fields’ name at the very bottom of the list despite not actually hearing Rhule mention him. So was his name edited out by the organization’s media team?
Well, perhaps. The audio on Fields, however, probably wasn’t edited out for what this account may be insinuating.
If you take a closer look at how Rhule writes out the prospects, Fields is noticeably spaced out below the cluster that was audibly included. Additionally, his name is under what looks to be the name of offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, which also wasn’t featured in the clip.
The more logical assumption would not be that the Panthers are hiding something for whatever reason, but rather that Fields and Vera-Tucker were likely options had they moved down in the draft order. Their designation as potential trade-down targets explain the exclusion on the audio and distanced positioning on the board much more sensibly than a baseless conspiracy theory could.
What we can very much deduce, through that observation and even how low he’s written, is that Fields was not under serious consideration at the No. 8 spot. Even with their considerable need for a quarterback, he just wasn’t the guy for them.
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