Monday was an exciting day for the NFL broadcast, and that was with the news from the New York Jets sending the former first round pick Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for the following draft stock:
2021 Choice of 6th Round
2022 Choice of 2nd Round
2022 Choice of 4th round
In return, the Panthers bring Darnold into the 2021 season, before having the option to choose his fifth year option.
For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, this news doesn’t matter much. There may have been a small contingent who thought, or hoped, that the Steelers would run on Darnold to be Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement when he decides to suspend him forever. But the reality of the situation is that it was highly unlikely that the Steelers would make that deal. It just wasn’t in the cards, if you were being realistic.
However, this does not mean that there was no ripple effect after trading in the NFL’s 2021 Draft. When you look at the draft order, you see that there are specific teams that will want a defender. Until Monday, the Panthers were one of those teams, but with them catching Darnold it didn’t seem viable the team would want to add a new rookie quarterback to the draft. They could still pull the trigger on a quarterback, but it seems highly unlikely.
Let’s first take a look at the next draft of the order.
Preliminary 2021 NFL request:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars *
2. New York Jets *
3. San Francisco 49ers (from Miami Dolphins via Houston Texans) *
4. Atlanta Falcons *
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Miami Dolphins (from the Philadelphia Eagles)
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York giants
12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins via San Francisco 49ers)
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Green Bay Packers
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Kansas City Chiefs
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Teams that have an asterisk next to their team name are apparently blocked from receiving a quarterback in the draft. The top 5 defenders in the draft would be:
Trevor Lawrence (Clemson)
Zach Wilson (BYU)
Justin Fields (Ohio State)
Trey Lance (North Dakota State)
Mac Jones (Alabama)
This means that there will be a quarterback who is likely to enter the draft. Which quarterback is up for debate, but there are teams like the Patriots, Lions and Broncos, who may also be in the mix for a quarterback.
But this ripple effect is not just about defenders entering the draft. This can also have an impact on other position groups. If a team like Carolina wanted a quarterback, they would now probably choose another position by taking another talented player off the board.
There may be more movements before the start of the draft, at the end of April, and all will have an impact on the entire process. This includes the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are seated at choice # 24 and need to see who will be available when it is their turn to choose.
A lot can change between now and then, so stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes on black and gold as they prepare for the rest of the Free Agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.