The Carolina Panthers sat back and watched the show unfold before their eyes in the early portions of the NFL Draft on Thursday. The Panthers held the No. 8 overall pick and watched as Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson went No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
By the time Carolina was up, they had their pick of the litter with the option too choose Justin Fields or Mac Jones. Having already traded for Sam Darnold in the offseason, the Panthers went the route of stud cornerback Jaycee Horn out of South Carolina. Once round one concluded, the Panthers decided to double down on the Darnold decision.
Panthers pick up fifth-year options on Sam Darnold and DJ Moore https://t.co/ZBsdWbFZQs
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) April 30, 2021
Carolina's decision to pick up Darnold's fifth-year option was something General manager Scott Fitterer had said they would do along. Waiting until after the first round of the NFL Draft proved to be a calculated decision just in case the Panthers opted to go the route of taking a quarterback.
The #Panthers picked up QB Sam Darnold's fifth-year option, as GM Scott Fitterer said they would after executing the trade.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 30, 2021
With Darnold now guaranteed more security in terms of his contract, the picture comes into clear focus for the Panthers. Darnold will be their guy moving forward as he looks to reignite his career after some choppy years with the New York Jets.
The Panthers are slowly piecing together a roster that looks as though it can heavily compete for a playoff spot in the NFC as early as this year, if the Darnold trade comes to fruition. The Jets have their guy now after drafting Zach Wilson at No. 2, and the Panthers hope they've struck gold in Sam Darnold.
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