NFL Draft: Carolina Panthers not trading Day 2 picks

Carolina Panther general manager Dave Gettleman made it clear Friday he would not trade his Day 2 picks to move up in the second-round of the NFL draft.

Next: The best picks for each team in NFL Draft history

After a surprising first-round selection by Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman–taking Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson, who some analysts had as a late 2nd- or early 3rd-round pick–the question was raised as to just how aggressive the Panthers will be in this draft.

From the outside, the Panthers’ selection of Thompson seemed to indicate not so much a negligence, but certainly an attacking, no concern sort of attitude toward this draft.

But the Panthers’ general manager was quick to dismiss that notion Friday morning, saying he would not trade up in the second-round, “I’m not a big mover that way.”

Of course we know a few things: 1) NFL draft season is the season for lies and white lies. No GM, not even the most honest in the business can be trusted this time of year. Gettleman’s words should be taken with a grain of sand.

2) We also know that the Panthers currently possess seven more (came into the draft with eight) selections, including three in the fifth-round, owing the latter two to compensatory selection awards.

In other words, the Panthers have the ammunition to go all-in if there’s a certain player the Panthers love early in the second-round. But even that thought Gettleman seemed to shoot down pretty quickly, telling the press that he felt this was a deep draft, and using the old cliche, “there’s a lot of talent left on the board.”

That’s all good and true. There is a lot of talent left on the board. This is a draft which only had a few players who screamed future All-Pro potential, but is deep throughout.

Teams are likely to find quality role players all the way into the seventh-round.

But the Panthers are actually not a very good team, despite their consecutive NFC South titles, both of which they can account for with luck. They are wearily thin along the offensive line and the receiving corps isn’t much better.

Gettleman was probably wise to pass on a receiver at No. 25, given that the best one left on the board at that point, Dorial Green-Beckham, comes with gigantic character concerns. However the offensive line is also a mess and at 25 there remained players who could have easily filled one of those holes. Then the Panthers could have, in all likelihood, got Thompson in the second-round.

Next: 15 biggest busts in NFL draft history

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