2021 NFL Draft: 5 teams most likely to take a quarterback

And we are at the first of two teams who will absolutely be taking a franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. It doesn’t matter if the Panthers have Teddy Bridgewater on a three-year contract, the Panthers will be one of the worst teams in football next season. They will be in picking in the top 10 again and will be able to land one of the two star quarterbacks coming out.

For a team that just moved off arguably the greatest player in franchise history in Cam Newton, you would think the Panthers will want to draft a quarterback who will excite the entire fan base. The top two quarterbacks in next year’s draft grew up in suburban Atlanta and are can’t-miss prospects: Trevor Lawrence of the Clemson Tigers and Justin Fields of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Having a shot at drafting Lawrence at No. 1 would play so well in the Panthers fanbase. Clemson is in Panthers territory, as is the biggest city that supports Clemson in Greenville, South Carolina. Fields may have no connection to North Carolina, but his dual-threat playmaking ability is too undeniable to pass up a shot at drafting him either.

What we have to remember is it will be a long-term rebuilding project in Carolina under new head coach Matt Rhule. Eventually, he will get it right, but the defensive-minded coach from the college ranks will need a franchise quarterback to have any success at the NFL level. Though Bridgewater is serviceable, Lawrence and Fields could win the Panthers their first Lombardi Trophy.