If the Carolina Panthers end up with a top-10 draft pick in 2027, things will have gone wrong. The team picked 19th last year after making the playoffs, so regressing all the way back to the top 10 would be surprising and disappointing.
And while it's impossible to predict why they might stumble, offensive failings seem like the most plausible culprit. After all the investments on defense, that side of the ball should be better equipped to hold up.
Of course, the offensive shortcomings that might happen this year would not entirely be the fault of Bryce Young . There's still little in the way of skill-position players , and the offensive line has a lot to work out.
The blame typically falls on the quarterback, though, and if year four for Young goes poorly enough to land a top-10 pick, the Panthers might be in the market for a replacement, and it wouldn't be totally unjustified.
However, in this mock draft from FOX Sports insider Rob Rang , the Panthers pick eight but do not replace Young, instead opting to provide him one more elite weapon.
Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) drops a touchdown pass | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
While the Panthers have tried to give Bryce Young weapons, the sad truth is that it has not worked out so far. Since he was drafted, the Panthers have added Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Jonathon Brooks, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Darren Waller, Mitchell Evans, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Xavier Legette.
This doesn't include the failed additions of Jonathan Mingo, Hunter Renfrow, and a handful of others. Those are just the ones who are still around, and to be frank, that's not a good group of football players. Outside of McMillan and Coker, everyone, with the injury-marred exception of Brooks, has not made an impact.
So while the Panthers have taken wide receivers in two of the last three first rounds, they could stand to do it again. It's why passing on Makai Lemon was a surprise, and why FOX Sports' Rob Rang projects them to take Cam Coleman next year.
"A springy athlete with excellent size and tracking skills, Coleman reminds me a lot of another star wideout playing in Texas: Cowboys star George Pickens," Rang wrote, highlighting exactly why the Panthers should be interested.
"Pairing Coleman with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan would give the Panthers the opportunity to better evaluate Bryce Young in what will be the last year of his rookie contract," he added.
That is the most interesting part. Most media members believe the Panthers should not run it back with Young next year, especially if they finish with a top-10 worst record in the NFL this season.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks on from the sideline during the first half | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yet, Rang believes, rightly so, that Young has not been given the tools to succeed at the NFL level. His rookie season was a perfect guide on what not to do with a rookie QB, and it set him back badly. Since then, the Panthers have done better, but they've still struggled to help him.
And if they flounder this year, it would be hard not to think about replacing him, but it would be equally as hard to say that he's been given a good offense to run, so they could give it one more shot.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/panthers/onsi as Panthers Pass on Bryce Young Replacement for Elite Playmaker in 2027 Mock .
