Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald is reporting this morning that the Carolina Panthers have "a standing offer to trade down." Marty Hurney traded down last season and ended up with the team's starting middle linebacker and starting center, so perhaps he thinks that strategy can work again.If the Panthers do trade down, they have one likely target in mind: Boston College tackle Gosder Cherilus, whom the Panthers scouted earlier this year. Cherilus struggled with his pass blocking at left tackle last season, allowing Matt Ryan to get sacked 6 times, but as a run blocker, he's a long-armed beast who locks up defenders and opens holes on the goal line -- something the Panthers could use.
If Carolina does end up with Cherilus, it could mean Jordan Gross might shift back to left tackle. It could also mean the Panthers believe that Charles Johnson is capable of replacing the retired Mike Rucker at defensive end.
More importantly, though, such a trade could give Carolina another pick in the 3rd round, which could allow them to turn that 3rd-round pick they got in the Kris Jenkins trade into a 2nd-round pick. Does Carolina see some value picks in the second round? Hopefully, we'll find out before midnight.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Interesting scenario, David. Things should be even more interesting if the anticipated slide of talented/ hyped OTs in the first round comes to fruition (and it looks like it will after the news about the Rams and Chris Long). Hopefully, if Clady, Williams or Otah drop out of the top ten, the Panthers will stay put and pick one of them up. I'm not sold on this Cherilus guy as a first-rounder, but we'll just see what happens. The Panthers may surprise/ anger all of us by the time the first two rounds are over.
Posted at 12:54PM on Apr 26th 2008 by Harrison