We have a trade.
Round One of the last 10 NFL Drafts have included roughly seven trades on average, and the Panthers have moved up, down or out of the first round in seven drafts (most recently in 2009 and 2010 when Carolina didn't make a first-round pick).
With such volatility in mind, Dan Kadar's latest mock draft for SBNation.com features four draft-day trades, starting with the Panthers. But there's nothing volatile about who Kadar has the Panthers targeting, forecasting them to move up from No. 8 to the Titans' spot at No. 5 in order to select Leonard Fournette. The LSU running back has been the most common name in the first month of the mock draft craze, but a trade could indeed be necessary to make it reality: At NFL.com’s mock draft central for example, two of the five mocks have the Panthers taking Fournette at No. 8 while two others have Fournette off the board before No. 8.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the latest mock draft courtesy of Charlie Campbell at WalterFootball.com. While none of the five CBSSports.com mock drafters have a single offensive tackle being selected before the 20th overall pick, Campbell forecasts a second tackle to the Panthers at No. 8. After mocking Wisconsin product Ryan Ramczyk to Carolina earlier in the month, Campbell now has Alabama's Cam Robinson in that spot.
Steve Palazzolo at Pro Football Focus stuck with Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett for the second straight mock, joining Campbell by again targeting a position of perceived need for the Panthers. On the other hand, DJ Boyer of Draftsite.com and Matthew Stevens of PanthersWire.com appear to have taken more of a best-available-player approach with their selections of Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Many mockers believe both of those prospects will be gone before the Panthers' pick rolls around – if they don't trade up.
