Touchdown Wire

Recently, I did a piece on the teams we could legitimately expect to trade up in the 2021 draft after the Panthers traded for Sam Darnold. That didn’t cost Carolina any first-round picks — just a sixth-rounder in 2021 and a second- and fourth-round pick in 2022. Not bad for the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, especially if Darnold is able to do what every other offensive player has been able to do once released from the clutches of Adam Gase — improve his prospects exponentially. The Jets off-loading Darnold puts them in the catbird seat for any non-Trevor Lawrence quarterback they want, and even money says that’ll be BYU’s Zach Wilson. If that’s the case, there are three other potential first-round quarterbacks on the hoof — North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, and Alabama’s Mac Jones.