Carolina Panthers: 3 2020 NFL Draft QB prospects to replace Cam Newton

1. Justin Herbert, Oregon

The Carolina Panthers aren’t going to be able to move up for Joe Burrow. The Cincinnati Bengals might say they’re listening to offers but they’re not moving out of the No. 1 spot in the 2020 NFL Draft. They could try and go to No. 2 or No. 3 and land Tua Tagovailoa, but that might be too costly for them.

There is a top-10 worthy quarterback they could land though, Justin Herbert. At one point, Herbert looked to be the best quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft but then he decided to return for his senior season. He had another good campaign but slides due to the rise of Burrow and the fact that Tua did declare.

The question is whether they can stay put and land Herbert at No. 7. The answer there is likely no. Should Burrow and Tua fly off the board, Carolina will probably have to make sure to get higher than the Los Angeles Chargers to get Herbert. The good news is, they won’t have to make as drastic of a leap as it would take to get Tua, but it would still be costly.

However, it would be worth it. Personally, I believe Herbert is the superior option to Tua in this class. While he doesn’t have the big-game wins, he’s not coming off a serious hip injury. He’s also more athletic than Tua and can make teams pay when he takes off and runs the ball.

This is without even talking about his rocket of an arm. Herbert can make all the throws and showed off his talent in the recent Senior Bowl.

Herbert remains the best option for the Panthers under center and would give Matt Rhule a player capable of making the team contenders in the NFC South once again should they choose to move on from Cam Newton.