Repeating his earlier stance on moving down, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan again invited any general manager shopping for a top-10 pick to call Carolina about the No. 8 overall selection in the first round.
With nine days to go before the 2025 NFL Draft begins, Morgan repeated his desire to trade the No. 8 pick to acquire additional assets.
“Exciting to continue building, adding talent to the roster. We’re definitely open to trading back and acquiring more picks,” Morgan said Tuesday. “I think we’re going to be open to all possibilities.”
In going through options in the first round, one option Morgan did not mention is moving up.
Typically trades for picks in the bottom half of the top 10 in the draft are made while a team is on the clock on draft day. Morgan said his phone isn’t ringing, but he’s not taking the chance rival decision-makers might make an offer to another team further down the pecking order.
As of Tuesday afternoon, all 32 teams held their original first-round picks.
“I don’t think yet,” Morgan said of any trade talks this week. “It’s still a little early for that, but maybe down the line I’ll expect it a little more. Right now, things are quiet.”
Morgan said the Panthers will make a pick in the first round. He wouldn’t go into how far he would be willing to trade back in a deal involving the eighth overall selection.
“Obviously we’ll count numbers,” Morgan said, noting needs at outside linebacker and interior defensive line. “That’s still an emphasis we want to address, just making our front seven as strong as it can be.”
