Panthers Could Get Carter, But May Opt To Trade Down

The first pick in this year’s draft will be Ki-Jana Carter, the Penn State running back.

What team will make that pick is another question.

The No. 1 pick belongs to the Carolina Panthers, the expansion team whose offensive line is likely to be hazardous to the health of running backs.

By the time Carolina becomes respectable, Carter will have taken such a beating it might be better to take a quarterback who can take the team to the Super Bowl in 2005, around the time Carter is packing it in.

The Panthers, then, may trade down with Washington, which has the fourth pick and would love Carter to help speed its way back to respectability. Or they may deal with Cleveland or Minnesota.

That would allow Carolina to take quarterback Kerry Collins, Carter’s teammate at Penn State, who could learn while Frank Reich takes the beating. That’s what they really want to do in their first draft - obtain a building block for the franchise.

If nobody gives them extra picks that will take the running back off their hands, the Panthers are set to go with Carter.