The Carolina Panthers, with a significant shift in philosophy in a 2020 redraft, could alter the course of the NFC South. As the old axiom states, “Defense wins championships.”
However, what remains as the driving force to allow defenders to thrive? Offense not only sells tickets but also plays an integral part of the game: scoring points.
Similarly, constructing a successful offense will ultimately make the road to a championship much easier. While defense, especially elite defenders, will improve their unit as a whole, finding standout offensive skill position players is still a task and a herculean chore.
In this redraft, Carolina places all of its chips in the middle of the table. Selecting a surefire top wideout will go a long way toward making defensive coordinators stay up late at night.
Carolina Panthers Hopes Elite WR Ushers Winning Era in 2020 NFL Redraft
Make no mistake, Derrick Brown sits atop the list of playmaking run-stoppers along the defensive line. While many big-bodied players use their heft to clog up the middle and wait, Brown makes the play himself. In 2023, the former first-round draft pick set the league record for most tackles by a defensive lineman with 103.
The team would avoid running in his direction, which altered game plans and made the offenses one-dimensional. However, for all of Brown’s stellar play, he could not make up for the Panthers’ atrocious offense. By scoring just 24.1 points a game, which ranked 24th, Carolina could not do enough to win the game.
For example, eight of the team’s 11 losses in 2020 fell within just one score. At quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater enjoyed D.J. Moore, but the talented wideout did drop seven passes. Behind him, Robbie (Anderson) Chosen tallied a thousand yards but struggled with catching the ball at the most inopportune moments.
PFSN NFL Draft analyst Jacob Infante completed a 2020 NFL redraft, and instead of Derrick Brown finding his way to North Carolina, the franchise selected former Oklahoma wideout CeeDee Lamb with the seventh-overall pick.
Within the Panthers’ offense, Lamb would occupy the lead spot, with Moore, Anderson, and Curtis Samuel rounding out the four-wide group.
Five minutes of CeeDee Lamb highlights pic.twitter.com/5bziDibzfX
— SleeperCowboys (@SleeperCowboys) May 28, 2025
“While the Panthers made a good pick in the real 2020 NFL Draft, CeeDee Lamb is a three-time All-Pro and one of the best wide receivers in the league, making him a strong redraft selection.”
Although Christian McCaffrey only played three games in 2020, the team should easily rank well inside the top ten in scoring. Additionally, the win totals would jump. Lamb would immediately burst onto the national scene for Carolina. In what you could consider a butterfly effect, Matt Rhule stays in Charlotte for the duration of his contract.
As a result, the Panthers stand in the way of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, possibly thwarting Tom Brady from winning his seventh Super Bowl. Further down the line, the team probably doesn’t trade away serious draft capital for Bryce Young. In effect, not choosing Lamb really changed the landscape for a myriad of teams.