The Carolina Panthers are the team with all the power when it comes to the impending NFL Draft. Harboring the No. 1 overall selection, the Panthers have a lot riding on their first pick of this year’s draft, and making that first selection won’t be an easy job for new head coach Ron Rivera.

The Panthers were widely expected to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick this year, but now that Luck has declared he will play out his college career for one more year it’s a toss-up to where the Panthers go from here. The team needs a franchise quarterback more than anything, and with Jimmy Clausen not living up to expectations it would have been easy for the team to pick Andrew Luck. Now that Luck won’t be available, however, would it be plausible to think the Panthers might trade down their No. 1 pick and make a trade for another quarterback in the league?

That’s certainly an option if the Panthers are looking to fill the quarterback position as their No. 1 priority, but there are several other holes in the Carolina roster. Another place that needs attention is the defensive line, which got pretty thin last year and especially with the departure of Julius Peppers. At defensive tackle, there’s a solid option in the draft in Auburn’s Nick Fairley, as well as Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers.

Where will the Panthers go with the 2011 NFL Draft? The good news is there’s nowhere to go but up from here, so stay tuned to see what the next couple months bring the Carolina Panthers.

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