Leonard Fournette.
O.J. Howard.
Edge-rushing hunter of quarterbacks.
These are the names or positions most often connected in mock drafts to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 8 overall pick, which is all well and good provided one of them is available when the Panthers are on the clock next month in Philadelphia.
When doping out what general manager Dave Gettleman might do, it’s instructive to know what direction the seven teams ahead of Carolina might go on the opening night of the draft.
So we turned to the beat writers for those clubs picking 1-7 to get a better handle on how things might shake out.