Panthers NFL Draft projections: Why these players make sense for Carolina at No. 7
It’s that time of year. With the calendar officially hitting February, everyone is breaking out their mock drafts and starting to make bold predictions about what’s ahead this offseason.
For the Panthers, there’s still a lot of questions to be answered before we get to the draft in April. Slowly, however, we are starting to get a better look at what this team will look like in 2020 and the needs it still has to address.
Reggie Bonnafon is back for another year, so adding a backup running back behind Christian McCaffrey isn’t near the top of the list. The Panthers have decided to move on from Greg Olsen, meaning a tight end will likely be added to the roster through free agency or the draft.
Offensive and defensive line are two of the top areas of need, but their priority levels will be affected by which free agents they bring back with seven defensive starters and offensive guard Greg Van Roten scheduled to hit the open market.
Carolina has the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft. If they stay there and don’t trade back, this will be the highest they have picked since selecting Cam Newton first overall in 2011. In franchise history, they have only selected three players at seven or higher: Newton, Julius Peppers (second overall) and Kerry Collins (fifth).
Here’s a look at some players that have been projected for the Panthers at seventh overall and the situations that would make them a logical fit:
Derrick Brown, DT (Auburn)
Due to the quarterback-needy teams picking earlier in the draft, it’s likely that the defensive tackle could drop to the Panthers at No. 7. Brown could go a long way in helping a defense that allowed the most rushing touchdowns (31) and yards per attempt (5.2) in 2019.
Multiple prominent mock drafts have Brown landing in Carolina. ESPN’s Todd McShay calls him “a huge 6-foot-5 versatile force on the interior.”
Walter Football described him as a player with a ton of “upside” and said that the Panthers would be getting a “steal” with selecting him at seven: “He can be a great interior disruptor if he lives up to his potential. He had a chance to be a top-five pick (No. 5 overall?) in the 2019 NFL Draft before he returned to school. Brown has thrived this past season, and he was an absolute monster in the 2019 Iron Bowl.”
Why he makes sense for the Panthers: Three of their defensive tackles are entering free agency. Gerald McCoy and Vernon Butler are unrestricted free agents and Dontari Poe will become an unrestricted free agent if his team option is not picked up.
It would make sense for the Panthers to try and re-sign McCoy to be a defensive leader on a rebuilding team, but the soon-to-be 32-year old may rather go elsewhere. It seems unlikely the Panthers re-sign Butler, a former first-round pick, after he punched a player vs. the Colts and then stuck his middle finger up at the crowd in Indianapolis after being ejected .By remaining on the roster at the end of the year, the team is eligible for a compensatory pick in the draft.
If the Panthers pick up Poe’s option after his season ended early due to injury, which would make sense, they still need a lot of help on the defensive line. Brown could be a good fit in Phil Snow’s new defense.
Another possible option at DT with the seventh pick: South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw.
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Isaiah Simmons, LB (Clemson)
Simmons appears to be a natural fit for the Panthers and is receiving a lot of praise with the combine still on the horizon at the end of February. The Panthers have never selected a player from Clemson in the draft. Simmons could be the first.
Some mock drafts have Simmons going before the Panthers pick, but if he is available, the redshirt junior could make a lot of sense staying in the Carolinas.
He played almost every defensive position at Clemson and is a versatile player that Snow could do a lot of things with. He played more than 100 snaps each at defensive line, in the box, slot cornerback and deep safety.
PFF has one of the mock drafts that puts Simmons in Carolina: “Simmons is just the athletic freak who can fill the big shoes left by Luke Kuechly’s retirement. In his three seasons at Clemson, Simmons had coverage grades of 76.1, 90.0, and 88.2.”
Why he makes sense for the Panthers: This feels like it doesn’t need to be said, but they have to find some way to try and fill the Kuechly-sized hole in the defense. No one they sign or draft will be able to do that right away, but Carolina has to find someone to put in his spot.
Justin Herbert, QB (Oregon)
In an ideal world, the Panthers would draft Joe Burrow and reunite him with Joe Brady. But he’ll be gone long before they pick and Carolina has too many holes to even consider moving up that drastically.
Where in the draft Herbert will land is divisive in many mocks. Some have him going in the top six and not making it to the Panthers, while others have him sliding out of the top 10.
After a strong performance at the Senior Bowl, Herbert will look to continue to improve his stock at the combine. The quarterback showed some regression late in 2019, as described in Walter Football’s mock draft analysis, after deciding to return for a final year, but still has a lot of upside.
“Herbert’s 6’6”, has a 237-pound frame with room to grow, possesses a big right arm and is a great athlete,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller writes, predicting him to the Chargers at sixth overall. “There’s a lot to like from the senior quarterback. Though the downside is that he has struggled to get to second reads and never looked at his best against decent defenses, those who love physical traits will easily fall in love with him.”
Why he makes sense for the Panthers: There’s the big elephant in the room with questions surrounding Cam Newton’s future in Carolina. While he said last week at the Super Bowl’s radio row that he “absolutely” believes he’ll be back with the Panthers, there’s still the big health question that has to be determined. The team will see what Newton’s health looks like in March, but moving on from him would fit the direction the team is going. Herbert could fit a rebuilding team.
Other players slotted to the Panthers in mock drafts: Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah and Iowa lineman Tristan Wirfs.
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This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Panthers NFL Draft projections: Why these players make sense for Carolina at No. 7."
