The Carolina Panthers selected edge rusher Brian Burns with the No. 16 pick in the NFL Draft last night, and tonight they will have the opportunity to add more quality players to their roster. The Panthers currently hold the No. 47, No. 77 and No. 100 picks in the draft, and regardless of how the draft board shakes out tonight Marty Hurney will have a prime opportunity to make the Panthers a better team than they were yesterday.
Here are 10 players the Panthers should consider drafting tonight who would help the roster on Day 1.
Offensive tackle
Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma
Ford is versatile enough to fit in at right tackle or guard for the Panthers, and that versatility would be extremely useful. The Panthers have to decide who is going to play left tackle for them in 2019, but if Ford is the best offensive lineman of the bunch remaining when the No. 47 pick is due, then they should take him and figure out the details later.
Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
Taylor is a right tackle, and it’s arguable that Carolina already has two of those on the roster, but the Panthers shouldn’t pass on Taylor at No. 47 because they don’t want to move Taylor Moton to the left side. The goal is to build the best offensive line you can build with the pieces you have available to you, and if that requires moving Moton to the left while sliding Taylor in at right tackle (with Daryl Williams at left guard), then the Panthers should do that.
Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
I’m a little surprised that Little wasn’t drafted in the first round and I’m not confident he’ll still be available at No. 47, but if he is the Panthers should run to the podium. They got their edge rusher yesterday and should get their left tackle tonight. A one-two punch of Brian Burns and Greg Little would be an A+ draft from Hurney and Co.
Cornerback/Safety
Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
You’re probably wondering why I’m listing cornerback as a position that Carolina should address in the second round, but honestly Williams shouldn’t be available at No. 47. This is more of a ‘the value is there, so take it’ kind of pick, and honestly can anyone give me one good reason why we should pass on a cornerback named Greedy? We should take him on name value alone.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, CB/S, Florida
Same scenario as Williams here — the value is too good to pass up at No. 47. Gardner-Johnson can play both cornerback and safety, so his versatility would be a huge bonus to Ron Rivera’s defense.
Nasir Adderly, S, Delaware
The Panthers have to take a safety with one of their first four picks in this draft. It’s too big of a need to ignore. Adderly is the best safety of the bunch, and would make a great partner with Eric Reid in the Panthers’ secondary.
Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia
Thornhill played both cornerback and safety in college so that versatility would be useful in the Panthers’ scheme. There’s a really good chance that Thornhill is still on the board at No. 47, and if he is it could be too hard to pass up the chance to get him.
Taylor Rapp, S, Washington
Rapp is almost a clone of Eric Reid, but Rivera hasn’t shied away from playing two strong safeties in the past. I don’t think Rapp should be the No. 1 target for Carolina on Day 2, but if he’s still there at No. 77 then they should probably take him.
Edge rusher
Chase Winovich, EDGE, Michigan
The Panthers need to add more than one edge rusher to rebuild their anemic pass rush, and if Winovich is the best player on the board at No. 47 I wouldn’t be upset if Hurney double-dipped to get two pass rushers. There’s a good argument that every pick the Panthers make in this draft should either protect or rush the quarterback, and if that’s how the draft shakes out for Carolina I can’t say that I would be upset about it.
Oshane Ximines, EDGE, Old Dominion
I think that Ximines would be a good value pick in the third round, and if he somehow makes it to No. 100 that would be a best case scenario for the Panthers to snag him up and add another young, talented pass rusher to their roster.
What do you think, Panthers fans? Who is your favorite prospect remaining? Who do you think we should target in the second and third rounds tonight? Share your thoughts with us!