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2021 Panthers Mock Draft 4.0

Round 1: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

Since we traded for Darnold, that means we probably expect the top quarterbacks to be drafted before our pick, so now we can focus on our next biggest need: left tackle. As long as the Bengals don't draft him, it is very likely that Sewell, a "generational" talent at left tackle, will fall to our pick.

Round 2 (Trade Down): Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse

Considering Fitterer's background, we are very likely to trade down at least once in the upcoming draft, especially so we can try to recover some of the picks we lost from the Darnold trade. We have addressed a lot of needs in Free Agency, but one position we still lack quality talent and depth at would be safety. Our safety position was already sub-par to begin with before we cut our starting FS in Boston, so I could see us using an early round pick on the position. Cisco was originally seen as the best safety in this class before his ACL injury, so we're lucky that he falls this far. He is arguably the best ballhawk in this class, and is one of the few prospects in this class capable of playing as a true deep safety.

Round 3: Aaron Banks, OG, Notre Dame

Considering that none of the O-linemen we signed in Free Agency are starting-caliber material, I could see us using multiple early round picks on the position. Our interior O-line needs all the help that it can get, so getting the next best OG here makes sense. Banks, like all Notre Dame O-linemen, is a reliable pass-protector and a tough run-blocker, and he's a good fit for us because he has the flexibility to play on either side of the center.

Round 3 (From Trade): Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford

This is the pick that we gained from the trade down in Round 2. Even though we did sign Bouye who should be a reliable starter for us, given his age and regression in recent years, we cannot expect him to be the long-term plan at CB1. So I could see us using an early round pick on the position, and since Fitterer likes his cornerbacks to be tall and lengthy, Adebo makes sense here. Adebo was originally seen to be a first round talent a few years ago, but since then he's dealt with injuries, inconsistencies in his technique against double moves, and a COVID-19 opt-out last year, so he could very realistically fall this far. However, with all that being said, he is still a very talented cornerback with the length to match-up with the big, physical NFC South wide receivers, as well as the versatility to play in a variety of schemes.

Round 4 (Trade Down): Ta'Quan Graham, DE/DT, Texas

Like I said, I imagine we'll trade down several times in the draft to accumulate as many picks as possible, and I doubt we'd be passing on many amazing prospects if we traded down here in the fourth. Fitterer has said that he plans to address three positions in the draft: offensive line, defensive line, and cornerback. Since we have already addressed two of those positions so far, it would make sense to get a D-lineman here. Graham should be a good fit for us since he's versatile enough to play as a DE or DT in a 4-3 scheme, and can also play as a five-technique in a 3-4.

Round 5: Dazz Newsome, WR, North Carolina

Even though David Moore will be a solid No. 3 receiver for us, he's not the most natural replacement for Samuel, and we could use more depth at the position anyway. Newsome is a good slot WR with solid speed and has experience playing at RB, so he should be a decent replacement for Samuel.

Round 5 (From Trade): Paddy Fisher, ILB, Northwestern

This is the pick that we gained from the trade down in Round 4. While Denzel Perryman should be a solid LB for us, it remains to be seen whether he can stay healthy, and we could use more depth at the position anyway. Fisher makes sense for us since he was a tackling machine in college, but his pass-coverage and athletic limitations make him fall this far.

Round 6: Matt Bushman, TE, BYU

Even though we signed Dan Arnold who should be a solid receiving threat and redzone weapon for us, we could use more depth at the position. Bushman was a consistent receiving weapon for BYU, but unfortunately for him he falls this far because of an Achilles injury that caused him to miss all of last season.

Round 6 (Comp Pick): Asim Rose, RB, Kentucky

This is the compensatory pick that we gained from losing Vernon Butler in free agency last year. Since Mike Davis is now a Falcon, and considering how we don't have much depth behind Christian McCaffrey, we could use a new No. 2 running back. RBs are normally a dime a dozen so we could easily get a solid replacement for Davis from an UDFA, but given that we were interested in signing Chris Carson and Giovanni Bernard, it does seem like we want to get a physical, work-horse compliment for CMC. Rose makes sense since he is a bigger, physical RB, and Kentucky RBs almost always do well as work-horse RBs.

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