The NFL Draft is a few weeks away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate who we think (or hope) the Panthers will draft when it’s time to make their selections. I’ve decided to join in on the fun this year and — against my better judgment — do a series of mock drafts to hopefully foster discussion about the Panthers’ needs and how they should address them.
For the time being, I’m using Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, and I approached this from a perspective of a) what I think the Panthers should do, and b) what I think they would do if the options were made available to them.
In case you didn’t know, the Panthers made a trade yesterday to acquire a quarterback. Because of this trade, I no longer have to try and make the difficult decision of which quarterback to take with the No. 8 pick or whether or not I should trade up or down, so this mock draft was a little easier to manage. (Thanks, Panthers!)
With that being said, here’s my sixth mock draft of the offseason...
2021 NFL mock draft 6.0
Round 1 (No. 8 overall): Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
I don’t have to break the news to you that Kyle Pitts is going to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses at the next level. He’s able to play both tight end and wide receiver, which makes him nearly unstoppable as a weapon in Joe Brady’s offense.
Pitts is listed as the second overall prospect by Daniel Jeremiah in his latest prospect rankings (second only to Trevor Lawrence), and if he somehow falls down to No. 8 overall the Panthers should run to the podium as fast as they possibly can to turn in the card with his name on it.
Pitts is a long, lean tight end prospect with excellent speed, ball skills and production. He has lined up inline, flexed in the slot and split out wide. He runs routes like a wideout. The former Gator has burst off the line, sets up defenders and explodes out of the break point. He beat upper-echelon SEC cornerbacks on a weekly basis. He builds speed to separate down the seam and tracks the ball naturally down the field. Pitts has an enormous catch radius. He uses his speed to pile up yards after the catch. He showed tremendous improvement as a blocker in 2020. He fits up, doing his best to wrestle and stay attached. He will fall off at times, but the effort is there. Overall, Pitts is a unique talent with the ability to take over a game. He is the definition of a mismatch player.
Giving Sam Darnold a weapon like Pitts when he will already have Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and Dan Arnold in the fold seems like a good idea, and it was a good enough idea that I felt skipping over a left tackle was worth it.
Round 2 (No. 39 overall): Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State
The Panthers need help in their secondary almost as much as anywhere else on the roster, and grabbing one of the top corners in the draft class in the second round seems like a good idea to me. Samuel is knocked for his lack of size (5-10, 184) but has good ball skills and could be an effective slot corner for the Panthers.
Tony Pauline has the following analysis on Samuel:
Positives: Athletic, feisty cornerback with terrific ball skills. Displays outstanding awareness, quickly picks up coverage assignments, and effectively reads and diagnoses the action. Fluid pedaling in reverse, smooth flipping his hips, and has a burst of speed running downfield with opponents. Gets his head back around and positions himself against receivers to break up throws. Stays on the receiver’s hip out of breaks, possesses an explosive closing burst, and quickly gets to the action. Effectively times and anticipates his pass defenses. Physical and plays bigger than his listed size.
Negatives: Gets a little grabby at times, which will result in penalties at the next level. Not a stout tackler and comes with a slight build. Lack of height will create mismatch problems for him.
Round 3 (No. 73 overall): Walker Little, OT, Stanford
The Panthers still need to address their depth on the offensive line, and are able to do so here in the third round with a former highly-touted tackle prospect before injuries and a COVID-19 opt-out dropped his draft stock.
Here’s Tony Pauline on Little’s traits as a prospect:
Positives: Dominant left tackle prospect who had his 2019 campaign cut short by injury then chose to opt out last season. Tall, athletic, and displays terrific footwork in pass protection. Intelligent, displays terrific vision, and quickly picks up stunts or blitzes. Active with his hands, keeps his feet moving, and keeps his head on a swivel. Smooth and fluid pulling across the line of scrimmage, easily moves around the field, and possesses great blocking range. Quick to the second level, redirects to linebackers and works blocks.
Negatives: Must improve his run blocking. Overextends into blocks on occasion. More of a finesse blocker than an overpowering lineman.
We all know that Matt Rhule likes to take guys that most people don’t want to see if he can squeeze something out of them, and Little could be a candidate for that if he’s available on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft.
Round 4 (No. 113 overall): Adrian Ealy, OT, Oklahoma
Ealy is a massive human being (6-6, 326) and could potentially play either tackle or guard in the NFL. WalterFootball has him ranked as the 28th tackle prospect, with a projection of being selected between the fourth and sixth rounds.
2/8/21: Ealy held his own at left tackle in 2020 and had a respectable year for the Sooners. He is sleeper who has upside to develop in the NFL.
8/29/20: Ealy was Oklahoma’s starting right tackle in 2019 and was a solid blocker. For the NFL, he might be better off moving inside to guard.
The Panthers need some depth at both tackle and guard, so it makes sense to try and find some gems in the later rounds of the draft.
Round 5 (No. 151 overall): David Moore, G, Grambling State
The Panthers also need to add depth at guard, and grabbing a potential depth piece in the fifth round is a solid plan.
Tony Pauline has the following analysis on Moore:
Positives: Wide-bodied, explosive blocker who shows ability at the line of scrimmage and at the second level. Sets with a wide base, bends his knees, and shows strength at the point. Stays square, seals defenders from the action, and turns them from the line. Fights with his hands throughout the play, shows the ability to slide in space, and keeps his feet moving. Fires into blocks, quickly gets out to the second level, and redirects in motion, displaying the ability to take linebackers from the play. Keeps his head on a swivel and looks for someone to hit.
Negatives: Lazy and late with his hands on occasion. Does not properly place his hands into defenders. Doesn’t consistently get movement run blocking despite his size.
It’s unlikely to find a sure-fire starter this late in the draft, so the Panthers would be wise to try and build up as much depth as possible, and taking a guard here accomplishes that goal.
Round 6 (No. 193 overall): Cornell Powell, WR, Clemson
Matt Rhule worked with Powell during the Senior Bowl so he was able to get an up close look at him to see if he could be a potential fit. Powell (6-0, 210) has a similar build to Curtis Samuel (5-11, 194) and could be a potential replacement should Samuel leave via free agency.
WalterFootball ranks Powell as the 30th wide receiver prospect and gives him a Day 3 grade.
1/30/21: Powell produced some huge plays for Clemson during the 2020 season, including huge performances against Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. Powell has a strong build and is a competitor. He possesses somewhat deceptive speed and an ability to run through some tackles.
The Panthers have decent depth at wide receiver so I’m not sure I’m in love with this pick, but Powell was one of the better options available so I decided to go with it.
Round 6 (No. 222 overall): Israel Mukuamu, DB, South Carolina
Mukuamu has good size (6-4, 205) and is the 13th cornerback in WalterFootball’s rankings.
2/6/21: Mukuamu made an interception against Florida, but he also struggled in coverage against the Gators’ receivers and dealt with injuries. He is a giant corner, but he has issues running with speed and preventing separation. Mukuamu is limited to being a press-man or zone corner at the next level.
Yeah, I’m being a homer here, but we need depth in the secondary and the last time we took a defensive back from South Carolina on Day 3 it worked out pretty well for us.
Round 6 (No. 226 overall): Traded to New York Jets for QB Sam Darnold
The Panthers saw a need for quarterback and found one that doesn’t cost the entire farm to acquire, and made the gamble on being the team to turn Darnold’s career around after a disastrous start with the Jets. I find it hard to believe that Darnold will be worse than any player we could have picked at No. 226 overall, so I’m fine with the trade as far as 2021’s draft is concerned (the future picks are a separate argument, which can be held in next year’s mock draft series).
Notes
It’s refreshing to know that the quarterback situation is probably answered for at least one season, even if the final result isn’t what we all hope it will be. The best case scenario is that the Panthers found their next franchise quarterback for the measly cost of three draft picks — one each from the second, fourth and sixth rounds — and didn’t have to spend an extravagant amount of draft capital to either move up in the draft or take someone elses’ established franchise player.
The worst case scenario is that Darnold really isn’t that good and the Panthers lose out on three draft picks and have to eat $20million in salary for two years of Darnold’s services, but even that’s not terrible. It would be much worse if the Panthers traded up from No. 8 to No. 3, drafted a guy and then that guy failed, so even if this doesn’t work out the Panthers can always start over again next year.
I don’t know how this is going to work out, but I’m going to be optimistic that the Panthers know what they’re doing here. I’m going to give Darnold the benefit of the doubt because he was unquestionably in a horrible situation with the Jets and I’m not sure there are any 23-year-old quarterbacks who could have succeeded there given the lack of talent around him. I think he’ll be better in Carolina than he was in New York, and I hope this works out for the best. I mean, that’s really all any of us can do at this point, right?
What do you think about this mock draft, Panthers fans? Are there any players you would have taken instead? Share your thoughts with us!