The 2021 NFL Draft is very, very nearly with us, and having looked through almost every possibility at different points this offseason (including what we think would be the best-case scenario for the Panthers), it’s now come time for our final prediction of what the Panthers will do over the course of the full seven rounds.

With this being the first draft under Scott Fitterer there will likely be some different approaches to what fans have become used to under previous GMs, and while some changes can be inferred from what he has said, and how Seattle approached things during his time there, there are likely to be one or two surprises along the way as well.

But this is our best guess.

The Panthers trade the 8th pick to the Eagles for picks 12, 70, 150 and their 2022 3rd round pick

Scott Fitterer has made it pretty clear that they will be looking at options to trade back as a matter of habit and, while that doesn’t mean that they will take any offer that comes along, if they think that they can move back a few spots and still get a player of approximately the same grade then they will be keen to do so. For their part, the Eagles are rumoured to want to get back into the top ten picks to select a receiver with at least one of the top three almost certainly still being on the board come the eighth pick. 

In terms of compensation, the Eagles have a fair amount to work with following their trade back from the sixth spot with the Dolphins, and the Panthers could use this as a chance to both add to their picks in this draft while also lessening the blow of the Darnold trade come the 2022 draft. 

12th Overall Pick: Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech)

The Panthers have made it pretty clear that they would like to add a tackle in the draft and while there is depth at the position in terms of passable starter, there is a real drop-off in talent after the top three or four prospects. An interesting note from the Panthers’ pre-draft press conference was the importance of arm length in their evaluation of offensive tackles, and of the top tier tackles Darrisaw is the clear leader in that regard. 

He also fits what they are expected to do from a schematic perspective, with the footwork and balance to generate rushing lanes directionally while also having the power to get push as well. In pass protection he has the foot speed and knee bend to cover around the edge while also being able to anchor against bull rushers and is able to get out in space as a pulling blocker and on screens. 

Where he could stand to improve, however, is with his hand usage and this is currently what is standing between him and being the clear-cut top tackle in the draft. If he can play with more consistent discipline in terms of keeping his arms inside and directing his punch to the frame of defenders, then he can be an elite tackle. His hand usage inconsistencies might make it hard for the Panthers to be all-in on him with the eighth pick, but he is the best fit with what they seem to look for in tackles and would be good value at this point in the draft. 

39th Overall Pick: Levi Onwuzurike, DT (Washington)

Even after signing Daquan Jones this past week, the Panthers still have a distinct lack of interior pass rush with Jones and Brown both being more effective playing the nose in the 3-4 front or the 1-tech in the 4-3 front. While the Panthers will find it hard to talk themselves into an interior defensive lineman in the first round, they might struggle to keep passing on the position as the draft goes on, especially given how much they struggled for interior pass rush last season. 

Onwuzurike isn’t the finished article, but he flashes really encouraging athleticism with the quickness to create lateral leverage and surprising power for his size. He also shows some nice flashes of hand usage to both generate leverage laterally and to turn that leverage into penetration. He does need to improve the consistency of his pad level, as this can lead to him getting blocked out of plays a little too often and inhibits his arm extension, but this is more a matter of consistency than ability.

While he is a little undersized for a conventional 4-3 defensive tackle, for a Panthers’ defense that is expected to mix between 4-3 and 3-4 fronts he has the flexibility to be effective in both fronts and provide the Panthers with some much-needed interior pass rush. 

70th Overall Pick: D’Wayne Eskridge, WR (Western Michigan)

Adding a receiver isn’t the Panthers’ top priority in the draft but with Curtis Samuel departing in free agency and Robby Anderson entering the final year of his contract they would ideally like to add further depth at the position. What is also clear is that they place a priority on receivers who are able to stretch the field vertically and add value after the catch, which means that D’Wayne Eskridge could very much be somebody who is on their radar. 

Eskridge certainly doesn’t lack of speed or after-the-catch ability, but is still quite developmental and could well slide to the third round as a result. As a route runner, he needs to both add to his route tree and continue to refine what he does, but he showed an encouraging ability to carry momentum through high-speed cuts which should help him to create separation down the field. He does need to do a better job of working through contact at the line, and there are a few more arm-catches than is ideal, but he has the upside to justify a selection this high. 

73rd Overall: Hunter Long, TE (Boston College)

The tight end position was one of the weakest areas of the Panthers’ offense in 2020 and, while that will be helped by the addition of Dan Arnold in free agency, the Panthers will certainly be keen to add to the position in the draft if the pieces fall the right way. There is definitely something of a cliff in terms of talent at the position once Kyle Pitts is off the board, but Long is arguably the next best player at the position and certainly the most complete in terms of skill set. 

Long isn’t the elite athlete that some other top tight end prospects have been, but he has the speed to stretch the field and the power to hold his own as a blocker. He is a good route runner who is able to create separation over the middle the field and has good hands, even though he can struggle at times through contact. He does need to play with better knee bend as a blocker but locates his hands well and plays with good arm extension to allow him to control blocks. 

He might not become a superstar, but he can be a reliable and useful part of an offense who is able to compliment more downfield options. 

113th Overall Pick: Stone Forsythe, OT (Florida)

Even after selecting Darrisaw with their first pick, the Panthers still have an ongoing uncertainty around Taylor Moton’s future with the team. While adding insurance at tackle in the fourth round might be a bit rich, the Panthers can’t afford to keep trying to get by season by season at the position and need to be willing to invest in the long-term stability of the offense by committing to the offensive line beyond just the starting five. 

Forsythe doesn’t have the top tier foot speed to be in the conversation as one of the top tackle prospects in the draft, but he uses his hands very well to locate and control blocks and has enough foot speed to be able to hold his own on the edge in pass protection on a consistent basis. As a run blocker, he has the power to move people off the line but also shows an understanding of how to create rushing lanes laterally with good footwork and balance. 

He does need to improve his pad level, and at 6’8 he is unlikely to ever be the best player around in this regard, but he is far from the worst player around either and shouldn’t be a liability in this regard. 

Forsythe would in some ways be a luxury at this point in the draft, and this would be more about ensuring the Panthers’ aren’t scrabbling to fit the offensive line together once again in 2022. 

150th Overall Pick: Keith Taylor, CB (Washington)

Another interesting note from the Panthers’ pre-draft press conference was that they view press corner as one of the deepest position groups in the draft. The Panthers have made some moves at cornerback already this offseason, with the most notable being the signing of AJ Bouye in free agency, and this comes after spending two day three picks on the position a year ago, but if Scott Fitterer’s Seattle background is any indication then they will continue to churn through defensive backs until they hit on their guy. 

Taylor is in need of a lot of development, he is quite clunky in his technique and needs to continue to add strength to his frame, but he has the length and speed that the Panthers’ look for in their cornerbacks. This would be yet another roll of the dice for the Panthers at cornerback, but until they hit on a long-term partner for Donte Jackson then they are likely to keep taking these shots. 

151st Overall Pick: Kenny Yeboah, TE (Ole Miss)

While the Panthers did sign Dan Arnold in free agency, they lost Chris Manhertz to the Jaguars who Matt Rhule has consistently praised as one of the best blocking tight ends in football and that is certainly not something that can be said about Arnold. They do have Colin Thompson on the roster, but he is another who is fairly limited as a receiver and so adding a more versatile blocking option is something they will likely consider as the draft goes on 

Yeboah might not be as developed a pass catcher as some in the draft, he has the athletic traits to be an effective downfield target with good hands and an ability to make plays after the catch. He might not be Kyle Pitts, but he should be a more proactive part of the passing game than the likes of Manhertz and Thompson were in 2020. 

As a blocker, he shows good hand placement and arm extension and while his knee bend is an area for further improvement, he should help the Panthers ability to offer a more balance attack from the multiple TE sets they used so much in 2020. 

He also has a link to the Panthers’ coaches after playing under Rhule for a season at Temple and was due to transfer to play under him again at Baylor before Rhule came to Carolina and Yeboah went to Ole Miss. Seems like somebody that Rhule might be willing to band the table for once again. 

193rd Overall Pick: Damar Hamlin, S (Pitt)

It seems fairly clear at this point that the Panthers plan to move Jeremy Chinn back to safety at some point, possibly as early as this season, and while Juston Burris gives them some insurance at the position they would ideally like to find a long-term partner for Chinn in the draft. While the sixth round might be quite late to target that as a need, the Seahawks under John Schneider have made a point of rolling the dice on DBs late in the draft. 

Hamlin doesn’t have the same upside as others in terms of ball production on the back end and does need to work on his footwork in off coverage especially, but he is a good tackler who is possibly the best pure man coverage safety in the draft. Given how the Panthers used Juston Burris at points last season as somebody to match up with tight ends in coverage while also being able to play the run from the box, Hamlin would also be a good fit from a schematic perspective. 

222nd Overall Pick: Tyler Vaughns, WR (USC)

When it gets to this point in the draft, it is really a matter of who’s left rather than anything else. At their pre-draft press conference, the Panthers said they have roughly 155 players on their draft board, and it doesn’t take a mathematical mastermind to work out that for the Panthers to still have draftable players on their board at this point it requires other teams to have taken players from outside their board. This isn’t unusual, but it is very unpredictable. 

That being said, Tyler Vaughns is a player who both isn’t getting a ton of draft love at this point and who fits well into what the Panthers are building. He doesn’t have amazing speed but is a savvy route runner with good hands and an ability to gain yards after the catch. He is never going to be the top option for an offense but would do well in the slot possesion role that the Panthers used Curtis Samuel in at times last season. 

The Panthers do have Omar Bayles coming back from injury, who impressed in camp last year as a rookie, but the Panthers could certainly afford to spend a late sixth round pick to bring in another option to compete in camp. The Panthers’ lack of depth at receiver got exposed at points last year, most notably against the Bears, and so continuing to add a depth of talent around Sam Darnold should absolutely be a priority. 

The Panthers are unlikely still another offseason away from being legitimate contenders come December and January, and a lot will depend on how the quarterback position continues to evolve. However, by investing in the offensive line and the depth of surrounding talent the Panthers will be able to give whoever is under center the best chance of success, which is what they have done here while also being able to add some much-needed interior pass rush and some developmental options in the secondary. 

Things almost certainly won’t fall exactly this way come the draft, but as an approximation this is our best shot.