While the Panthers won’t get a chance to coach any of the National Squad players this week at the Senior Bowl, what they will get is an up-close-and-personal look at how they play against NFL-caliber talent as well as how they respond to the coaching of a well-respected Dolphins coaching staff.
“We think we know these guys, and our scouts do a great job,” said Matt Rhule after the first practice of the week Tuesday. “But that’s only information from a third party. This is a chance for players to speak for themselves and say, ‘This is who I am. This is what my makeup is.’ Coaching them, being in meetings, just being in an elevator with them, you get a sense for the guys.”
While the connections and access that will get from working with the American Squad players – who we looked at yesterday – will understandably be greater, the impact that getting to watch players from the opposite sideline and interview them this week should not be underestimated.
Levi Onwuzurike, DT (Washington)
The Panthers pass rush was pretty anemic outside of Brian Burns in 2020 and Matt Rhule made it clear in his end-of-season press conference that improving the pass rush is a priority. This likely will mean focusing on adding another interior pass rusher to pair with Derrick Brown long-term, either as an immediate replacement for KK Short or somebody who can sit behind him or another veteran for a year as a rotation piece before stepping into the starting role in 2022.
If they are looking for somebody who can be an impact player from day one, however, then they will get a chance to get an up-close look at arguably the best interior pass rusher in the class in Levi Onwuzurike.
Onwuzurike has areas to improve upon, his pad level makes it harder for him than it needs to be at times, especially as a pass rusher where he shows great quickness and fairly developed hand usage to work around blockers, but can often come undone when he looks to pass around as his pad level allows him to be more easily bounced off-course than is ideal. While the Panthers won’t be able to get to coach Onwuzurike themselves, they will get a chance to see how he is able to improve over the course of the week, and potentially watch as he blows up their plays in the backfield.
Creed Humphrey, iOL (Oklahoma)
Creed Humphrey vs. Levi Onwuzurike. Advantage: OU pic.twitter.com/EvKVGeZxnU
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 27, 2021
The Panthers need for offensive linemen isn’t going to surprise anybody who is familiar with their recent seasons, and while Matt Paradis is the only starter from 2020 who is under contract for 2021 at this point, they do need a long-term replacement for him as he will be a 33 year old free agent in 2022, not to mention they have a significant short-term need at guard.
If they are able to find somebody who can start at guard right now with a potential to move inside to center in 2022, that would be a massive boost of solidity for a position group that has been anything but over the past decade.
While Humphrey is more experienced at center, he has the size and technique to hold his own at guard as well – he will hopefully get a chance to spend some reps there during the Senior Bowl week. As arguably the top interior lineman in the draft, he isn’t going to sneak up on anybody watching with his quality play, but if the Panthers are looking for interior offensive line help either in the second round or following a trade-back in the first, Humphrey is going to likely be one of the names in the mix.
Chazz Surratt, LB (North Carolina)
For much of the season, linebacker was expected to be arguably at the top of the Panthers’ list of needs this offseason, but with Jermaine Carter stepping into the starting role next to Shaq Thompson they have managed to at least get a level of play to allow them to take something of a more long-term approach to the position. With that said, adding somebody to develop behind Carter – who is entering the final year of his deal – should be something the Panthers look to do this offseason and Surratt is one of a few names that could be in the mix should they look to go that way on the second day of the draft.
A converted quarterback, Surratt has gained a lot of attention for his productivity as a blitzer (he had 12.5 sacks over the past two seasons), but his long-term upside is probably his coverage ability. While he wasn’t dropped into coverage a ton at North Carolina (they really did use him as a pass rusher an awful lot), when they did, he flashed really good movement skills and range as well as an awareness of routes and coverage responsibilities that make sense given his background on the other side of the ball.
Assuming the Dolphins’ coaches drop him into coverage a little more than North Carolina did, the Panthers should get a prolonged look at just how good he can become in this regard.
Cade Johnson, WR (South Dakota State)
SDSU WR Cade Johnson was in his bag. Shuffle release, brought his head and shoulder and made the CB open their hips. Violent rip across face to help accelerate to the slant. Took him into deep water #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/FBaMp3xh6S
— Brad Kelly (@BradKelly17) January 27, 2021
The Panthers struggled to get much production outside of their big three receivers in 2020 and with Curtis Samuel likely to depart in free agency, they’ll need to continue to add weapons around whoever ends up playing quarterback in 2021. While a lot of the focus has been on the tight end position, adding another receiver is also something that is likely to happen at some point this offseason, whether through the draft or in free agency.
Cade Johnson isn’t the most polished receiver in the class, but he flashes good quickness and deep speed as well as an ability to make plays after the catch. While it would be unfair to say that he is a poor route runner, how effective he can be in this regard, especially on more vertical routes, against NFL-caliber defensive backs is something the Panthers will get a chance to explore at the Senior Bowl.
Additionally, like with most FCS prospects, the Senior Bowl offers an opportunity for teams to see just how athletic players look when consistently going up against NFL-caliber talent.
Tre Norwood, DB (Oklahoma)
Juston Burris was solid but not spectacular for the Panthers in 2020 – entering the final year of his two-year contract, the Panthers may want to at least add another player in that same hybrid CB/FS role who can give them some depth and flexibility going into 2022. While Sam Franklin did play a reasonable number of snaps when Burris was injured, his play seems more suited to backing up Jeremy Chinn in the LB/S role.
Norwood isn’t the best-testing defensive back in the world, and like Burris this could ultimately what pushes him into a role of safety, but what he does have is good ball skills and great instincts and reading of the game in zone coverage. While the Panthers’ coaches will be more-than-familiar with Norwood from their times facing him when coaching at Baylor, at the Senior Bowl they should hopefully get a chance to see him move around even more in terms of playing safety than was the case at Oklahoma.
While he might not make his money during the 1-on-1s in man coverage, how he is able to affect the game in zone coverage should play a major role in how he is viewed around the league moving forward.
(Top Photo Via Carolina Panthers)
