When Scott Fitterer spoke to the media following the Sam Darnold trade, he mentioned three areas of focus for the Panthers in the draft; offensive line, cornerback and defensive line. Since then, the Panthers have also signed AJ Bouye to a two-year deal and, while corner is still a need the Panthers could address in the draft, it now seems as though the Panthers’ priority for the draft is very much going to be about improve the play in the trenches.
The need on the defensive line might not be completely obvious, after all the Panthers have arguably the best young pass rusher in the NFL in Brian Burns and have paired him with free agent additions Haason Reddick and Morgan Fox after draft Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos with their first two picks last year. However, while the Panthers have good options both as nose tackle, strong-side defensive end and edge rusher, what the Panthers lack is natural 3-techs.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
While the Panthers have made some noises indicating that they might be open to bringing back Kawann Short on a short-term deal after releasing him earlier in the offseason, he is ultimately nearing the end of his NFL career and while he would be a good veteran mentor the Panthers need to find a long-term answer at the position.
So then, if the Panthers are going to target defensive tackle in the upcoming draft, who are some names they might have identified as their primary targets?
Levi Onwuzurike, Washington (6’3 290lbs)
Washington defenders Levi Onwuzurike, right, and Tevis Bartlett team up to drop ASU running back Emo Benjamin after a 5-yard gain to the 48 in the third quarter. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
While there aren’t any defensive tackle prospects who should be subject to serious consideration with the eighth pick, the Panthers could well look to address the position early on day two, and if they do then the player they would likely hope is still on the board at that point is Levi Onwuzurike.
While Onwuzurike isn’t the finished article yet, he shows a lot of nice things on tape and was limited as much by Washington’s defensive scheme as he was his own play. He is a good athlete who has the quickness to create issues for blockers working laterally and can shoot into gaps as a run defender, while also having the power to hold his ground in the run game and attack blockers with a power counter if they get too upright trying to counter his quickness.
He also shows some nice things in terms of hand usage, locating his hands well with pretty good arm extension and shows an ability to work off blocks effectively in the run game as well as being able to generate lateral leverage with hand usage as a pass rusher. He does flash some reasonably developed moves as a pass rusher but continuing to refine and add to his arsenal will be an important point in his development at the next level.
The biggest thing he has to work on, however, is his pad level as while he shows good knee bend at times, he is consistently quite vertical in both facets of the game which makes him too easy to move off the ball in the run game and negates a lot of what he does well as a pass rusher. Almost every defensive tackle in this class needs to be better in this regard, but Onwuzurike is no exception and could take a little time to be as consistent as teams would like.
Daviyon Nixon, Iowa (6’3 313lbs)
Photo Credit: Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com
Nixon is another prospect the Panthers could target in the second round, especially if they look to trade back towards the middle of the second round. Like Onwuzurike, Nixon needs to be more consistent at the next level but flashes some good highs and would offer a more power-based game to the smaller Onwuzurike.
Nixon might not be as explosive as Onwuzurike but he has really good power and uses it well both to penetrate and anchor against the run but also as the basis of his pass rush. He shows good hand placement and pretty good arm extension and it able to use this to drive blockers off balance and then release laterally to generate pressure. He also shows a nice power swim move to win early if blockers over-commit to trying to negate his power.
As a run defender, he needs to improve the consistency of his pad level, but when this is good, he is able to pair it with good hand placement and arm extension to drive blockers back and to work off blocks laterally to make plays on the ball carrier. He isn’t amazing as a penetrator but is able to use his power to drive into gaps at times and has the potential to improve in this regard if he is placed in a scheme which asks him to do this more consistently than was the case at Iowa.
As well as improving the consistency of his pad level, Nixon could also do to add further to his pass rushing repertoire as while his power game is effective, he needs to have a plan B with regards to generating leverage than just being more powerful than blockers as this is not going to always be the case in the NFL. For the Panthers, Nixon would be good value from the middle of the second round onwards but likely isn’t the ideal stylistic partner for Brown.
Cameron Sample, Tulane (6’3 274lbs)
Photo Credit: Tulane Athletics
Cam Sample might just be the most intriguing prospect in the entire draft, and as a player who is currently projected to be drafted early on day three, he is certainly somebody the Panthers should be looking at hard. Sample largely played on the edge at Tulane, often as a stand-up rusher, and, while he performed well enough to be drafted doing this, his real appeal comes from the potential he showed as an interior defender at the Senior Bowl.
Sample isn’t the biggest defensive tackle, and there are going to be plenty around the NFL who view him more as a strong-side defensive end, but he is extremely strong and plays with great leverage which allows him to get under the pads of blockers and drive them backwards in the run game. Because of his size, when he doesn’t get his leverage right, he can end up going backwards, but these are rare occasions and on the whole he should be more than capable of defending the run from the interior.
As well as being quick, powerful and playing with good knee bend, Sample also shows a lot of really encouraging things in terms of hand usage. He locates his hands well as both a pass rusher and a run defender and, helped by his good pad level, he is able to play with consistently good arm extension which makes it easy for him to work into gaps as a run defender before shedding to make a play on the ball carrier.
As a pass rusher, his quickness and power create real issues for blockers on the interior, but he also flashes really good hand usage to work into gaps and while he can continue to add to his pass-rushing repertoire with more developed moves he shows a nice range of ways to win already. Sample requires a certain level of projection, as he will essentially be changing position in the NFL, but if the Panthers’ coaches liked what he showed in the Senior Bowl in terms of coachability then he could be somebody they are willing to take a chance on.
Jaylen Twyman, Pittsburgh (6’2 301lbs)
Photo Credit: Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Another option the Panthers could have early on day three is Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman, who has fallen down boards somewhat in recent months after being considered a potential first round pick at one point. While he might not offer the absolute ceiling on somebody like Sample, Twyman is a more pro-ready prospect who would make sense if the Panthers are focused on somebody who is maybe a little safer as a prospect.
Part of the reason for Twyman’s drop across boards is how poorly he performed in terms of explosive testing at his pro day, and this lack of explosion does show up on tape as while he doesn’t lack for quickness he is not as quick off the mark as many defensive tackles his size. What he does have, however, is an awful lot of power and when he gets his pad level right, he can drive blockers back into the quarterback and is more than capable of holding his own at the point of attack against the run.
He also flashes a reasonably diverse pass rush with good hand placement and the ability to generate lateral leverage with hand usage in a variety of ways and is one of the best technical pass rushers in the draft. What he does need to do, however, is improve the consistency of his pad level as he gets far too vertical far too often which makes it too easy for blockers to get their hands on him as a pass rusher and to drive him off the ball as a run defender.
Twyman might not every develop into an All-Pro, but he is a good pass rusher who has the potential to be an impactful run defender if he is able to get his pad level under control and would be good value for the Panthers anywhere on the final day of the draft.
Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA (6’2 280lbs)
Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images
Odighizuwa is another prospect who looks to be draft fairly early on day three and is a more developmental option compared to Twyman though a more conventional defensive tackle than Sample. He is another who the Panthers had a chance to see up close at the Senior Bowl and if they are happy with his potential to turn the flashes he shows on tape into consistent production then he certainly has the potential to be a good NFL player.
Odighizuwa is a good athlete who has the quickness to create issues for blockers as both a pass rusher and a run defender and while his power isn’t anything more than decent, he plays with fairly consistent good pad level and is able to make up for that lack of top tier power with pad level a lot of the time.
As a run defender, he plays with good hand placement and arm extension, allowing him to hold his ground at the point of attack and then disengage to make the tackle. However, it would be nice to see him continue to develop his hand usage to allow him to make more effective use of his quickness and pad level to work into gaps as a penetrator, though how important this is for the Panthers will depend on exactly what Phil Snow’s scheme morphs into.
As a pass rusher, he shows good hand placement and flashes nice arm extension though this could do with being more consistent and while his athleticism allows him to be reasonable effective with consistently good core technique, he needs to continue to develop and add to his pass rushing arsenal. If he is able to show a more consistent ability to generate lateral leverage with his hands then he has the potential to be a good pass rusher at the NFL level but at the moment he is a little too dependent on effort and athleticism to get home.
Oct 5, 2019; Stanford, CA, USA; Washington Huskies defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (95) tackles Stanford Cardinal running back Dorian Maddox (28) during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
For the Panthers, this is a defensive tackle class without any truly elite prospects, and whoever they end up going after is going to involve some compromise between upside and risk, but contrary to a lot of the narrative around this draft class there are good interior defensive tackle prospects in this class if teams are confident in their ability to develop these players, and while the Panthers almost certainly will not select a defensive tackle with their first pick, there will be potential starters on the board throughout day two and even into day three.
(Top Photo via Kim Montuoro)
