The Carolina Panthers probably aren’t going to select an edge rusher with the eighth pick in the draft and, with a pair of young, promising starters in place in Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos, it is probably not a position group that will attract a huge amount of attention for the Panthers this offseason.
However, while the starters are fairly entrenched, the Panthers have made it clear that they want to add to their pass rush this offseason and, while the focus of that is likely to come on the interior, don’t discount the possibility of them looking to add further depth to their EDGE group.
With that in mind, here are the five EDGE prospects we think Panthers fans should be aware of as we begin to move towards the draft.
Gregory Rousseau (Miami); 6’7 265lbs
NFL teams do research on thousands of players each draft cycle as, even if they aren’t prospects that they themselves are keen to select, it is important to know who teams around you are likely to be interested in, especially in the early rounds.
To this end, Panthers fans should be aware of Rousseau, not because he is extremely likely to end up in Carolina, but because he is the most likely EDGE defender to be in play for teams picking around the Panthers at 8, and is certainly somebody who might play into any considerations to trading down.
As a prospect, Rousseau isn’t as explosive as the likes of Myles Garrett, who he is inevitably going to be compared to, but he still shows good quickness and power and also shows the core technique in terms of pad level, hand location and arm extension to make good use of his athleticism. Having opted out of the 2020 season like many prospects, Rousseau has only played one season as a significant contributor in which he totaled 19.5 TFLs including 15.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Despite what this production might indicate, Rousseau still has a lot of room to grow, and the addition of more developed pass rushing moves will be crucial in him elevating his game to the next level.
Chauncey Golston (Iowa); 6’5 268lbs
Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (57) against the Michigan State Spartans Saturday, November 7, 2020 at Kinnick Stadium. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)
“He’s athletic, he’s big, he’s long, [he’s somebody] that can slide inside, be the 3-technique … sort of the way we used Efe this year” – Matt Rhule on Chauncey Golston
The Panthers had a chance to work with Golston at the Senior Bowl and, having spent the week alternating between DT and DE, he looks to be a good fit for the 4-3 role in the Panthers’ defense that Efe Obada and Stephen Weatherly occupied in 2020. With Obada hitting free agency (albeit as a restricted free agent) and Stephen Weatherly a potential cap casualty, the Panthers could well be in the market for another player in this mold this offseason.
Golston, as somebody who is currently expected to be drafted somewhere on the final day of the draft, therefore seems to be a player who is likely to be on the Panthers’ radar.
While he isn’t going to consistently win with speed around the edge at the NFL level, Golston has enough quickness to pressure the outside shoulder of tackles, but his pass rush is very much built around power and hand usage. He shows consistently good hand location and, when he gets his pad level right, he shows both a very effective bull rush and a nice mixture of inside and outside moves to allow him to generate consistent pressure.
As a run defender, he has the power to hold position at the point of attack and the same hand usage that makes him an effective pass rusher also allow him to consistently disengage form blocks. While he won’t likely get selected in the top 100 picks (though it is still too early in the process to completely rule this out) he could well be a target for the Panthers anywhere on the final day of the draft.
Quincy Roche (Miami); 6’3 245lbs
Photo Credit: Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP
The highest the Panthers might reasonably be expected to take an EDGE prospect in the coming draft is probably the third round, and if they do, then Roche is certainly a player they should – and likely will – consider. Roche played under Matt Rhule for one season at Temple in 2016 and Rhule has certainly shown a interest in his former college players thus far in his career and, after having coached him once again at the Senior Bowl, where Roche consistently impressed during one-on-one drills, the Panthers will be well-acquainted with what Roche can offer.
Importantly, Roche is not only somebody who the Panthers’ coaches are familiar with, but also somebody who is very much worth consideration in the third round, should he make it that far.
While he isn’t hyper-athletic, Roche has enough speed to cause most NFL tackles trouble around the edge, something he consistently demonstrated against Alex Leatherwood during the Senior Bowl, and has enough power, bend and knee-bend to be viewed as a good all-around athlete by NFL standards. He also shows a nice mixture of inside and outside moves, though his hand usage could stand to improve further.
As a run defender, he needs to be more consistent in his arm extension, but plays with consistently good leverage and locates his hands effectively. If the Panthers are looking for a good young option to be able to rotate in with Burns and Gross-Matos then Roche looks to be somebody who can step in and contribute right away.
Patrick Johnson (Tulane); 6’3 255lbs
Photo Credit: Tulane Athletics
Johnson is another prospect, like Golston, who looks to offer value as a rotational piece at the NFL level, and could be of interest to the Panthers if they look to add competition and depth to their EDGE room on the final day of the draft.
From a usage point of view, Johnson is likely going to be best suited to playing a similar role to Marquis Haynes for the Panthers, as somebody who is mostly going to play in obvious passing situations or when the defense adopts a 3-4 look and, while the Panthers do have Haynes and 2019 4th rounder Christian Miller, adding competition along those lines is something that could well be in play later in the draft.
Johnson certainly has the speed to threaten the edge in the NFL and also shows more of a power rush than is typical for a player of his size. While he needs to continue to work on the consistency of his pad level, he is also a fairly technically-competent prospect. He uses his hands well to generate outside leverage and flashes a nice inside swim though he could stand to add further to his pass-rushing toolbox.
He also played a reasonable amount of zone coverage at Tulane and showed good enough movement skills and awareness to do this from time to time at the NFL level as well. Given that he is expected to either be drafted somewhere late on day three or sign as a priority free agent, he offers good value as somebody who has racked up 24.5 sacks and 11 pass deflections over the past three seasons.
Chris Rumph II (Duke); 6’4 235lbs
Photo Credit: Duke Athletics
The Panthers’ coaching staff clearly back their ability to develop players and, while the results of their first season in Carolina are somewhat inconclusive in this regard, one common theme of their 2020 draft class was players with a lot of potential but who need technical refinement.
This approach is somewhat high-risk, high-reward, but can certainly pay huge dividends (see Chinn, Jeremy), and while EDGE probably won’t be the priority this offseason, it wasn’t expected to be last year until they thought they had a value they couldn’t ignore with Gross-Matos in the second round. While it seems unlikely the Panthers will spend another second-round pick on an EDGE player this year, a player with Rumph’s talent might be hard to pass on, should he still be on the board come the middle rounds.
Rumph was used in a range of different ways at Duke, sometimes lining up as an EDGE rusher and at others standing up over a guard or center and rushing like an inside linebacker from the interior. He shows really good athletic traits, with good quickness, solid bend and power as well as the length and hand placement to form the basis of an elite pass rush.
There is a lot of room for technical growth with Rumph as his pad level is very inconsistent and he lacks developed pass rushing moves, but it is hard to watch him on tape and not be impressed with his potential. Rumph is somebody who could rapidly rise up boards with good testing numbers as we get towards the draft, but should he still be there to start the final day of the draft then he might be too talented for Rhule and Co. to pass on.
(Top Photo via Neil Redmond/USA Today Sports)
