QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images
While question at quarterback will continue to swirl for Carolina until someone in a Panthers uniform runs out of the tunnel in September, the Panthers have the face of their franchise as well as a 2019 third-round pick currently under contract for next season, but Matt Rhule wouldn’t rule out the possibility of selecting a quarterback in the first round and should the troika of decision-makers – Hurney, Rhule and Tepper – fall in love with either the former Alabama QB or another quarterback at the top of their draft board, nothing would preclude them from pulling the trigger on the next face of the franchise. Whether that would mean that the first-rounder would be destined to sit for a year behind Newton, Grier or another bridge QB or thrown to the fire would likely depend on how NFL-ready they viewed each option.
“I think we’re going to look at the absolute best fit at everything,” Rhule said about the possibility of drafting a QB in the first round. “I think when you’re picking seventh, that usually means you have to do something. You have to get an impact player. So we’ll look for any impact player.”
Tagavailoa, whose draft stock will depend almost exclusively on his health after suffering a season-ending hip injury in mid-November, was deemed as a can’t-miss prospect before suffering the injury and is expected to throw at a session later this spring. Another QB like Oregon’s Justin Herbert showed he had all of the tools at the Combine last week and has overcome the alleged leadership issues that hounded him early in his college career.
“I’m a different person, to be honest,” Herbert said at the NFL Combine. “The kid who showed up at the University of Oregon isn’t me anymore … I’ve become more vocal and more outgoing and there are things that you have to do to be the quarterback. The way the quarterback carries himself, I think I’ve done a great job of becoming that over the last four years.”
What Tua Said: “My dad was the only lefty in our family and he wanted me to be a lefty as well so he switched the way I threw. I didn’t touch the ball with my right as far as throwing, just threw with my left. I don’t think I would be here if I was a righty.”
CB Jeff Okudah, Ohio State
“Cut the tape on that again.”
Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah is not here for inaccurate criticisms 😂 pic.twitter.com/0iGi2sQdfy
— PFF (@PFF) February 28, 2020
Okudah stands tall among the cornerbacks in the 2020 draft and while he may not have blown the Combine out of the water, he was the name on most wideout’s lips when asked which corner was their toughest matchup in college and with James Bradberry likely to leave in free agency, the Panthers could find an immediate substitute in Okudah, whose smooth movements and measurements certainly appear as if he was born to shut down wide receivers on a down-by-down basis.
“I was there for [Denzel] Ward and Marshon [Lattimore]. Okudah is what would happen if you combined their positive traits,” a former Ohio State assistant coach told Matt Miller last year.
Although CJ Henderson is highly regarded, Okudah is likely the only member of the secondary to be in consideration for a top-ten pick.
What He Said: “For me, I kind of try to take bits and pieces from each player. So for me I like watching how Richard Sherman understands real concepts. I like watching Patrick Peterson’s consistency and his technique. Jalen Ramsey’s physicality, his aggressiveness. I watch how Stephon Gilmore switches up his leverage every time to break the quarterback. So I just take bits and pieces and try to emulate all of that.”
‘Defender’ Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
Photo Credit: John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports
When asked what position Simmons’ considered himself to be playing at Clemson, he responded simply – “Defense.”
And he’s not wrong. The versatile defender not only logged reps at linebacker, both on the inside (120 snaps) and outside (160), but in the slot (286), at safety (218) and even at outside corner (17) last season at Clemson – in a league that is constantly growing to appreciate position-less players more and more, could Simmons find a spot in a Phil Snow defense that just lost it’s leader both on the field and off of it?
With the Panthers at the beginning of a rebuild, it may make sense for the Panthers to pull the trigger on the best player available and build a system to fit around him, rather than the other way around.
“The days of saying, ‘hey, we need a mike linebacker or we need this’ [are over]. There’s certain traits you’re looking for, but you’re looking for position-less players,” said Rhule. “The offenses in the league are changing, so the defenses have to be able to do a lot of things. I think we’re just looking for traits.”
“I think you’re seeing a lot more of that in the Combine as college football has really spread out. We’re going to try and stay ahead of the curve on that, make sure we keep bringing guys in who can do a lot of different things for us, that give us multiplicity within the roster.”
The 6-4, 238-pound Simmons, who ran a 40-yard dash faster than Christian McCaffrey at the Combine and values interceptions as much as he does sacks, certainly fits the bill.
What He Said: “The hardest part about it is just the mental aspect, having to know what everybody else has to do. That was the most complicated thing I had to deal with. But I learn everything very fast and I feel like that’s what really benefitted me and helped me play at a high level.”
