Plan 3 – No, But Seriously, We Need A Safety
Photo Credit: Mark Campbell/University of Delaware
16th Overall: Nasir Adderley, FS (Delaware)
The Panthers spent a lot of the 2018 season trying to play two box safeties on the field at the same time – that led to relatively predictable results in coverage. Given that there is a chance that if the season started now, they would be doing the same thing again – only this time with Searcy and Reid rather than either Searcy and Adams or Adams and Reid – the idea of the Panthers going deep field safety early makes a lot of sense. Adderley, for his part, is seen by many as the top safety prospect in the class, with speed, agility and ball skills while also being a sure tackler. There is likely going to be an adjustment period in terms of going from FCS to the NFL, but he showed well enough at the Senior Bowl to be seen as a legitimate option as early as the mid-first round.
47th Overall: DeAndre Walker, EDGE (Georgia)
If the Panthers do go with a safety in the first round, they will then likely be forced to pick either the best offensive lineman or edge rusher at 47 – while it is very unclear at this stage who that would be – note Risner and Winovich being taken here in the first two mocks – one player who might offer a slightly different set of skills is Walker. He fits much more into the Bruce Irvin mold than the classic 4-3 DE – he spent much of his time at Georgia floating between 4-3 DE, 3-4 OLB and even straight drop-back LB, but he projects to be primarily an edge player in the NFL. He has good quickness, power and bend but would benefit from being able to focus on one position in the NFL.
77th Overall: David Edwards, OT (Wisconsin)
The 2019 OT class is not a hugely deep one and it would be hard for the Panthers to find a player in the third round who can come in and start from day one, but Edwards does offer value both in terms of depth and positional flexibility in order to allow him to play the #3 OT role in the short term before competing for a starting role during the 2020 offseason. Given that the Panthers’ current #3 OT, Isaiah Battle, wasn’t on an NFL roster last offseason, they probably can’t afford to completely avoid the position in the draft.
100th Overall: Jamel Dean, CB (Auburn)
Having addressed their three biggest needs with their first three picks, the Panthers would likely be able to go after value at this point – given the depth needs at corner, this pick would also fill a need. Dean is not pro-ready by any means, but players who can run as fast as he can are always in demand in the NFL and the Panthers are in a position where they can ask him to sit for a year while contributing on special teams with the expectation of him seeing the field in a more significant way in 2020.
115th Overall: Benny Snell, RB (Kentucky)
Having already established the Panthers’ need to add an alternative ball carrier to McCaffrey, one option would be to make use of the relatively low valuation many teams place on non-elite running backs in order to look to find the best player available on the final day of the draft. Snell is probably never going to be a great player but he offers a versatile skillset, allowing him to take on most of the same responsibilities of McCaffrey – even if they are quite different players.
154th Overall: David Long, LB (West Virginia)
The Panthers don’t actually have a huge amount of depth at linebacker, and while Long would likely struggle to see the field in a 4-3 defense due to coverage limitations, as the Panthers are looking to incorporate more 3-4 looks into their defense, he could offer value as 3-4 edge rusher in certain packages while also being able to play special teams and add depth at ILB.
187th Overall: Hunter Renfrow, WR (Clemson)
The Panthers could do with some depth at slot receiver behind Wright with Moore and Samuel expected to be the starters on the outside; while Renfrow isn’t a complete receiver, he is a shifty route runner with great hands who would be ideal as a possession receiver from the slot. Given the Panthers already have the receivers to generate big plays, adding somebody to make the small but vital ones would make some sense.
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