With the draft comes the Panthers seemingly annual tradition of looking to find long-term solutions along the offensive line, and especially at offensive tackle. While the Panthers have a high-quality right tackle in Taylor Moton, he is yet to sign a long-term contract after being franchised tagged earlier this offseason and while the Panthers have options at left tackle in journeyman Cam Erving, career back-up Trent Scott and former second-round pick Greg Little, what they don’t have is much long-term security at the position.
It should come as little surprise then that the Panthers have been linked to multiple offensive tackles in the first round, and even if they do go elsewhere early on it seems extremely unlikely that the Panthers won’t take at least one offensive tackle in the draft.
In order to get a better idea of who the Panthers might be looking at at different points in the draft we have taken the time to examine the class as a whole, with a particular view of who would make sense for the Panthers. So, what does the 2021 NFL Draft have to offer at offensive tackle?
What Do We Look For In OTs?
Before taking a look at the board, it is worth considering what we look for in offensive tackles, and how that might fit into what the Panthers seem to be building from a schematic point of view, especially in the run game.
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As with every position, athleticism is important, and players need to show the foot speed to cover around the edge in pass protection with the strength to at least hold their ground in the run game and counter power rushers. The Panthers don’t seem to be look to ask their offensive linemen to drive defenders off the ball in the run game, at least based on the moves they have made over the past two offseasons, but do ask players to get out in space and so players with the movement skills to get out in space on screens and the like will have added value.
In pass protection, players need to be able to combine foot speed with a good base and knee bend to keep their weight low and over their feet, as well as the lower body flexibility to open their hips and prevent weight from loading onto their back legs as this can make it hard to react inside effectively. In terms of hand usage, players need to keep their elbows tight to their frame with their hands inside, which should make it easier for them to locate their punch to the frame of defenders with good arm extension.
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As run blockers, the Panthers’ scheme asks players to use footwork to generate gaps laterally rather than driving defenders off the ball, and this requires not only good foot speed but also the footwork to do so while maintaining good knee bend and keeping their weight over their feet. In general, players need to play with good leverage as run blockers, both to maximize the power they are able to generate and also to help them with controlling blocks which they can sustain and direct as plays develop.
As in the passing game, players want to show the hand usage to consistent strike to the inside frame of defenders, with good arm extension allowing them to keep defenders away from their frame and drive them upwards and backwards once they have been able to gain control.
Some players will find success with different techniques, with players like Jedrick Wills playing with a very classical kick slide that allows them to counter power very effectively, but which does have some limitations against the very top speed rushers, while others like Tristan Wirfs having a more open stance which makes them very hard to get around but which forces them to have the light feet, lower body flexibility and core power to be able to counter power effectively.
Given how much Matt Rhule and offensive line coach Pat Meyer have talked about being adaptable around the skill set of individual players, it is likely the Panthers will be willing to take the best players regardless of style and then coach them accordingly, but it does appear as if they prefer more agile linemen who can excel in pass protection and be effective directional blockers rather than going for out-and-out maulers. With that said, what does this draft class have to offer?
The Board
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| Name | College | Height | Weight | Athleticism | Pass Protection Footwork | Pass Protection Hands | Run Blocking Footwork | Run Blocking Hands | Out In Space | Biggest Questionmark | Grade | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashawn Slater | Northwestern | 6'4 | 315 | Knee bend is reasonably good though is quite rigid in lower body but foot speed is pretty good and power is decent | Does a good job of moving laterally with small steps and balance is generally good as is pad level though weight can start to load backwards if foot speed is challenged | Does a really good job of locating hands well and plays with consistently good arm extension and works well to work through pass rushing moves | Knee bend can limit him at times but this isn't awful and he shows a really nice ability to generate leverage with footwork and has the foot speed to reach effectively against NFL linemen | Locates hands well and while arm extension could stand to improve further it is still pretty good | Works to the second level well and does a good job of locating and securing blocks, but isn't going to be flying out on screens a ton | Does he have the very top tier foot speed to be a high quality pass protector in the NFL? | Late 2nd Round | 1 |
| Christian Darrisaw | Virginia Tech | 6'5 | 314 | Pretty good power with good foot speed and really very good knee bend on the whole | Plays with really good knee bend to allow him to counter power and does a good job of keeping weight over his feet but can get a little heavy-footed and needs to be better at re-starting feet | Arms get really wide and low without much need and this makes it hard for him both to locate and extend arms | Shows really nice flashes of being able to use his feet to generate lateral leverage but needs to make sure his base doesn't narrow as this causes some issues with both balance and control but pad level is good | Wide arms again create issues with location and arm extension and this leads to issues with control | Moves really well in space but needs to play with more control to allow him to locate blocks more consistently | Can he improve his hand usage in both facets of the game as this really lets him down? | High 3rd Round | 2 |
| Penei Sewell | Oregon | 6'6 | 330 | Foot speed is good as is power but knee bend isn't great | Moves well laterally to cut off the edge and does so with nice even small steps, but poor pad level means that center of gravity is often quite high and this can create issues reacting back inside | Does a good job of fighting through hand moves and hand placement is generally pretty good but arms can get a little wide and arm extension really isn't great | Sets a decent base but knee bend isn't great and consistently plays with a reasonable forwards lean, and doesn't demonstrate much of an ability to generate leverage with footwork though this is somewhat due to scheme | Arms get a little wide on a fairly consistent basis and while location is generally pretty good his arm extension needs to be much better | Works to the second level well and moves well in space though pad level can create issues securing blocks | Can he turn a lot of natural talent into a consistent high level of play? | High 3rd Round | 3 |
| Teven Jenkins | Oklahoma State | 6'6 | 317 | Really good power with decent-to-good foot speed though knee bend is fairly inconsistently | Does a good job of moving laterally with nice tight footwork but play with quite straight legs and can then end up leaning into blocks which can put him off-balance and has a tendency to cross feet if asked to reset | Locates hands well with good arm extension though could do a slightly better job of securing hands when he does land his punch as he can lose control as plays go on | Shows the footwork to generate lateral leverage but knee bend isn't great and can get caught leaning and struggles to control blocks over time due to balance issues | Locates hands reasonably well with solid arm extension though both have room to improve | Doesn't move especially well out in space but does a pretty good job of locating blocks | Does he have the ceiling to be more than a pretty good starter at the NFL level? | Late 3rd Round | 4 |
| Stone Forsythe | Florida | 6'6 | 329 | Foot speed is pretty good and power is at least decent but pad level could stand to improve | Lowering pad level would help in terms of opening hips and improving control but footwork is pretty good with small steps and good weight distribution though can get caught leaning at times | Hand location seems pretty good and gets hands up quickly though arm extension could stand to improve, though better pad level would help here as well. Arms can get a little wide at times as well, this is something to work on | Pad level can lead to him setting something of a narrow base which creates lateral control issues but shows an understanding of how to use angles to create leverage | Locates hands well but needs to improve arm extension in order to maximise potential power | Moves well in space and sets feet well but lowering pad level would improve functional power | Can he get his pad level to take a step to allow him to enter that upper tier of OT prospects? | High 4th Round | 5 |
| Samuel Cosmi | Texas | 6'7 | 309 | Foot speed is pretty good but power is unremarkable and knee bend is quite poor | Has quite a pronounced initial kick step but generally take pretty good short quick steps but knee bend creates issues adjusting laterally and he loads weight backwards which makes him very vulnerable to power or power counters | Arms get a little wide and while arm extension is actually pretty good despite pad level, hand placement is a little inconsistent and has a tendency to punch a little too lightly making it easy for his arms to get swatted | Knee bend is really poor which limits power, creates real control issues and leads to significant forwards lean. Isn't really asked to generate leverage with footwork as part of the scheme so hard to judge his potential beyond pad level limitations | Arm extension is really limited by pad level and while pad level is pretty good arms can get quite wide at times | Wasn't asked to play in space a ton but moves well but pad level creates issues locating defenders in space | Can he get his pad level under control as it is currently going to undermine the talent he clearly has? | Late 4th Round | 6 |
| James Hudson | Cincinnati | 6'5 | 302 | Good foot speed with decent power but knee bend isn't great | Base is all over the place and gets very narrow at times with poor knee bend and weight fluctuates wildly. Stance likely needs to be completely remade | Shows nice arm extension in places and hand placement is pretty good but poor balance leads to wide arms on a fairly consistent basis which can lead to grabbiness | Shows the footwork to work around defenders but poor knee bend makes him too easy to drive upwards and also causes him to lean into blocks which puts him even further off-balance | Locates hands reasonably well though arms can get quite wide and arm extension really comes and goes | Moves really well in space but needs to play with more control to allow him to locate blocks more consistently | Can he turn what looks to be good core talent into actual tackle play? | High 5th Round | 7 |
| Walker Little | Stanford | 6'7 | 320 | Pretty good foot speed and knee bend is decent if quite inconsistent with decent power | Takes nice short quick steps to cover the edge with pretty good hip flexibility but plays with a slight forwards lean that appears to originate at his hips which can create some control issues | Keeps arms inside well and while they could be a little higher he shows consistently pretty good hand placement, but arm extension needs to be better | Plays really significantly too high a lot of the time which makes it very hard for him to control blocks, generate power or use feet to generate leverage and also leads to reasonable forwards lean | Locates hands reasonably well but poor pad level makes it very hard for him to get much arm extension | Works to the second level well and moves pretty well in space while setting his feet well to help him secure blocks, though can be vulnerable to late changes in direction | Can he be more consistent with his pad level, especially as a run blocker where it causes real issues? | High 5th Round | 8 |
| Jalen Mayfield | Michigan | 6'5 | 320 | Decent power and decent-to-good foot speed but knee bend isn't ideal, especially in pass protection | Slide is pretty good if a tad clunky and weight is fairly well distributed between his feet but knee bend needs to improve to lower mass and to allow him to cover more ground while under control | Hand placement is pretty good and arm extension isn't poor but arms can get a little wide to help balance and can lead to a lack of control as defenders look to turn the corner and some issues countering power | Knee bend needs to remain low for longer after the snap but sets a reasonably wide base and doesn't tend to over-lean to compensate for pad level. Also shows a nice understanding of how to use footwork to general angles and leverage | Locates hands well with pretty good arm extension but arms do get a little wide at times making it hard for him to sustain control | Wasn't asked to play in space a ton but moves reasonably well within limits and sets a nice base while locating defenders well | Can he improve his knee bend, especially in pass protection? | Mid 5th Round | 9 |
| Liam Eichenberg | Notre Dame | 6'5 | 305 | Foot speed is pretty good but power is unremarkable and knee bend isn't great and quite inconsistent | Footwork laterally is pretty good but knee bend isn't ideal which can often lead to him leaning forwards slightly and is very vulnerable to threats of power and really struggles when the corner starts to get turned | Tends to dip with his upper body into blocks a fair amount and often drops his arms to the side slightly exposing his frame but locates punch well and does so with pretty good arm extension | Sets quite a narrow base with poor knee bend and with a tendency to lean into blocks making him susceptible to whiffs and wasn't asked to generate leverage with footwork a huge amount in the scheme | Locates hands pretty well and shows nice arm extension at times though this can get limited by pad level | Works in space pretty well but is very much a waist bender and often flies into blocks without much control | Can he reset his stance somewhat to increase knee bend and eliminate forwards lean? | Mid 5th Round | 10 |
| Alex Leatherwood | Alabama | 6'5 | 310 | Foot speed and power are both pretty good but knee bend comes and goes somewhat | Footwork is decent in terms of slide if a little clunky but pad level is consistent really quite poor creating a lot of knock-on issues and technique falls apart when pushed beyond speed limits and weight does tend to load onto back leg | Hand placement is generally good and keeps hands positioned well at low speeds but ends up sacrificing position for balance when pushed around the edge | Shows decent footwork to cut off lanes as a reach blocker but doesn't show the footwork to then get his feet around to seal and knee bend is a consistent problem and creates balance issues due to waist bend | Locates hands well but arm extension could be better, with waist bend making it hard for him to secure blocks laterally at times | Doesn't move hugely well in space and struggles to adapt to changes in direction | Can he get his pad level under control to allow him to be a functional tackle, or possibly to help in a guard conversion? | Mid 5th Round | 11 |
| Cole Van Lanen | Wisconsin | 6'5 | 312 | Decent-to-good foot speed with pretty good power and decent pad level | Generally does a pretty good job of keeping his feet moving and shows nice weight distribution but foot speed limitations do lead to complete breakdowns of foot discipline when pushed beyond limits | Generally good hand placement and while arm extension could be more consistent it isn't bad, but arms can get a little wide especially under pressure and this can create some issues especially with location and control | Shows a nice ability to generate leverage laterally with footwork and generally plays with pretty good pad level and control but can rise up as plays go on and isn't immune from getting caught leaning at times | Hand location is pretty good and while shows flashes of nice arm extension this isn't as consistent as you'd like it to be | Wasn't asked to play out in space much in the scheme but works to the second level fairly well and does a decent job of locating defenders in space | Is he a good enough athlete to play tackle in the NFL or is he going to be forced into more of a swing tackle role? | Late 5th Round | 12 |
| Brady Christensen | BYU | 6'6 | 300 | Pretty good foot speed with decent-to-good power but knee bend isn't ideal | Gets a little too upright but does a pretty good job of covering laterally but weight does load onto his back foot somewhat and could be vulnerable to inside moves | Locates hands quite well but poor pad level can make it hard for him to extend arms fully but does a good job of this on the whole with that considered, also works to reset hands well but arms can get wide when slide is pushed | Doesn't show much in terms of generating leverage with footwork and knee bend is quite high with narrow base which makes it hard for him to control blocks or recover laterally | Locates hands reasonably well and arm extension is pretty good given pad level | Doesn't move hugely fluently but does a reasonably job of locating blocks | Can he take good basic traits as a pass protector and turn them into more consistent play? | Late 5th Round | 13 |
| Spencer Brown | Northern Iowa | 6'8 | 314 | Decent power with decent-to-good foot speed but pad level really comes and goes | Takes reasonably nice short steps but weight does load backwards and knee bend rises up fairly rapidly through plays | Locates hands quite well and arms don't tend to get too wide but can struggle to extend his arms as pad level limits him | Knee bend knees to be better and base can get a little too narrow while not showing much in terms of an ability to generate lateral leverage with footwork | Hand location is good on the whole but can struggle to extend arms which creates issues with control | Moves pretty well in space but is fairly unremarkable in terms of locating blocks | How will he fare against better speed rushers at the NFL level? | Late 5th Round | 14 |
| D'Ante Smith | East Carolina | 6'5 | 294 | Power is decent with pretty good foot speed but knee bend really comes and goes | Takes nice short steps to cover laterally but knee bend is quite inconsistent and tend to bend with the waist rather than setting his weight over his feet at times | Arms get a little too wide at times and forwards lean causes some inconsistencies locating his punch and struggles to extend arms fully a lot of the time | Feet get too narrow quite a lot of the time and knee bend isn't amazing while not showing much sign of being able to create lateral leverage with footwork | Locates hands pretty well with good arm extension given pad level but odd posture leads to some inconsistency | Wasn't asked to play out in space much but has the movement skills to be effective though ability to locate blocks is hard to judge | Can he take good basic traits as a pass protector and turn them into more consistent play? | High 6th Round | 15 |
| Jaylon Moore | Western Michigan | 6'4 | 311 | Decent-to-good power and foot speed with pretty good pad level | Weight tends to load backwards a fair amount but does a good job of taking nice short steps with weight generally over his feet though knees can straighten | Arms tend to get a little wide which causes him to punch quite wide and struggles to consistently locate hands inside with fairly unremarkable arm extension | Shows some ability to generate leverage with footwork but knee bend isn't amazing and base can narrow at times when looking to drive | Arms get a little wide on a fairly consistent basis and while location is generally pretty good his arm extension needs to be better | Wasn't asked to play out in space much but has the movement skills to be effective though ability to locate blocks is hard to judge | Does he have the foot speed to stay at tackle or will he need to move inside to guard? | High 6th Round | 16 |
| Dillon Radunz | N Dakota State | 6'6 | 299 | Knee bend is not great, power is fairly unremarkable and foot speed is decent but nothing more | Weight gets on his back leg slightly but takes decent steps with reasonable balance and control up to the limit point where everything breaks down and which is exacerbated by pad level | Locates hands pretty well and arms stay narrow while balance is maintained but arm extension isn't great and whether he has the hands to consistently win battles with more technical rushers isn't clear | Shows a good understand of how to use his feet to generate leverage but pad level is poor again here which makes it hard for him to generate much push or hold his own against more powerful defenders but keeps a decent base | Locates hands pretty well but arm extension is again a factor here | Wasn't asked to play in space a ton and doesn't move hugely smoothly here | Does he have the feet to spend any time at tackle in the NFL or is he a guard conversion? | Mid 6th Round | 17 |
| Dan Moore | Texas A&M | 6'5 | 315 | Decent foot speed with decent-to-good power but pad level is consistently pretty poor | Initial set is actually pretty good but pad level is quite poor and struggles to adjust to inside moves and feet get far too narrow as soon as he gets out of initial slide | Locates hands reasonably well but arm extension isn't great and gets easily crowded which makes it hard for him to counter inside moves | Doesn't show much in terms of generating leverage with footwork and knee bend is quite high with narrow base which makes it hard for him to control blocks or recover laterally | Locates hands reasonably well but arm extension really isn't great and this limits his control | Doesn't move especially well in space and isn't amazing at locating blocks either | Does he have the ability to improve his pad level as this would make a big difference? | Late 6th Round | 18 |
| Alaric Jackson | Iowa | 6'6 | 320 | Reasonable foot speed and decent-to-good power but knee bend is consistently quite poor | Tends to allow feet to get too close together, not aided by pad level, and while foot speed allows him to cover the outside reasonably effectively, but tends to have weight all going backwards | Locates hands reasonably effectively, but arms tend to stay low in order to aid balance exposing his frame and tending to lead to poor arm extension | Knee bend is consistently quite poor which leads to him leaning into blocks and whiffing quite a lot though he does show the ability to use his feet to create leverage advantages | Lands a good punch but pad level makes arm extension difficult and lean causes too many punches and misses | Wasn't really asked to play in space much in Iowa's offense | Can his set be remade to allow him to continue at tackle or will he need to be a swing tackle at the NFL level? | Late 6th Round | 19 |
| Robert Hainsey | Notre Dame | 6'5 | 290 | Ok foot speed with decent-to-good power but knee bend isn't great | Footwork is very jerky and combined with poor knee bend can lead to his balance getting both quite high and quite uneven laterally with very straight legs countering power | Arms tend to get quite wide in order to help balance which causes some vulnerability and while punch is generally pretty accurate his arm extension is nothing special | Knee bend isn't great and this tends to come with quite narrow base and doesn't show much in terms of creating lateral leverage with footwork | Locates hands quite well but arm extension is really inhibited by pad level | Wasn't asked to play out in space much and doesn't move hugely well so is unlikely to excel in this regard | Does he offer value as anything more than depth? | High 7th Round | 20 |
| Jackson Carman | Clemson | 6'5 | 335 | Decent power and foot speed but pad level is really not great | Knee bend creates issues in terms of center of mass creating problems for both balance and change of direction, slide is ok but quite clunky and pad level means his hips are quite closed | Decent hand placement but arm extension is fairly unremarkable, though poor pad level probably doesn't help this | Poor pad level once again leading to issues creating or maintaining leverage, sets base far too narrow which create lateral leverage issues as well but does seem to understand how to use angles to create leverage | Hand placement seems perfectly good but arm extension is inhibited by pad level | Moves reasonably well in space and does a good job with angles though control isn't amazing | Does he have the upside to make him a viable NFL tackle even if his pad level can be fixed? | Mid 7th Round | 21 |
| Landon Young | Kentucky | 6'7 | 321 | Foot speed is decent and power is pretty good but knee bend is really quite poor | Knee bend is really poor and this combined with lack of top-end foot speed leads to weight getting very high and tends to lean in to compensate which adds to lack of balance | Locates hands pretty well and shows good arm extension but can get very wide when slide is pushed and isn't the best at resetting | Knee bend causes him to lean a lot and while he shows nice flashes in terms of being able to generate leverage laterally with footwork, this is largely undone by pad level issues | Locates hands well with good arm extension but lack of balance creates issues with control | Doesn't move hugely well in space and struggles to adapt to changes in direction | Can he get his stance to be better as otherwise he is going to be a liability to put on the field? | Mid 7th Round | 22 |
| Josh Ball | Marshall | 6'8 | 309 | Decent-to-good foot speed with decent power but knee bend is really very inconsistent | Knee bend as a pass protector is actually pretty good but weight can load backwards and when he does get pushed beyond his foot speed limitations he really struggles to recover balance | Arms get a little low and can cause punch to be quite wide though arm extension is pretty good when he times it right but can be a little late and gets crowded as a result | Struggles for knee bend a lot, and base gets very narrow and tends to lean into blocks which puts his weight well out in front of his feet and really struggles for control as a result | Hand location is decent but pad level makes it very hard for him to extend his arms and struggles to control blocks as a result | Does not move well in space and struggles to locate blocks effectively | Is he every going to be able to play at the NFL level or is he a player who'll compete for a depth spot? | Late 7th Round | 23 |
| Kayode Awosika | Buffalo | 6'5 | 315 | Decent foot speed and power but pad level is really not great | Decent lateral footwork with small steps but weight loads onto his back leg and struggles to counter better speed rushers while knee bend makes him generally susceptible to speed-to-power rushers | Arms get too wide which make it hard for him to locate his hands consistently while arm extension isn't great though does a pretty good job of resetting hands | High pad level makes it very hard for him to control blocks and negates a lot of his power and really struggles to block directionally with limited signs of high-level footwork | Hands are too wide and struggles with both location and arm extension with generally poor control | Doesn't move especially well in space and isn't amazing at locating blocks either | Does he have the talent to develop into a solid back-up as he is technically very poor without stand-out athleticism? | Undrafted | 24 |
Slater isn’t the most exciting prospect in this class, and ultimately might not become the best pro, but he has comfortably the highest floor of the prospects with a chance of becoming long-term left tackles in the NFL. He lacks the foot speed to be a very top tier pass protector, with this largely showing up as a vulnerability to power-based inside moves, but he should still be a good pass protector who would be a good fit in a directional blocking scheme and should be a real contender to be the Panthers’ first round pick.
The other tackle prospects who should be serious contenders to be taken by the Panthers in the first round are Christian Darrisaw and Penei Sewell, and while neither are as polished as Slater both have more upside to counter this. Darrisaw is probably the more pro-ready of the two, as while his hand usage needs fairly significant refinement, he does a good job from the waist down with really good knee bend and flashes of the footwork to be a really useful piece in a directional blocking scheme as well.
Photo Credit: Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sewell has the highest ceiling of any tackle in the class, with great power and foot speed to give with impressive hand placement to go with it but is something of a project as his knee bend really comes and goes and his arm extension and weight distribution fluctuate with it. This shouldn’t be a problem that can’t be coached, but he might have some struggles early on as he continues to adjust and for the Panthers this, combined this the limited upside his power would have in a more directional scheme would have compared to a power scheme, could see them less interested than in the other top prospects.
The other tackle who seems fairly likely to be taken in the first round is Teven Jenkins, who has really good power and pretty good technical fundaments, but he struggles for knee bend on a consistent basis and is guilty of leaning into blocks leading to whiffs more often than is ideal. This, combined with his lack of top-tier foot speed, means that he likely would only make sense for the Panthers as a replacement for Moton, which seems like an extravagance with their first-round pick even if they do trade down.
Sep 7, 2019; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns left tackle Samuel Cosmi (52) blocks in the second half against the Louisiana State Tigers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Outside of these four, while the class has a lot of depth in terms of passable #2 starters with the likes of Liam Eichenberg and Alex Leatherwood being options for teams looking for a safe if unspectacular options. For the Panthers, neither are likely to offer huge upgrades over what they already have on the roster, and is would be disappointing to see them invest significant assets in a tackle outside of the top four.
The only caveat to this might be Texas’s Samuel Cosmi, who does have the upside to be a good starting tackle in the NFL, but who needs quite a lot of refinement in terms of his stance and hand usage and likely isn’t going to be a starting option in the short term.
The final two players worth mentioning are Florida’s Stone Forsythe and Cincinnati’s James Hudson, both of whom are expected to be drafted in the middle rounds. Forsythe’s ceiling might not be that much higher than the likes of Leatherwood or Eichenberg, but he has slightly better lower body flexibility which helps both in terms of pass protection and run blocking and could allow him to step into a starting role down the line, especially if Moton does move on, while also giving the Panthers quality depth in the short term.
National Team offensive lineman James Hudson III of Cincinnati (55) blocks during the first half of the NCAA college football Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)
Hudson is certainly not somebody who should see the field early in his career and is really a very significant project who could well need his entire stance re-making as well as playing with far more disciplined hand usage. On the plus side, he shows really encouraging athletic traits with the foot speed, flexibility and power to be a high-quality starting tackle in the NFL, though teams will need to be convinced that he can be coached as this will be key to his value.
Overall, while this class has been praised for its depth, this is not depth which is necessarily hugely helpful for the Panthers, who have a high-quality run-blocking right tackle (for the short term at least), but are in need of a high-quality pass protector to pair with him. To that end, if the Panthers are going to find somebody who can step in at left tackle in the short term, they are likely going to have to take one of the top three prospects early in the first round, but they could find high quality depth with developmental upside into the middle rounds.
(Top photo via Virginia Tech Athletics)
