The Panthers double-dipped in the defensive secondary for the second time in three years in the 2018 Draft, drafting LSU’s Donte Jackson and Tennessee’s Rashaan Gaulden to change the direction of a secondary that was among the worst in the NFL statistically during the second half of the 2017 season – that transformation began at the beginning of the offseason with the release of free safety and team captain Kurt Coleman, continued with the trade of third-year corner Daryl Worley, took a bit of a wrong turn with the failed signing of Bashaud Breeland, and moved forward with the signings of Ross Cockrell and Da’Norris Searcy.
But where does the defensive backfield stand? The Panthers now have a multitude of options at cornerback: James Bradberry, Kevon Seymour, Cockrell, Captain Munnerlyn, Ladarius Gunter and last year’s fifth-round pick Corn Elder are now joined by Jackson; at safety, the picture is a little bit clearer with Mike Adams entrenched at strong safety and Searcy and Gaulden expected to compete for the free safety spot – although it would appear that Marty Hurney and Ron Rivera drafted Gaulden with the thoughts that he could start immediately.
“I think [Jackson] comes in as a corner and a nickel, both,” said Hurney. “We feel like he can play outside corner and nickel, so I think that’s where he’ll play. Now Rashaan Gaulden, who played a lot of nickel at Tennessee, will most likely go back and start at safety.”
That position flexibility is purposeful, as is the multitude of options in the backfield. Ron Rivera believes that the competition brings out the best in players, and that’s exactly what he expects.
“It is about competition and that’s a big part of the reason why some of the things that we’ve done, we’re doing,” said Rivera with a gleam in his eye. “We’ve created some competition at wide receiver, obviously. We’ve got it at corner. We’ve got it at safety. We’ve got it at nickel. We’ve got a lot of young guys on this football team. I’ve said it earlier this year, those young guys have to step up and compete.”
“Go back and look at the guys we’ve brought in in free agency with Cockrell and Searcy – veteran guys who are experienced and then you add in a couple young, dynamic players into that mix as well with the guys that you have. I think you have a very competitive group. I really do. I’m excited about it. [You] caught me smiling and laughing about it. I expect the competition to be heated and I think it’s going to be good for that group.”
What’s going to make a player stand out in the secondary? Well, there’s three things that all of the best corners have had.
Speed
Hurney on Gaulden: “He’s sudden and he breaks on the ball. He’s got great ball skills, as you’ve mentioned. Sometimes, timed speed is a play speed. It’s what you see on the field. He plays fast.”
On Jackson: “Donte Jackson is a guy that – we talk about adding speed, and I think that’s about adding as much speed as you can. He’s a 4.31 40 (yard dash), he’s sudden, he’s quick, he plays fast.”
Jackson on whether anyone is faster than him: “Not at all. Not at all. I don’t think anybody is faster than me in the draft. Secondary or any skill position. My speed is unique, it’s different. I can get out of bed every day and I run fast; I don’t think a lot of guys can honestly say that. I have a lot of confidence in my speed.”
Photo Credit: Marvin Gentry/USA Today Sports
Swagger
Jackson on the importance of swagger: “It’s very important. Most of the time, you’re out there by yourself. Yeah, you probably have some high-low help, but most of the time, it’s just you and guy that’s in front of you. So confidence is one thing that is huge for a DB but it’s a huge thing that I like to carry in my bag when I’m out there on the field. I like to have confidence and I like to have swagger. I think that both of those attributes kind of complement each other. You can’t have one without the other. That’s one thing I’m huge on.”
Rivera: “Well, I think you go back to our time with Josh Norman and there was a swagger about that group. I think you couple that with some of the guys that were there. I think we are getting back to that.”
Gaulden: “I think it’s very important. And, not only do I think it’s important for one person to have that swagger and attitude, I think it’s important for every defensive back to have that swagger and attitude. It’s a very tough position. Lining up in the secondary, we take part in three-fourths of the game as far as special teams and defense. It’s very tough. So, I think these guys need to have a lot of attitude and grit to play in the defensive back end.”
Gaulden on where he’s going to play: “I can play anything in the defensive backfield. So, I mean that’s just the confidence that I have. That’s just through the coaches that I’ve had. They’ve trained me to be able to play any position in the backend. I can execute safety at a very high level and if that’s what the Panthers see me as, then I will execute that.”
Photo Credit: Michael Wade/Getty Images
Skills
Hurney on Jackson: “He makes plays on the ball. He’s sudden. He’s fast. If you watch the end of the last minute and a half of the Auburn game, he makes like six plays in a row there at the end of the game. So he’s a cover corner. He can make plays on the ball. He can cover receivers. I think he gives you – we talk about intermixing skill sets, well now we have a guy like Donte. We have Kevon [Seymour], who can run. We have got big corners with Bradberry and Ross Cockrell and a bunch of guys.”
On Gaulden: “He’s sudden and he breaks on the ball. He’s got great ball skills, as you’ve mentioned. Sometimes, timed speed is a play speed. It’s what you see on the field. He plays fast.”
Gaulden: “The way I attack the game is try to get the ball however I can. I’m just thinking about the football whenever I can as far as forcing fumbles, getting tipped balls, or even making interceptions. That’s just a major emphasis of my game. That goes beyond just playing the game. I think about that when I’m off the field. I think about that throughout my day. Just trying to figure out ways how I can get the ball.”
Jackson: “I’m pretty pissed that they say I’m small or can’t cover. Look at the film. If any guy can sit there any say that I can’t cover or I’m too small they obviously have not looked at the film. they haven’t looked at me playing in the SEC. For three straight years playing every game in my career at LSU. They obviously never seen that. They obviously never seen the edge that I play with. They don’t know me. They just see what they hear. Of course you got guys that are talked about more, so that’s a good thing. They aren’t really worrying about the guys that aren’t being talked about that much. They just go by what they hear. But the film says it all. The film speaks for my game over the past few years and that’s something I’m going bring to the next level. I’m not satisfied being a second-round draft pick. I got way more milestones to fulfill. I want to be doing this for a long time.”
“I want to be a Hall of Famer. That’s the only thing that’s on my mind.”
