The Panthers got their guy at 16 with Brian Burns, but with offensive line, 3-tech and safety still needs, the Panthers now need to come back on Friday evening and get another starter with their second round pick. Luckily, there are plenty of players that make sense for the Panthers.
With that in mind, who are the best of the rest in terms of Carolina’s remaining needs?
Greg Little, OT (Ole Miss)
The Panthers had the choice of their presumed two top options in Brian Burns and Andre Dillard when they picked at 16 – having opted to go the path of the pass rusher, they now need to hope that a tackle of note makes it all the way to 47. Of those still available, Little is the best in my opinion; while he isn’t without flaws, his ceiling is as high as any non-quarterback in this class and he shows enough technique on tape to be regarded as more than just an athletic development project.
Click the picture above for a full breakdown.
Greedy Williams, CB (LSU)
The Panthers do have bigger needs than cornerback, but Williams is really, really good – and if he falls all the way to 47, he could well be the highest graded player still available at that point. While cornerback isn’t the Panthers’ biggest need, with James Bradberry and Ross Cockrell both pending free agents after the 2019 season, adding Williams would give them a long-term partner for Jackson and allow them to turn their attention elsewhere for the near future.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, FS (Florida)
The Panthers current starting free safety is Da’Norris Searcy – a decent player but not really a free safety and while this is a deep enough class that they shouldn’t feel the need to reach on a safety at 47, a player as good as Gardner-Johnson would be very hard to pass on. Gardner-Johnson is the prototypical free safety for a cover 3 or cover 1 team, with his range, ball skills and instincts making him a feature piece of any team running these coverages.
The picture above has a full breakdown – in fact, any time there’s a picture, click it and check out more details. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.
Chase Winovich, EDGE (Michigan)
Sure, the Panthers just secured an edge rusher in the first round – but given that their four other main edge players will be free agents after the season, if Winovich is clearly the best player on the board, the Panthers shouldn’t rule out doubling down. Additionally, while he isn’t the biggest player, he is an excellent run defender, plays with good pad level and power and is technically well developed, and may be able to play inside as a 3-tech in obvious passing situations while giving them a base 4-3 DE should they go with even fronts on rushing downs.
Damien Harris, RB (Alabama)
Harris might not be a realistic option at 47, but as the second day of the draft goes on, the idea of finding a long-term partner for McCaffrey shouldn’t be disregarded. Harris is perfectly suited to that role, as not only is he the best pure ball-carrier in the class, but his inside rushing style would be a nice compliment to McCaffrey and he has enough ability as a pass catcher to be able to fill some of his shoes should the Panthers be without McCaffrey for any length of time.
Nasir Adderley, S (Delaware)
Adderley doesn’t have quite the same clearly-defined scheme fit as Gardner-Johnson does, but he is nevertheless a very good player. He is a good run defender, with movement skill, range and ball skills. He likely wouldn’t be as capable of playing the deep middle in a cover-3 or cover-1 scheme, but if the Panthers are going to play more split-safety and two-high formations – as they would likely be forced to anyway with Searcy at safety – then he could be an impact player.
Dre’Mont Jones, 3-tech (Ohio State)
The Panthers might have addressed edge rusher with their first pick, but if they are going to run this 3-4 defense they have been talking about, they are also going to need to find a 3-tech to play opposite Short. Jones certainly isn’t perfect and needs to work on his pad level in particular, but he has elite quickness and uses his hands well to penetrate and work around blocks.
Anthony Nelson, EDGE/3-tech (Iowa)
Nelson might be best suited to playing the edge in a 4-3, but with his size: 6-7 and 271 pounds – he also has the potential ability to play the 3-tech in a 3-4 defense. Given the Panthers might look to run multiple fronts this season, his ability to feature in both fronts could make him worth consideration. In terms of what he offers, Nelson plays with good pad level and power and uses his hands well to work off blocks as both a run defender and a pass rusher and should be able to contribute at a high level from day one.
Up Next: More Offensive Linemen and One Very Muscular WR
