Connor McGovern, OC/G (Penn State)
The Panthers undeniably have a need at tackle, but with Greg Van Roten being mediocre and entering the final year of his contract, the Panthers will also have some interest in upgrading their interior offensive line. McGovern isn’t perfect, but he has excellent agility and good hand usage with generally good pad level, and would be able to compete to start at left guard from week one – with his ability to play center as well giving him the added value of positional versatility.
D’Andre Walker, EDGE (Georgia)
It would be a surprise to see the Panthers go for back-to-back undersized edge rushers, but it can’t be completely ruled out, and Walker is certainly a good player. He might not have Burns’ quickness, but he flashes at least decent ability in this regard as well as nice hand usage and inside moves. In terms of being a compliment to Burns, Walker is a far better run defender at the point of attack and could offer rotational value in that regard in the short term.
Taylor Rapp, S (Washington)
Rapp has fallen down draft boards due to his lack of top-end speed, but while this is likely to limit his absolute ceiling as a pro, he is able to make up for most of this with great instincts and processing ability, meaning he almost never got beat deep in college despite his mediocre speed. He is also a very good run defender, and is another player who might benefit from playing closer to the line in a two-high or split-safety scheme, where his solid coverage can be better complimented by his excellent run defense.
DK Metcalf, WR (Ole Miss)
The Panthers definitely have bigger needs than WR, but there will come a point where it becomes impossible to ignore Metcalf’s potential, despite his flaws. He needs to develop as a route runner and improve against press, but even then, he is going to have the occasional frustrating drop – but his ability to get deep, win at the catch point and gain yards after the catch will always have value. Even if this isn’t the pick for the Panthers, he could increase the trade interest should be still be on the board.
Mack Wilson, LB (Alabama)
Mack Wilson. Photo Credit: Associated Press
Linebacker isn’t a major need for the Panthers, but with Thomas Davis gone and Shaq Thompson entering the final year of his contract, it isn’t not a need either. Wilson is another player who isn’t without flaws, and his run defense in particular needs to get better in terms of working off blocks, but players with his ability in space at his size are always going to have value.
Cody Ford, OG (Oklahoma)
Some see Ford as a tackle at the NFL level, but I just don’t think he has the foot speed and lower body flexibility to play there at a high level. However, what he does have is immense power, and if he can work on his pass sets in terms of his pad level in particular, he has the potential to be a very good guard at the NFL level, with immense power, good agility for an interior offensive lineman and solid hand usage. He needs some technique work, but he can be very good.
Christian Miller, EDGE (Alabama)
As with some of the earlier players on this board, Miller is probably a more realistic target at 77 or 100 than 47 as it would be hard to justify going with back-to-back edge rushers who aren’t likely to be able to play at the point of attack against the run. However, if the Panthers address another need at 47, Miller could well be the best player on the board in the third round, and would give them a long-term rotation piece to pair with Burns.
Jawaan Taylor, OT (Florida)
Taylor seems to have fallen somewhat due to injury concerns with his knee, and even without that, there is a lot of technique work needed in order to get him to maximize his athletic potential. However, despite all this, whenever you get a chance to find a player with his athletic talent on the second day it is hard to pass on that, and even if he isn’t able to win a starting tackle role in 2019, he also has the ability to compete to start at LG in the short term.
JoeJuan Williams, CB (Vanderbilt)
It’s not clear what the Panthers’ defense is going to look like from a coverage point of view with Rivera back as effective defensive coordinator, but if the Panthers do look to find a long-term partner for Jackson and don’t want to resign Bradberry – but want a player who can offer a similar skillset, then Williams could well be their man. While he doesn’t have the man coverage ability of Greedy Williams, he has the ability to play in man against bigger, slower receivers and is possibly the best zone coverage corner in the draft class.
Byron Murphy, CB (Washington)
Murphy likely wouldn’t be an amazing fit for the Panthers scheme-wise and pairing him with Jackson would give them one of the smallest, shortest-armed cornerback pairings in the NFL, but there are reasons why some had him as a top-10 pick. He has a great grasp of the mental aspects of the game, is a decent tackler and has nice ball skills. If he’s still on the board at 47, I’m not sure this would be the pick, but he would almost certainly increase the trade interest.
Elgton Jenkins, G/C (Mississippi State)
Jenkins has flaws, but he also has a lot of upside and would fill a need for the Panthers on the interior offensive line. He needs to work on his hand usage, though this might be helped by a move from center to guard. What he does have is good agility, power and pad level, with the movement skills in space the Panthers seem to look for in their offensive linemen.
Drew Lock, QB (Missouri)
I really hope the Panthers don’t draft a quarterback at 47, but if Drew Lock, the #4 QB on many boards and first round prospect by some accounts, is still on the board when the Panthers pick, it cannot be completely rueld out that they might take him – and even if they don’t, he would certainly increase the trade value of the pick should the Panthers look to move back.
There are a lot of good players still on the board after an interesting first round, and while they are not all players that the Panthers might realistically be looking to select, given that there are teams that might be interested, they increase the chances of somebody the Panthers do like falling to 47 or at least far enough for the Panthers to be able to justify moving up.
