This week, the Panthers will get a chance to get a step on the other teams around the NFL as they travel to Mobile to work with the American squad at the Senior Bowl. While every other team will have their scouts watching drills, the Panthers will have the advantage of being able to have their coaches work with the players through them, allowing them to assess the way the different players respond to coaching and who they are as players in away that other teams could only dream of.
It’s no surprise that Matt Rhule was keen to get this opportunity after campaigning to get the chance.
“We really wanted to do the Senior Bowl, we worked hard to get the game,” said the Panthers coach last week. “[We] think it’s going to be really valuable for us.”
This also offers a great opportunity for the Panthers coaches and scouts to come together and watch tape and talk about prospects from both sides, something in particular that Matt Rhule is looking forward to:
“Not very often do you have a chance for scouts and coaches to get together and watch tape and have the coaches talk about ‘I like this, I don’t like that’,” explained Rhule.
However, as useful as this will be for the Panthers’ scouts to get better acquainted with what the coaches are looking for in different positions, it also gives the coaches and scouts a chance to look at some of the top prospects in the class up close and personal. So with that in mind, who are some of the prospects that the Panthers coaches will be working with who fans should keep their eyes on come Saturday?
We’ll first take a look at those on the Panthers squad with a look at the players the Dolphins will be coaching tomorrow.
Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
The Panthers are certainly going to be looking at quarterback options throughout this offseason and while Mac Jones isn’t currently getting a huge amount of play in terms of being a top ten selection, with an excellent final year in terms of production he has very much put himself in a position to rise up draft boards in the coming months.
To do this, he will need to prove to teams that his stellar final season was not just the result of having an outstanding surrounding cast, but that he can be a valuable and elevating figure in his own right.
For the Panthers, the Senior Bowl is a great opportunity for them to evaluate not only how he responds to coaching and how he might fit in what they are wanting to do offensively, but also to judge his performance and production when he isn’t surrounded by future high draft picks at the skill positions and playing behind one of the best offensive lines in college football. As Daniel Jones proved back in 2019, no quarterback who is in or around the first round conversation should be discounted from going top 10 if a team in convinced he is the guy – Jones has a chance to make that case to the Panthers.
While Kyle Trask had to pull out of the Senior Bowl with an injury, don’t be surprised if Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond makes an impression as well.
Jabril Cox, LB (LSU)
The Panthers need at linebacker was made somewhat less desperate by Jermaine Carter’s play towards the end of the season, and while he is unlikely to earn All-Pro honors any time soon, the Panthers can also afford to take a little more time in finding the right guy at the position rather than having to rush into a replacement right away.
However, with Carter a free agent after the 2021 season, the Panthers would do well to add a more developmental piece who they can coach for a season before potentially stepping into a starting role.
Cox was arguably the most sought-after junior transfer player in college football in 2020 when he decided to leave North Dakota State for the FBS. While he showed some nice things in terms of movement skills and tackling in his one season at LSU, his play was somewhat lost in the struggles of the defense as a whole, and he wasn’t necessarily used in a role close to how he will be asked to play in the NFL.
At the Senior Bowl, however, he will get a chance to show the Panthers that he is not just a superior athlete but can also play a role in an NFL defense. While he won’t likely be in consideration for the Panthers first pick, he could certainly play himself into contention anywhere on day two with a strong week in Mobiie.
David Moore, OG (Grambling State)
The Panthers need on the offensive line is arguably bigger than any other need on the roster entering the offseason, with only three returning players under contract at this point. Because of this, the Panthers may well end up spending multiple picks on the offensive line in the draft and will need to be able to find developmental depth outside of the first few rounds even if they are able to tie-down their starting five.
While David Moore is unlikely to start right away in the NFL given his small-school background and his need for further technical development, he has a lot of physical talent and could be somebody who sits behind a veteran for a year before assuming a starting role.
However, a key part of this equation is how coachable he is and the degree to which his technical rawness can be overcome. Given that offseason meetings between players and coaches are going to be kept to a minimum because of COVID, the Senior Bowl therefore offers the Panthers a wonderful chance to get to work with him and see just how quickly he can improve under NFL coaching – and whether he is able to hold his own when working against some of the best interior defenders in college football.
Robert Rochell, CB (Central Arkansas)
Aside from the offensive line and quarterback, the other position group that Scott Fitterer made a point of mentioning upon his arrival in Carolina was cornerback, as while Donte Jackson played well when healthy in 2020, who ends up playing opposite him is still very much up in the air.
While there are names much more likely to be connected to the Panthers early in the draft, the corners present in Mobile are more likely to attract attention later in the draft – similar to with Stan Thomas-Oliver and Troy Pride a year ago, these could be players who could be developed for a year while mostly playing special teams before potentially stepping into a starting role.
Rochell certainly fits what the Panthers look for in a cornerback, as he has great length at 6-2 with long arms and great ball skills, but having largely played against FCS receivers, the Senior Bowl offers a chance for him to test his speed and footwork against legitimate NFL receivers. Also, given how much Phil Snow likes to mix things around in terms of his coverages and where he likes to line deep defenders up, the Senior Bowl will also offer the Panthers a chance to test Rochell’s ability to master the mental side of the NFL game, which is often a barrier for cornerbacks in particular upon entering the league.
Another player who is unlikely to end up being taken in the top 10, Rochell could rise dramatically upon the Panthers’ draft board with a strong week.
The Entire TE Room
The @Panthers will be working with an athletic group of pass catchers in Mobile. SMU’s Kylen Granson & Duke’s Noah Gray will spilt time cross-training at FB, which they did plenty at college level. Georgia’s Tré McKitty & Bowling Green’s will be risers coming out of the week. pic.twitter.com/CbgDmHPdcc
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 18, 2021
Matt Rhule has made it no secret that he wants to get more out of the tight end position in 2021 than they were able to do in 2020. While some of that will hopefully come with Ian Thomas becoming more familiar to what they are trying to get done on offense, it is likely that this is an area the Panthers look to target in the draft, even if it isn’t something they do on day one. While they like what they have in Chris Manhertz from a blocking point of view, players who can hold their own in that regard whilst also being able to offer something more in the passing game are going be on their roster.
While it might be cheating a little to include the whole TE room on this list, the Panthers coaches will be ecstatic that these are the four players they get to work with. McKitty might not have had the most statistically impressive college career but he has obviously athletic upside and has a chance to impress if he takes coaching well this week. Granson is probably the most complete of the four but has mostly played in a relatively simple offense at SMU in terms of route tree and will need to show that he can be an effective route runner against NFL-caliber man coverage.
Morris is the closest to a pure receiver of the four, and while he hasn’t been helped by the recent QB play at Bowling Green, he has a chance to show that with a QB who can push the ball down the field he can be a consistent target to all areas of the field. Gray is possibly the most intriguing of the group, as while he is not the most physically imposing blocker or somebody who is going to make their money running go routes all the time, he is a really shifty route runner for a tight end and has great hands with an ability to make plays at the catch point in the red zone.
The advantage of the Senior Bowl is that the Panthers’ coaches won’t just be able to look at one or two players, but be able to compare whole position groups doing the same drill and receiving the same coaching – this really is a fantastic opportunity for them to gauge just how good these players can be and whether they fit in with what the Panthers are trying to do on both sides of the ball.
(Top Photo Courtesy of Reese’s Senior Bowl)
