Panthers 2021 NFL mock draft: The Senior Bowl edition
Scott Fitterer, Matt Rhule and the rest of the Carolina Panthers’ coaching staff are in Mobile this week ahead of Saturday’s Senior Bowl. This gives them the opportunity to work one-on-one with some of the top college prospects from around the country ahead of the 2021 NFL draft.
In our latest seven-round Panthers mock draft, a couple Senior Bowl players got picked. Here’s how it turned out.
No. 8: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama - 6-foot-1, 205 pounds
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The Panthers have been longing for a shutdown corner since the breakout year of Josh Norman way back in 2015. Surtain could upgrade this defensive backfield to a whole new level. In 2020, he achieved a grade of 89.2 according to PFF, the highest of any corner in the country. He offers prototypical size and top-notch coverage skills in both man and zone. Surtain is a pretty physical corner who uses his speed, smooth hips, tremendous footwork and natural instincts in coverage to push receivers toward the sideline and contain them to extremely tight throwing windows. He is a solid and willing, tackler who likes to explode downhill and pop you with everything he has. Surtain also has tremendous ball skills and looks like a true alpha when going up for the ball. Simply put, he is as close to a natural corner as they come. The Panthers would finally get their lockdown corner and take some pressure off Donte Jackson as CB1. Carolina could have Surtain shadow their opponents’ WR1 all game and allow the rest of the defense to disguise their looks and coverages. His presence alone could improve Phil Snow's defense dramatically.
No. 40: Landon Dickerson, G/C, Alabama - 6-foot-6, 325 pounds
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The Panthers have put off re-shaping their offensive line for far too long, and whoever the quarterback is next year at least deserves a fair chance in the pocket. The interior was atrocious in 2020 and needs a major upgrade. What better way to start than with a unanimous first team All-American and semi-finalist for the Outland trophy? There is so much to like about Dickerson’s game. He is a great leader, beloved by his teammates, a tremendous mover out in space as a lead blocker, has an excellent understanding of blitz and stunt pickups, understands all blocking concepts, is brilliant in the film room and an absolute bulldozer that plays with a mean streak. He played center for the Crimson Tide but also projects well to guard at the next level as both positions consist of similar blocking styles/schemes. Dickerson would step right in at either guard spot and be ready to start plowing holes for Christian McCaffrey Week 1. He's an immediate upgrade over Chris Reed, John Miller, or Dennis Daley.
No. 72: Richie Grant, S, UCF - 6-foot, 195 pounds
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Grant is the definition of a ball-hawking single high safety. In his past three years at UCF, Grant has compiled 10 picks, five forced fumbles, 258 tackles, and 10.5 tackles for loss. That outstanding production at the collegiate level speaks to Grant’s aggressive style. He is excellent in deep zones and is not afraid to take chances reading the quarterback’s eyes. What makes him special though is his outstanding ball skills at the catch point; when he is in position you better believe he is making a play on the ball. Grant is also a solid tackler that is able to line up in the box using his lightning quick break on the ball to attack downhill and finish with authority. There is no way around the fact that Carolina’s secondary played poorly in 2020. Surprisingly enough, defensive rookie of the year candidate Jeremy Chinn was one of the main culprits. He allowed a completion rate of 73.4% and a passer rating of 115.7 on his targets – that is brutal. With this selection, the Panthers could use Grant to fill Chinn’s role in the secondary while moving Chinn to linebacker full time. Chinn would be a perfect fit at linebacker relying more on his explosiveness and instincts. Grant could fill the role as the center fielder in Carolina’s 3-deep zones they love to run and mix in at nickel in subpackages.
No. 112: Drake Jackson, C, Kentucky - 6-foot-2, 310 pounds
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Something tells us Scott Fitterer is serious about building the offensive line up with quality talent. In 2020, Pro Football Focus ranked Jackson as the second-best center in the country. He was one of two centers in the entire FBS to earn an 80.0-plus grade as both a pass- and run-blocker. Jackson has a perfect build for the position - short, squatty, and compact - that he uses to create natural leverage in his blocks. He has excellent hands, good balance and is able to re-direct in the run game. Jackson is also proficient in executing his pull blocks and in pre-snap diagnosis picking up Mike and blitz assignments. He might need to add a bit of weight to his frame, but he looks like an immediate starter at the next level. Jackson is another nice get here for the offensive front as he has all the tools necessary to become a quality center at the next level. The Panthers might have to play him at guard in 2021 while they ride out Matt Paradis’ contract, but with Paradis aging and becoming a free agent next offseason, Jackson could jump back to center in 2022 and have the spot on lockdown for many years to come.
No. 151: Demetric Felton, RB, UCLA - 5-foot-10, 185 pounds
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The Panthers have long said they would like to add a backup running back that shares qualities with Christian McCaffrey. Mike Davis played well this season and catches the ball well out of the backfield but is not nearly as explosive as McCaffrey. Plus, he is a free agent this offseason and will likely demand a contract out of Carolina’s price range. Meanwhile, Demetric Felton is about as explosive as they come in the college ranks. He made the transition from slot receiver to RB1 for the Bruins in 2020 and did outstanding. He has excellent straight-line speed, superb short area burst/agility and is an absolute nightmare for defenders in open space. With a receiver background, he also has great hands and exciting run after catch ability. Felton is definitely not a between the tackles runner, but is a great change of pace on passing downs. With McCaffrey locked in the next four years, the primary goal is going to be keeping him healthy. Grabbing a dynamic playmaker like Felton to back him up would help.
No. 189: Naquan Jones, DT, Michigan State - 6-foot-4, 325 pounds
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Jones has prototypical size, length, and quickness for a 3 technique in the Panthers’ defensive scheme. He has not had a ton of production over his four year career at Michigan State, but the physical tools and flash plays are there to work with. Jones has an extremely well-built frame that is dense throughout and allows him to be pretty nimble on his feet for a big man. He has a quality first step and is able to translate that to power nicely. Jones also demonstrates a quick stack and shed ability on occasion, which could translate to immediate success on early downs at the next level. As far as pass rushing ability goes, Jones definitely has the power and quickness for it but does not show consistent ability with getting off his blocks. Someone will eventually have to fill the role of Kawann Short when he departs. If the Panthers can get Jones working with the D-line coaches and some early playing time in a shared role with Bravvion Roy and Zach Kerr, he could develop into a nice piece.
No. 219: Grant Stuard, LB, Houston - 6-foot-1, 225 pounds
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Transitioning from a safety/nickel corner role in 2019 to linebacker in 2020 for the Cougars, Stuard racked up 158 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass deflections over those two years. Stuard is an absolute tackling machine, attacks downhill with explosiveness and eagerness, is a tremendous form tackler, good in coverage, and plays with the highest motor on the field. His instincts to shoot gaps and penetrate into the backfield are outstanding. There is no arguing that Stuard is undersized. His concerns pretty much stem from this, as his play strength and ability to shed blocks will be issues in the NFL if he wants to fill a three-down role. Stuard also occasionally shows poor tackling angles which can get him in trouble if he is lined up off ball at nickel, but that can be cleaned up. Since Luke Kuechly’s retirement a year ago, linebacker has been a strong need for this defense. Shaq Thompson needs to make the transition to Mike linebacker in 2021. That leaves two other spots open and Stuard could easily fill the Will role immediately as well as in the box at safety in subpackages. This pick would be a home run, especially late on Day 3.
No. 232: Camryn Bynum, CB, Cal - 6-foot, 200 pounds
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Bynum is no Pat Surtain II, but he plays with physicality, smooth hips, great ball skills, and solid instincts in coverage. He will likely have a limited role right away due to his lack of straight-line speed, but he could provide great value from a seventh round pick. There are so many other things Bynum does well that you have to look at before evaluating his talent just simply based on speed. Bynum has excellent instincts in coverage and silky smooth transitions into opening up his hips and sitting in the hip pocket of receivers. When he gets to the catch point, his natural ball skills kick in as he uses his outstanding hand-eye coordination to swat passes away and make a play on the ball. He lacks straight-line speed, which is a legitimate concern. However, when he falls behind in press man coverage, he is consistently able to turn his head around and locate the ball on deep throws instead of getting grabby with his hands. He might need to tweak his technique to adjust to the speed, but could see success early in a zone-heavy or press-man scheme. Bynum is not a standout athlete, but he is more than sufficient in coverage and can bring some immediate value to the table for Carolina. He will be a depth piece in the secondary, but could see some early playing time in nickel/subpackages.
