Panthers potential 2021 NFL draft targets: Oklahoma iOL Creed Humphrey
Thursday Night’s loss to the Falcons exposed the major growing pains the Panthers are enduring. A playmaking tight end, ball-hawking defensive back, or run-stuffing defensive tackle are surely all on the offseason shopping list. However, the weakest link on this team is the interior offensive line and it needs to be addressed ASAP. The two tackles, Taylor Moton and Greg Little, have looked solid. Little has been exposed by quality pass rushers at times but has way more good reps than bad. Moton has his struggles as well, but all in all he is a top five right tackle in the league right now.
As for the interior line, they have been atrocious. Chris Reed and Matt Paradis are just not cutting it. Against the Falcons they struggled to pick up simple A-gap blitzes all night and Atlanta took advantage over and over again. Teddy Bridgewater had pressure from up the middle on seemingly every drop back. It’s time the Panthers get serious about building an offensive line that can protect Bridgewater and give him more than two seconds to throw the ball.
Let’s take a look at one of the best interior lineman in the 2021 NFL draft class, Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey.
Profile:
6-foot-5, 315 pounds
Projected 40 yard dash: 5.05 seconds
Humphrey is a very strong man and sets the tone up front as the leader of Oklahoma’s offensive line. Strength, footwork, strong hands, leverage – you name it he’s got it. Humphrey is not only a physical force, he is an extremely intelligent player, as well. He has been captain of the offensive line his last three years at Oklahoma, calls out blitzes and diagnoses defensive schemes pre-snap on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, some scouts were concerned about former Sooner Kyler Murray’s pre-snap abilities because Humphrey would call out everything for him pre-snap. His combination of intelligence and fundamentally sound blocking concepts add up to serious NFL potential.
Humphrey does struggle a bit in run blocking. He definitely can hold his own and blow a defensive lineman out of position, but if there was a specific weak point in his game it would be his struggles climbing to the second level. Elite centers in the NFL are able to pick up blocks at the second level on linebackers or safeties to spring running backs free, but Humphrey is a bit slow on keying in on those blocks and actually picking up the blocks needed.
Overall though, Humphrey is a tremendous talent at center and is going to be one of the best at his position at the next level.
Highlights:
Humphrey vs. Alabama
Humphrey vs. Missouri State
Humphrey vs. Oklahoma State
Humphrey vs. Texas
How he compares:
Humphrey is considered one of the top interior lineman in this class. He is a true center at Oklahoma but could easily make a switch to guard at the next level and provide tremendous versatility to NFL teams. Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis, Tennessee’s Trey Smith, and Ohio State’s Josh Myers are all other top interior offensive line prospects. Most scouts do see Humphrey as OL1 due to his brute strength, solid footwork and experience. However, Davis is emerging as a hot name during the 2020 college season. Look for Humphrey and Davis to both be a top 20 pick in this upcoming draft.
