2020 NFL Draft Grades – Carolina Panthers
Given the months and months of build-up to the annual NFL draft, the rush to summarize a team’s rookie draft class in a few sentences and stamp a letter grade on it has never quite made much sense to me.
In the past, I’ve compared this process to patrons at a restaurant complimenting (or complaining to) the chef based on the menu, rather than waiting to actually taste the food.
In much this same way, it obviously takes time to properly evaluate a draft. Given all of the complexities of the 2020 NFL draft, specifically, this is especially true.
So, while we cannot skip years ahead to know for certain which players will ultimately exceed or fail to live up to expectations in the NFL, we can provide a much deeper dive into each team’s rookie class.
Therefore, over the next 25 days, NFLDraftScout.com will be providing a detailed breakdown of each of the NFL teams’ rookie hauls, following the original draft order. Each team will be evaluated on the quality, quantity and relative safety of their draft classes (including undrafted free agents), with specific players recognized as Best Player, Best Value and Best Project, culminating in one “final” grade.
Today’s team: Carolina Panthers
Head Coach: Matt Rhule
General Manager: Marty Hurney
Players selected in 2020:
Round 1, Pick 7 overall: DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
Round 2, Pick 38 overall: DE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
Round 2, Pick 64 overall: SS/OLB Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
Round 4, Pick 113 overall: CB Troy Pride, Notre Dame
Round 5, Pick 152 overall: FS Kenny Robinson, XFL/West Virginia
Round 6, Pick 184 overall: DT Bravvion Roy, Baylor
Round 7, Pick 221 overall: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver, Florida International
Key Undrafted Free Agents:
OL Brandon Bowen, Ohio State
C Fred Mauigioa, Washington State
OLB/DE Jason Ferris, Montana Western
RB Rodney Smith, Minnesota
LB Chris Orr, Wisconsin
LB Sam Franklin, Jr., Baylor
Overview of the Panthers’ 2020 draft: Every team in the NFL approaches the annual draft with the obvious intent of getting quality football players but for clubs operating under new leadership – like the Panthers with Matt Rhule – it is also important to establish a culture. That is especially true in Carolina with the franchise moving on from several popular Panthers, including icons in quarterback Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly. Developing an identity through team-building, of course, was one of Rhule’s specialties in previous head coaching roles at Baylor and Temple prior to joining the Panthers with his single-digit jersey competition for rewarding toughness and commitment a shining example. Stellar intangibles and elite talent (along with filling a huge void on the roster), made Auburn’s Derrick Brown an ideal first pick of the Rhule reign and the defensive theme last throughout the entire draft for Carolina with all seven selections used on players on that side of the ball. Second round selections Yetur Gross-Matos and Jeremy Chinn were viewed by many as possible top 32 candidates with each boasting the elite physical traits to warrant consideration that high. An aggressive trade back into the second round to nab Chinn provided the Panthers with a versatile difference-maker in a secondary which lost James Bradberry and Eric Reid, among others, sparking a run of four defensive backs selected among Carolina’s final five picks in the 2020 NFL draft. Of the Day Three candidates, Notre Dame’s Troy Pride is clearly the top cover-man with former XFL standout Kenny Robinson, Jr. a potential steal – if he has learned to abide by the “Rhules.”
Best Player of the Panthers’ 2020 Draft: DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
The Panthers stole one of the only blue-chip prospects in this draft at No. 7 overall in Brown, a 6-5, 326-pound monster in the middle whose ferocity on the field is only matched by his character off of it. A highly prized recruit as the US Army All-American Bowl Defensive Player of the Year, Brown lived up to his billing immediately by playing in every game as a true freshman and growing into a larger-than-life superstar over the next three years, averaging 11 tackles for loss per season during that time against the best competition in college football. Brown deserves credit for technique and toughness but let’s not overly complicate his scouting report, he simply is bigger and stronger than most opponents and he’s remarkably agile, as well, making him a snap-to-snap nightmare and one who is equally impactful against the run or pass. Brown not only was the best player on the board at No. 7 overall, he filled the biggest need for Carolina given the massive changes up front for this team, with former starters Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, Vernon Butler and Mario Addison all playing elsewhere next season.
Best Value of the Panthers’ 2020 Draft: SS/OLB Jeremy Chinn
The Panthers turned some heads passing up Clemson’s ultra-versatile Isaiah Simmons to nab Brown at No. 7 overall, but general manager Marty Hurney exited Day Two smelling as sweet as Carolina jasmine with a bold trade up for the similarly gifted Chinn. The 6-3, 219 pound Chinn dominated at the lower levels, intercepting 13 passes over his career and erased any doubts about his size, playmaking ability and athleticism with eye-popping performances at the Senior Bowl and Combine. When Chinn first arrived in Mobile, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy mistook the rocked-up defender for an outside linebacker and Chinn has the frame and physicality to handle this role, pairing with former Carolina first round pick Shaq Thompson to give the Panthers two “erasers” at linebacker with elite coverage skills. Chinn was even asked to play cornerback, at times, for Southern Illinois. Instinctive, athletic and a heavy-hitter, Chinn is expected to step in right away as Eric Reid’s replacement at strong safety, while providing the positional versatility to handle more roles as he adjusts to the greater speed of the NFL.
Best Project of the Panthers’ 2020 Draft: DE Yetur Gross-Matos
The Panthers sandwiched two of the safest prospects in the 2020 NFL draft around the still-maturing Gross-Matos, a 6-5, 266-pound man-child who is just scratching the surface of his potential. Blessed with an ideal frame for the position with impressive initial burst and good core flexibility, Gross-Matos projects as a future standout defensive end in the NFL but he is not yet as far along from a technical and strength standpoint as his eye-popping statistics (34.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks combined over the past two seasons) suggest. He certainly should get plenty of opportunity to hone his skills in Carolina, however, where most of the teams’ best pass rushers – like 2019 first round pick Brian Burns – play a hybrid DE/OLB role. In fact, of the seven players currently listed on Carolina’s depth chart at defensive end, 6-1, 265 pound journeyman Chris Smith has the most sacks in the NFL… with a grand total of 8.5 in six seasons. Given the club’s turnover up front, Gross-Matos could enjoy a splashy debut season. Even more exciting from a Panthers’ perspective is what he could be in a few years.
Overall Grade for the Panthers’ 2020 Draft: B
Previous 2020 NFL Draft Report Cards: Cincinnati Bengals |Washington Redskins | Detroit Lions | New York Giants | Miami Dolphins | Los Angeles Chargers | Carolina Panthers | Arizona Cardinals | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cleveland Browns | New York Jets | Las Vegas Raiders | Indianapolis Colts | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Denver Broncos | Atlanta Falcons | Dallas Cowboys | Pittsburgh Steelers | Chicago Bears | Los Angeles Rams | Philadelphia Eagles | Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | New Orleans Saints | Houston Texans | Minnesota Vikings | Seattle Seahawks | Baltimore Ravens | Green Bay Packers | Tennessee Titans | San Francisco 49ers | Kansas City Chiefs
