Panthers' Top 4 Options with the No. 7 Pick
The 2020 NFL Draft will be looked back upon in history as the league is introducing a brand new virtual format to conduct the draft due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Carolina Panthers currently hold the No. 7 overall pick on Thursday night and have a plethora of options on where they could possibly go with their first selection under a new coalition of Matt Rhule and this new coaching staff.
Outside of the top two picks - Joe Burrow going to Cincinnati and Chase Young to Washington - there is grand uncertainty to how the next five picks will shape up, giving the Panthers endless possibilities to which prospects will fall into their lap at seven. No matter which direction the Panthers go in round one, their selection will most definitely be used on a defender due to the team losing eight of their 11 starters on defense from 2019 this offseason.
Thursday afternoon Matt Rhule explicitly said that he would be “shocked” if the team went with anything other than a defensive player, specifically a cornerback or a defensive tackle.
Realistically, there are four viable options for Carolina’s first-round pick on Thursday night, all of which include selecting promising defensive talent and or acquiring draft capital.
#1 CB Jeffrey Okudah (Ohio State)
Jeffrey Okudah is looked at as the second-best defensive prospect in this year’s draft behind his collegiate teammate, Chase Young. There’s an argument to be made that Okudah could be looked back on as the best player taken in the 2020 NFL Draft due to his impeccable combination of size, strength, and athleticism that he so beautifully couples with his elite ball skills, mirroring and mental makeup. Several scouts and draft analysts believe the Ohio State product could be an All-Pro before his rookie contract expires and the best cornerback prospect since Jalen Ramsey.
For the Panthers, Okudah makes perfect sense in endless forms due to his blue-chip talent, fit, and perennial All-Pro potential. The Panthers lost cornerback James Bradberry to the New York Giants in free agency, so the team is left with Donte Jackson as their lone corner. The Panthers have additional needs on the defensive line and at linebacker but if Okudah, Isaiah Simmons, and Derrick Brown are on the board at No. 7 - which is highly unlikely at seven - Okudah is the clear option.
His combination of size, strength, length, speed, athleticism (41.0 inch vertical), make him your prototypical NFL corner with Hall of Fame potential. There isn’t a defensive system, coverage, or scheme Okudah can’t play in the secondary. His elite mobility and vision allow him to bait quarterbacks as he can play with his eyes in the backfield while simultaneously locking down any receiver, mirroring their routes, using his excellent ball skills to break up passes. Quarterbacks are incapable of beating him over the top. Okudah is the complete package and a transcendent talent the Panthers can’t pass up.
#2: LB Isaiah Simmons (Clemson)
Isaiah Simmons is a seamless fit in Carolina for a multitude of reasons. Albeit, he will likely be the best player available if he falls to the Panthers, but some NFL scouts and execs still have concerns over Simmons’ positional fit at the next level - unsure of whether he is a linebacker, safety, or both at the next level. Nevertheless, his unparalleled versatility is unmatched which makes Carolina the best-case scenario for Simmons due to their need at linebacker and the team’s new defensive philosophy.
Matt Rhule enlightened the media earlier this month regarding his methodology when it comes to defense, specifically his “positionless” outlook.
“I try to think of everything as positionless football in my mind,” Rhule said. “Because I think when you start saying, ‘This guy has to play this,’ then you’re never playing the next best player.”
Some teams are unsure of where Simmons will be best utilized in the NFL but the Panthers would have no problem finding a place for the linebacker where he could fit in at the MIKE, SAM, SS, and nickel linebacker positions - even safety at times - in Phil Snow’s defense. His hybrid ability with uncommon length, speed, and power make him a constant mismatch in any defensive alignment. Simmons was not a linebacker at Clemson so he will need some time to polish his instincts near the line of scrimmage but his playmaking range overrides those concerns for now.
The Panthers defensive centerpiece, Luke Kuechly, abruptly retired on January 15, leaving the Panthers with a gaping hole at linebacker. They signed Tahir Whitehead, who also happens to have played every linebacker position in the NFL so a trio of Shaq Thompson, Whitehead, and Simmons would be a deadly combo in the NFC South.
#3: Trade back from No. 7
The reports that have been circling over the last 24 hours up to the last few days are mystifying. There are talks of teams trading up to the Lions' (No. 3) and Giants' (No. 4) picks for an offensive lineman. Additionally, there are rumors that teams could trade into the top 10 for a wide receiver or a quarterback. You get it, no one really has any idea of what will happen Thursday evening, but a consistent trend remains that there will be lots of movement within the first ten picks.
If both Jeffrey Okudah and Isaiah Simmons are gone before seven, they should most certainly listen to trade offers to potentially move back and acquire an abundance of assets to try and hit on as many promising young prospects as possible - considering they have an urgent need for competent defensive talent. In the case that Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert fall - or a team feels the urge to grab Jordan Love - there will be general managers lined up at the door to trade for that No. 7 pick. Another rumored scenario is teams that are targeting an offensive lineman could potentially jump the Arizona Cardinals at No.8 to get Tristan Wirfs - or Mekhi Becton if Wirfs goes in the top five.
The Panthers are at the dawn of a rebuild and in a position where they should be acquiring as much draft capital and young assets as possible. If a team throws an overwhelming offer at Carolina that they can’t refuse, it would be a win-win. The first round is deep in just the positions the Panthers are targeting - with an abundance of talented defensive line, cornerback, and linebacker prospects. Carolina could trade their No. 7 pick in exchange for a pick swap and several day two and day three draft picks in return.
For reference, a few trades that teams have made in the recent past to jump into the top 10 - in these cases to select a quarterback - have resulted in an influx of picks being acquired by the team with the high pick. The Bears traded up to the 2nd pick for Mitchell Trubisky in 2017, trading the 3rd overall pick, 2nd round pick (67 overall), 4th round pick (111 overall), and a 2018 3rd round pick. The Chiefs traded up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017, trading up from No. 27 to No. 10, giving up a 3rd round pick (91st overall) and 2018 first-round pick (16th overall) to the Bills. As you can see, the Panthers could benefit tremendously from a thirsty team aspiring to trade up.
Defensive prospects the Panthers could target in the event that they trade back include C.J. Henderson (the No.2 ranked cornerback prospect), Javon Kinlaw (No. 3 ranked defensive line prospect), K’Lavon Chaisson (prototypical hybrid EDGE build with elite upside and versatility), Kenneth Murray (a versatile linebacker similar to Simmons), or Zack Baun (edge rush threat with a high motor capable of stopping the run, dropping in coverage - 19.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks in 2019). Carolina would likely get several second and third-round picks in return that they could use to hit on other positional needs to rebuild their team from the bottom up, organically through the NFL Draft.
#4: DT Derrick Brown (Auburn)
Many Panthers fans have voiced this disapproval circling around the possibility that Carolina drafts All-American defensive tackle Derrick Brown. Brown has secured himself as the best interior defensive line prospect and would fit like a glove on Carolina’s defense. The Panthers lost the majority of their interior defensive line and pass rush this offseason - Gerald McCoy, Mario Addison, Vernon Butler Jr., Bruce Irvin, and Dontari Poe - who produced 33 of the team’s 53 total sacks in 2019.
While Brown may not be a defensive tackle to post double-digit sack numbers, his rare combination of size, monstrous power, and explosiveness make him an unblockable force - even against double teams - on defense. Defensive tackles with Brown’s size (6-foot-5, 325 pounds) rarely possess the nimbleness and athleticism he provides, giving him an All-Pro ceiling and a solid starter floor on day one.
Brown has proven to be successful one-gapping or two-gapping between the tackles by using his first-step explosiveness, power, and unrelenting motor to clog up running lanes and disrupt the line of scrimmage. The Auburn product has the potential to be more than just a pressure rusher in the passing game if he improves his hand technique and timing as a pass rusher which could propel him to record consistent double-digit sack seasons in the NFL.
Derrick Brown is an elite every-down impact force who could anchor the Panthers’ interior defense and has perennial All-Pro potential due to the fact that he currently only uses his physical traits to make plays. Once Brown couples his immense power, explosiveness, and develops NFL-caliber techniques, he could find himself as a hybrid Fletcher Cox/Ndamukong Suh star defensive tackle. If Derrick Brown is your fallback option on draft night, you're in pretty good hands.
What direction do you think the Panthers go in the first round? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and connect with other Panthers fans!
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Jack Duffy at @JackDuffyTPL
