Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion, and 3 Other Potential Panthers Poised for NFL Success

The Carolina Panthers want to find NFL players in the draft, but sometimes, prospects are just good college football players. Finding the ones who translate is a difficult task, one that hasn't been whittled down to an exact science. But there may be a formula of sorts.

PFF analyst Daire Carragher broke it down, summing it up by saying, "Evaluating offensive environments across the college landscape offers deeper insight into which draft prospects may be most pro-ready, regardless of which NFL team selects them."

To do that, he discovered which college offenses match well with NFL offenses and which prospects have strengths that fit with NFL needs. This is not to say that these prospects will surely hit and others will not, but they may have a leg up.

And of the 18 prospects that should translate a little better to the NFL game, five have already been linked in some way to Carolina and could very well end up as part of their next rookie class.

Five potential Panthers picks come from NFL-style, translatable college offenses

Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs with the ball during the first half | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Panthers need to nail their draft picks and get immediate contributors to continue their ascent in the NFC South. To do so, they may consult PFF's list of prospects who might translate a little better to the NFL, of which there are some who are connected to Carolina now.

The five prospects that come from these pro-style, potentially translatable offenses are:

USC WR Makai Lemon
Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion
Washington WR Denzel Boston
Texas A&M OG Chase Bisontis
Northwestern OT Caleb Tiernan

Lemon hasn't met with the Panthers, but he's been featured in mock drafts going to Carolina. The thinking is that he won't be on the board, but if he is, the Panthers would be thrilled to get him, and it looks like there's a good chance he'd be productive right away.

The Panthers have met with the other four, and that means there's a good chance they each have landed on the draft board. Bisontis fills a need and is the type of player the Panthers like. So is Tiernan, and he's in a good draft range to be picked.

Aggies offensive lineman Chase Bisontis (71) blocks the rush | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Concepcion met with the Panthers early on, and some NFL analysts love the fit. He is a different archetype of receiver than the Panthers currently have. That makes him, in our estimation, a better pick than Boston, whom the Panthers also met with and seem to like.

And while we may not love the idea of another big-bodied WR, Boston should be a good NFL player. Carragher said in another article that he's one of the best against man coverage in the draft, and that he wins in single coverage.

"His 26 receptions versus single coverage were not the most in college football last season, but his 23 first downs led the nation. When Washington quarterback Desmond Williams Jr. identified man coverage, Boston was the primary target," he wrote.

With Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan ahead of him, whoever the Panthers draft as WR3 will undoubtedly see a ton of single coverage. If it's Boston, then there's reason to believe he'd win a lot, and that would really open things up.

The Panthers could end up with multiple of these players. They can come away with one of the wide receivers in round one. Lemon may not be there, but Concepcion and Boston likely will. Then, they can get Bisontis (PFF's 48th prospect) with the 51st pick and may be able to snag Tiernan (64th) in the third round, too.

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