The Carolina Panthers had quite the up and down season. After starting the season 4-9-1 the team finished strong ultimately winning their last four games to win the weak NFC South. The Panthers capped off the weird season after losing in the Divisional round to Seattle. With the 25th overall pick, General Manager Dave Genttleman will try to strike gold again after landing Kelvin Benjamin a year ago.
One direction the Panthers could go in the first round is receiver. Kelvin Benjamin needs a running mate as he was often double and triple teamed last season. In my Mock Draft, I select Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman. Recent news of Perriman running a 4.25 at his pro day as well as the recent signing of Packers receiver Jarrett Boykin may have the team looking in a different direction. The development of Philly Brown may also hold off the receiver position as Brown has formed a great slot guy. Nevertheless if the team were to select Perriman the offense could grow dangerous in time.
Another direction the team could look is in the secondary. There are a lot of cornerback options that could be available. Jalen Collins, Byron Jones, Marcus Peters, and Trae Waynes are just a few of the guys Carolina could consider. After losing Captain Munnerlyn a year ago, the need is absolutely there. The Panthers could also look at corners later in the draft and select safety Landon Collins from Alabama. Collins is a hard hitting saftey who could provide a nice upgrade over Roman Harper.
Carolina also has some holes along the offensive line. Adding Michael Oher helps, but there is still some work to be done. A.J. Cann out of South Carolina is a player is really like. Cann is my top rated guard and will likely be selected in the middle of round two. Cann would provide a major upgrade over just about anyone on the offensive line. Panther fans know all to well how many times Cam Newton was beaten and battered from poor protection last season.
After losing DeAngelo Williams, the Panthers could also use a backup runningback to serve under Jonathan Stewart. Stewart had a strong end to the 2014 season after years of looking like another washed up half back. David Johnson from Northern Iowa could make a nice compliment to Stewart. Johnson is a big receiving threat creating another target for Cam Newton.
Below is the list of every player the team has met with as well as every Panther pick in this years draft.
Prospects associated with the Panthers:
» Javorius Allen, RB, USC: Allen to work out for Panthers
» Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana: Panthers schedule visit with Coleman
» Landon Collins, SS, Alabama: Collins scheduled to work out for Panthers
» John Crockett, RB, North Dakota State: Productive FCS running back will work out for Panthers
» Jamison Crowder, WR, Duke: ‘Local’ WR will work out for Panthers
» Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State: Darby has visit lined up with Panthers
» Carl Davis, DT, Iowa: Big, athletic DT to meet with Panthers
» Paul Dawson, LB, TCU: Mayock’s No. 1-ranked LB to visit Panthers
» Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami: Speedy WR to meet with Panthers
» Mario Edwards, Jr., DE, Florida State: DE has workout scheduled with Panthers
» Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami: Flowers has meeting set with Panthers
» Laurence Gibson, OT, Virginia Tech: Unheralded OT to meet with Panthers
» Eddie Goldman, DL, Florida State: Panthers among six clubs to host Goldman
» Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska: Gregory impresses in private workout with Panthers
» Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: Gurley to visit with Panthers
» Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina: Hardy spotted with Panthers at Senior Bowl
» D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida: Humphries has visit lined up with Panthers
» Danielle Hunter, OLB/DE, LSU: Rising DL prospect set to visit five teams
» Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA: Panthers work out Kendricks
» Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford: Montgomery has visit lined up with Panthers
» Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio): Big cornerback to work out for Panthers
First round: 25th overall selection
Second round: 57th overall selection
Third round: 89th overall selection
Fourth round: 124th overall selection
Fifth round: 161st overall selection
Fifth round: 169th overall selection
Fifth round: 174th overall selection
Sixth round: 200th overall selection
Seventh round: 242nd overall selection
