Panthers’ final 7-round NFL mock draft: Playmakers for Bryce Young – and for the defense

CHARLOTTE, NC — When you reach version 3.0 of trial season, you’re looking for a little bit of inspiration to get you to the finish line.

Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan provides.

During a press conference last week with Morgan and first-year coach Dave Canales, both emphasized that they are not just looking for playmakers for Bryce Young. Morgan specifically said the focus was on finding players who could score on offense and make things happen on defense.

And then Morgan challenged the mock drafters in the room to read the tea leaves and figure out who the Panthers might be targeting.

“We all admit that we didn’t take the ball away enough on the defensive side of the ball last year. I think that’s an emphasis,” Morgan said, referring to a defense that finished last in the league and tied a franchise-low with 11 points.

Then this: ‘Whether or not you read into that about who we’re interested in remains to be seen. But yes, we want to take the ball away. We want to put the ball in the end zone. That is our emphasis.”

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So as we embarked on this seven-round journey for the final time before Thursday’s opening night of the NFL Draft, we paid special attention to touchdown makers on offense and ballhawks on defense, in what turned out to be a fun exercise.

As was the case with our first two iterations, we had the Panthers back in the second round. But this time with a twist: the Panthers moved back just one spot, ensuring they would still have two of the first seven picks on Day 2.

Let’s start trading: Panthers send picks 33 and 142 to the New England Patriots for picks 34 and 103, plus a seventh-round selection in 2025.

The Patriots wanted to make sure no one jumped ahead of them for their guy (Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson in the Pro Football Network draft simulator) and were willing to give up a fourth-round pick for a fifth to do so. The trade gave the Panthers five picks from the first 103 selections, which appears to be a smart move, provided they are confident New England doesn’t make a move. their boy.

Round 2, pick 34 (by Patriots)

Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

There were wideouts available at the top of the second with more receiving touchdowns in college than Legette, and I seriously considered Oregon’s Troy Franklin, who had 23 touchdowns the past two seasons. But I keep hearing that the Panthers are high on the 6-1, 221-pound Legette, who is about the same height as Franklin and a touch faster despite being more than 45 pounds heavier than him. Legette had a big year for the Gamecocks, with seven TD catches last fall. He also averaged 17.7 yards per catch and was clocked at 36.3 mph against Mississippi State, the fastest time for a ball carrier in the NCAA or NFL in 2023. And although The Athletics‘s Dane Brugler compared Franklin to DJ Chark, Brugler’s comp for Legette was DK Metcalf, who Canales was with in Seattle. He is also a dynamic kick returner.

Round 2, pick 39 (by Giants)

Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

Linebacker isn’t an immediate need for the Panthers. It wasn’t in 2015 either, but Dave Gettleman still took Shaq Thompson in the first round as a future successor to Thomas Davis. But as of Sunday, Thompson is now 30 and it’s probably wise to think about drafting his replacement. Enter Cooper, who reportedly visited the Panthers after leading the Aggies in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and forced fumbles. According to Brugler, he is the only player in this draft class to lead his team in all of these categories. That sounds like someone who has a nose for football (a la the departed Frankie Luvu) and can help in the takeaway department.

In 15 games last season, Michigan’s Mike Sainristil intercepted six passes (two returned for TDs), had 44 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack. (Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today)

Round 3, choose 65

Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan

The Massachusetts native spent three seasons as a wide receiver for the Wolverines before switching to defense, where he played primarily nickel but also lined up on the outside corner on 22.1 percent of his snaps. Sainristil, voted team MVP in the nation’s top-ranked defense, finished third in FBS with six interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns. He also had 12 pass breakups and looked very much like someone who can take the ball away. He’s a bit thin at 5-9 and 182. So the Panthers could play him for nickel as a rookie, sign Stephon Gilmore to play corner and move Sainristil out in a year or so after some seasoning.

Round 4, choose 101

Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State

This was where I picked a tight end in each of the first two mocks, including Johnson in the first go-around. So I wasn’t planning on switching now. With Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders and Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott, Johnson was the choice again. The 6-6, 259-pound Canadian would become the Panthers’ top tight end if he lands in Charlotte, giving Young a sizeable target in the middle of the field. He is a bit faster than Sanders and Sinnott. And while he didn’t get many passes at Penn State, he made the most of it. Johnson’s seven receiving TDs in 2023 – read the tea leaf alert! – led the Nittany Lions.

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Round 4, pick 103 (by Patriots)

Brenden Rice, WR, USC

It’s easy to make too much of things this time of year, and we may have been guilty of that after watching Rice’s appearance on Kay Adams’ show last week. Rice, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, excitedly said it would be “great” to play with Young while mentioning his connections to Panthers receivers coach Rob Moore (a family friend) and quarterbacks coach Will Harriger, who will be at USC in 2022. Rice smiled when asked if he had met with Panthers owner David Tepper during his preliminary visit to Charlotte and declined to answer the question. It’s easy to see that Tepper is enamored with Rice’s background and engaging personality. Morgan and Canales could be swayed by his production: Rice’s 12 TD receptions ranked ninth in FBS in 2023, and 80 percent of his catches resulted in a first down or touchdown.

Brenden Rice caught 45 passes for 791 yards and 12 TDs for USC last season. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)

Round 5, pick 141 (by Giants)

Cedric Johnson, edge, Ole Miss

It gets a little harder to find clear difference makers late in the draft. But Johnson, who was Brugler’s pick at this spot in his final seven-round match, is an intriguing pick for Day 3 because of his size (6-3, 260), athleticism and upside. Johnson flashed as a backfield disruptor as a sophomore, when he collected 6 1/2 sacks, eight tackles for loss and a forced fumble. After a less productive junior season, Johnson capped his college career by leading Ole Miss with 5 1/2 sacks in 2023, when he also broke up three passes and forced a fumble.

GO DEEPER

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Round 7, pick 240 (by Steelers)

Ryan Watts, DB, Texas

Auburn safety Jaylin Simpson was available in the PFN simulator here. But Brugler and other draft analysts have pegged Simpson as a fourth- or fifth-round candidate, so it seems unlikely he would still be on the board. But Watts may be following an uneven career that began with two seasons as a backup at Ohio State, where he tied for the team lead with two interceptions in 2021. Watts started at corner for the Longhorns for two years, but didn’t get his shot. hands on many steps. Watts (6-3, 213) tested well at the combine and could safely finish at the next level. Like Johnson, Watts also appears to be a good fit on special teams.

(Top photo of Xavier Legette: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)