Carolina Panthers Mock Draft: Updated Day 2 Predictions
Two decisions the Carolina Panthers made in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft could be considered surprises.
First of all, they opted to use their first pick to add to their defense rather than to restock their impoverished offense. Despite the presence of UCF receiver Breshad Perriman and offensive tackles T.J. Clemmings of Pittsburgh and Jake Fisher of Oregon on the board, they passed on addressing any of their most pressing needs.
Instead, they went defense. In and of itself, this isn’t a horrible decision. A defensive end like Randy Gregory or strong safety like Landon Collins would have made plenty of sense as well. Yes, neither of those positions is as pressing as the offensive needs, but adding top talent at moderate needs is a justifiable move in the first round.
Instead, they made their second surprise by selecting Shaq Thompson, the linebacker/safety hybrid from Washington. Presumably, he was the top player on general manager Dave Gettleman’s board, but the Panthers were the only team to bring Thompson in for a predraft interview and schedule a workout.
As teams are limited to 30 of those, that’s no guarantee that they were the only one interested in Thompson, but it does indicate lesser demand for him around the league. He may have been available with Carolina’s second-round pick, or the team could have played it safe and traded down into the top of the second round and likely still gotten him and possibly an extra third-round pick to boot.
Well, for good or ill, Carolina got its man. What does that mean going forward in the draft? Let’s take a look at the Panthers' remaining eight picks and see who they could target now that the first 32 picks of the 2015 NFL draft are in the books.
Round 2: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
1 of 7Pick 57: Ameer Abdullah
With offensive tackle still unfilled, you could wonder why the pick here doesn’t fill a gap on the offensive line. As it stands, however, Carolina will probably be filtering through third-round picks like Oklahoma’s Daryl Williams or Colorado State’s Ty Sambrailo at this point. Neither of them is worth reaching for simply to bolster a need.
In that case, the Panthers might well decide to replace DeAngelo Williams with the third-best running back in the draft and one of my favorite players available this year. Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah is a little undersized at 5’9” and 205 pounds, but he’s the shiftiest back in this year’s class. He put up phenomenal combine numbers in the shuttle, vertical jump, broad jump and three-cone drill and plays with that cutback ability and vision as well.
He’s not the fastest back in the world, as his 40-yard dash time only came in in the 4.5-second range at his pro day, but Abdullah plays quickly. He gets to his top speed swiftly and hits the hole, finishing his runs with authority. His ability to stop and start throws defenders off, and he has not only the agility to cut through holes but the vision and instincts to find and exploit them.
If he was a little faster or larger, he would have threatened to be a first-round selection. As it stands, he’s a great value on Day 2. He’s an even better player than Shaq Thompson, the first-round selection.
This is also the place where Carolina could go receiver, if someone like Dorial Green-Beckham slipped, or take a defensive end like Trey Flowers to adjust for the loss of Greg Hardy. Abdullah would be the best player available, however.
Round 3: Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State
2 of 7Pick 89: Rashad Greene
There is still no offensive tackle to be found, as I’m giving Cam Newton more weapons to throw to and gambling that one of the mid-round tackles will be available at the top of the third day of the draft.
Florida State’s Rashad Greene is thinner than ideal, at only 5’11” and 182 pounds. Those numbers are negatives but not necessarily game-ending ones—players like Antonio Brown and T.Y. Hilton contribute at a similar size.
What Greene gives you are silky-smooth hands. Pro Football Focus had him dropping only 3.88 percent of his passes last season, which is a crazy-low number. He’s not going to win a lot of contested passes, but he’s not going to drop the ones he gets when he's open. Greene was able to find plenty of separation at the college level with ultra-precise route running and surprising acceleration. His 4.53-second 40-yard dash is more than adequate and allows him to find holes and make opponents miss.
He’s a slot receiver who would immediately be penciled in behind Kelvin Benjamin and Jerricho Cotchery, battling with Ted Ginn for No. 3 receiver duties. He’s a safe bet to be a solid player, giving the Panthers another option in their receiving game.
Your top offensive lineman choice here, in case you feel that the Panthers simply have to reach for a tackle, is Oklahoma’s Daryl Williams. He’s a justifiable pick, considering the team’s holes, but Greene is a better player.
Round 4: Tyler Kroft, TE, Rutgers
3 of 7Pick 124: Tyler Kroft
The Panthers do not, strictly speaking, need a tight end. Greg Olsen and Ed Dickson already pack a fairly solid one-two punch at the position, though Olsen (30) is no spring chicken anymore.
This, however, would represent a solid value pick. Tyler Kroft is tall and athletic at 6’5”, 246 pounds. He has experience playing both in line and split out in the slot. He’s a strong blocker, which is something many tight ends nowadays neglect, but he also has the speed and athleticism to be a moderate threat over the middle of the field. He offers a nice combination of everything you’d ask a tight end to do in the NFL.
Kroft never put up major numbers at Rutgers, but that’s more due to scheme and his quarterback play than anything else. His hands aren’t anything special, and he’s not as effective a weapon on contested balls and jump balls as you’d expect a 6’5” player to be. Still, there’s a lot of potential here, and considering that Olsen is now on the wrong side of 30, grabbing a player to develop behind him would be a positive move.
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Round 5: Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State
4 of 7
Pick 161: Sean Mannion
I’m sticking with my pick from the predraft mock here, although I’m moving it from the compensatory selections into the fifth round proper. The Panthers don’t have an immediate need at quarterback, but Derek Anderson is on the wrong side of 30, and third-stringer Joe Webb is more of a wide receiver than a passer.
Of all the quarterbacks still available on the board, with the possible exception of Brett Hundley, Mannion has the best potential to develop into a serviceable backup. He’s no good when he’s knocked out of rhythm and needs to learn to make decisions faster, but when he stays on schedule, he has all the traits you look for in a quarterback.
Mannion owns almost all of Oregon State’s passing records, and he did it in a pro-style offense, where he had experience playing under center. He was given the freedom to make pre-snap reads and audible, showing intelligence and the ability to find holes in opposing coverages. He completed 64.6 percent of his passes over his four years as a starter, throwing for an average of 7.4 yards per attempt. He has solid accuracy and ball placement and throws a catchable ball.
With so many picks, the Panthers can afford to take some players at non-need positions, and Mannion would represent value in Round 5.
Round 5, Compensatory: Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina
5 of 7
Pick 169: Corey Robinson
Finally, I have the Panthers addressing their most pressing need in the fifth round. There just wasn’t a good value spot anywhere in the preceding rounds to make the move for a tackle, so the Panthers will likely have to stick with Michael Oher and Nate Chandler, at least at the start of 2015.
Corey Robinson is a monster. He’s 6’7” and 324 pounds, and he’s played at heavier weights than that. Don’t think he just lumbers around the field, though—he has some speed for a big guy, cutting to the outside to intercept twists and the like. At his pro day, Walter Football reported that many scouts came away with the idea that he could “grow into a starting right tackle at the next level."
He doesn’t have great footwork, and his technique is rotten at this point in time. He’s not a plug-and-play player; he might be practice-squad fodder for a season as he’s coached up. He showed all the traits you need to coach up, however, and people of his size don’t grow on trees, especially in the fifth round. He has talent and hidden potential, and the Panthers could work with him to best develop it.
Round 5, Compensatory: Mitch Morse, OG, Missouri
6 of 7
Pick 174: Mitch Morse
After ignoring the offensive line for five rounds, I have the Panthers filling two depth positions with their two compensatory picks at the end of Round 5.
I had the Panthers taking Morse in the fifth round of the predraft mock as well, and the rationale holds up. He has experience at both tackle positions and center and has the frame to move inside to guard. When you’re talking about potential reserve offensive linemen, that’s the sort of versatility you’re looking for.
He’s smaller than ideal (6'5", 305 lbs), but he has the toughness and instincts needed to stick around on an NFL roster. He’s best used in a system that allows him to be somewhat mobile, which makes him a good fit for the Panthers. No, he’s not going to wrest a starting job away from Amini Silatolu or Trai Turner anytime soon, but he could become the backup to all three interior lineman positions—that's some great versatility out of a fifth-round pick.
Rounds 6 and 7: Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas and DeVante Davis, WR, UNLV
7 of 7
Pick 201: Quandre Diggs
This far out, there’s no real need to re-mock the sixth and seventh rounds. Even if the 32 picks made on Thursday night weren’t precisely the 32 picks we had predicted before the draft began, the next 144 or so should more or less even everything out. Thus, I’m sticking with my two late-round predictions from the predraft mock.
Diggs is an undersized corner with great experience and success as a four-year starter at Texas. It’s possible his 5’9” height could doom him as an NFL player, but he checks every other box you’re looking for in a cornerback prospect. "Quandre the Giant" could come in and be the dime cornerback from Day 1 if he continues to play bigger than his physical stature would suggest.
Pick 242: DeVante Davis
Davis made a career out of catching poorly thrown and awkward passes at UNLV. He has the prototypical receiver frame at 6’3” and 220 pounds and has shown great success at catching deep balls. When given a quarterback who can get the ball anywhere near him, he might develop into a passable deep threat. He’s at least worth kicking the tires on.
Picking Thompson in the first round really hurts the Panthers in terms of finding a new offensive tackle. Both T.J. Clemmings and Jake Fisher, the top two tackles remaining, are expected to be long gone before the Panthers next make a selection in Round 2. If they do not make a trade, they’re going to find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the top tackles in the draft.
Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers during the NFL Draft. Follow him @BryKno on twitter.
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