Carolina Panthers Mock Draft: B/R Community Top 100 and 7-Round Results

Over the past week, the 32 draft correspondents got together and participated in Bleacher Report’s community mock draft. Using our combined experience and expertise, we simulated the first three rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft, taking turns making picks for our franchises in a trade-free, collaborative environment.

As the Carolina Panthers’ draft correspondent, I went into the mock draft with a fairly simple strategy in place. I knew I had to come away with an offensive tackle with one of the first two picks in the draft; no other improvements to the offense will mean anything if Cam Newton has to keep running for his life every time he has the football.

After that, the hope was to stock up on the offensive side of the ball with skill position players. Seeing as how the Panthers ranked 23rd in the NFL in terms of passing offense, according to Football Outsiders, and just lost DeAngelo Williams in the run game. The Panthers can come into the draft just planning to take the best offensive player available with each pick and probably come out all right.

Of course, the real benefit of doing these collaborative mock drafts is to see how the plans fall apart when exposed to the reality of the selection calendar. If any team, Panthers included, sticks so closely to their pre-draft plans and positions of need, they’re liable to end up reaching for lower-quality players. It’s the team that can best navigate the ebbs and flows of talent that happen on draft day that will come out on top in the end.

Were the Panthers able to stick to their positions of need during the first two days of the simulated draft or not? Here’s what happened in the first 100 picks, along with what I would do in the final rounds if I were Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman.

Round 1: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Miami's Ereck Flowers

There’s always a debate about whether to take the best player available or the player at a position of greatest need, especially in the first round. Fortunately for the Panthers, in this mock draft, the two needs came together quite nicely, with a selection of offensive tackles to choose from. Here’s how the first round played out:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Buccaneers	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
2	Titans	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
3	Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Florida
4	Raiders	Leonard Williams	DT	USC
5	Redskins	Brandon Scherff	OL	Iowa
6	Jets	Vic Beasley	OLB	Clemson
7	Bears	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
8	Falcons	Bud Dupree	DE	Kentucky
9	Giants	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
10	Rams	Andrus Peat	OT	Stanford
11	Vikings	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
12	Browns	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
13	Saints	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
14	Dolphins	La'el Collins	OL	LSU
15	49ers	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
16	Texans	Breshad Perriman	WR	UCF
17	Chargers	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
18	Chiefs	Randy Gregory	LB	Nebraska
19	Browns	Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia
20	Eagles	Jake Fisher	OL	Oregon
21	Bengals	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
22	Steelers	Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest
23	Lions	Malcom Brown	DT	Texas
24	Cardinals	Cameron Erving	OC	Florida State
25	Panthers	Ereck Flowers	OT	Miami (FL)
26	Ravens	Jaelen Strong	WR	Arizona State
27	Cowboys	Byron Jones	CB	Connecticut
28	Broncos	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh
29	Colts	Arik Armstead	DE	Oregon
30	Packers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	OLB	UCLA
31	Saints	Eric Kendricks	LB	UCLA
32	Patriots	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin

There are two tackles I have rated clearly above Miami’s Ereck Flowers.  Brandon Scherff, the best offensive lineman in the draft, went fifth overall to Washington.  Stanford’s Andrus Peat followed shortly thereafter, going tenth to St. Louis. 

Somehow, the draft board remained fairly safe for the Panthers after that.  Yes, two more offensive tackles were taken in LSU’s La’El Collins and Oregon’s Jake Fisher, but the best right tackle prospect in the draft, Flowers, remained on the clock.

The Panthers just signed Michael Oher to handle the blindside.  Whether you think that will be effective or not, it means the Panthers can afford to look for a mauling run defender for the right side with their first pick, and that’s precisely what Flowers provides you.  He’s big and athletic, with untrained power and bruising efficiency.  He has quick enough feet to succeed in Carolina’s zone blocking system, where he’ll be able to simply move opposing defenders out of the way.  He needs polish in pass protection, as his form is a bit sloppy for a first-round talent, but that’s something that can be coached up.  He’s a significant value at this point in the draft.

He’ll likely never become a left tackle, as he lacks the speed to keep up with some of the elite edge rushers in the NFL.  His floor is fairly high, however, as if he fails as a right tackle, he’ll likely be able to transition to guard without too many problems.  That would obviously be a poor scenario, but it means the Panthers are likely to get some value out of Flowers, even if he doesn’t adapt to the NFL as quickly as they would like.

Before the draft, I had Florida’s D.J. Humphries penciled in to this slot—he’s smaller than ideal, but very athletic and a perfect eventual fit at left tackle in Carolina’s system.  If he had been gone, T.J. Clemmings of Pittsburgh would have been my choice for a right tackle, but Flowers lasting this long made the decision easier.

The worst case scenario, in a massive run on offensive tackles, would be for the best player left to be Texas A&M’s Cedric Ogbuehi.  In that scenario, the Panthers might be better off going with a receiver like Nelson Agholor rather than sifting through lower-quality tackles.  That seems unlikely, however.

Round 2: Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Boise State's Jay Ajayi

In a perfect world, this pick goes to a wide receiver. However, by this point in the community mock draft, ten receivers had already gone off the board. That’s pretty excessive, so the Panthers would be better off looking for value elsewhere. Here’s how Round 2 went:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
33	Titans	Jalen Collins	CB	LSU
34	Buccaneers	Ty Sambrailo	OL	Colorado State
35	Raiders	Nelson Agholor	WR	USC
36	Jaguars	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma
37	Jets	Laken Tomlinson	OG	Duke
38	Redskins	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Nebraska
39	Bears	Eli Harold	OLB	Virginia
40	Giants	Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State
41	Rams	D.J. Humphries	OL	Florida
42	Falcons	Eric Rowe	S	Utah
43	Browns	Donovan Smith	OT	Penn State
44	Saints	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami (FL)
45	Vikings	Stephone Anthony	LB	Clemson
46	49ers	Preston Smith	DE	Mississippi State
47	Dolphins	Devin Funchess	WR/TE	Michigan
48	Chargers	Tevin Coleman	RB	Indiana
49	Chiefs	Eddie Goldman	DL	Florida State
50	Bills	A.J. Cann	OG	South Carolina
51	Texans	Benardrick McKinney	OLB	Mississippi State
52	Eagles	Devin Smith	WR	Ohio State
53	Bengals	Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota
54	Lions	Duke Johnson	RB	Miami (FL)
55	Cardinals	Ronald Darby	CB	Florida State
56	Steelers	Nate Orchard	DE/LB	Utah
57	Panthers	Jay Ajayi	RB	Boise State
58	Ravens	Clive Walford	TE	Miami (FL)
59	Broncos	Grady Jarrett	DT	Clemson
60	Cowboys	T.J. Yeldon	RB	Alabama
61	Colts	Paul Dawson	LB	TCU
62	Packers	P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State
63	Seahawks	Carl Davis	DL	Iowa
64	Patriots	Tre' Jackson	OG	Florida State

Sitting and watching the draft go by, I was hoping that Devin Smith would continue to fall.  He’d be a perfect fit for the Panthers here—an elite deep threat with unteachable speed.  With him and Kelvin Benjamin as the starting receivers for the next few seasons, the Panthers would have the making of a pretty comprehensively solid passing game. 

Well, the Eagles thought so too, and they grabbed Smith before the Panthers could get to him.  I briefly considered reaching for Kansas State’s Tyler Lockett, but he’s too small at 5’11” and 175 pounds to be worth a second-round pick.  Hoping he would fall to the third round, I moved to try and find value elsewhere.

Jay Ajayi tore his ACL in 2011.   While that feels like ages ago now, NFL teams are still considered about his knee, according to Dane Brugler.  Seeing as how he ran for 1,800 yards last season, I think the concerns are somewhat overblown, but it might still be prudent to keep him in a two-back system.

Fortunately, that’s exactly what the Panthers can do with Ajayi and Jonathan Stewart.  Ajayi has great feet, allowing him to make moves to find the gaps.  There, he uses his 6’0”, 221-pound frame to smash through defenders, getting yards after contact reliably.  He’ll make his bread and butter, at least early on, as a short-yardage and third-down back, picking up tough yardage when it counts.

He’s not just a bruiser, though.  He has surprisingly good hands for a bigger back, catching 50 passes for 535 yards last season.  He’s a weapon in multiple phases of the game, and can do anything you’d want a running back to do.

I did consider going with outside linebacker Hau’Oli Kikaha from Washington instead, due to Ajayi’s knee.  Kikaha would form quite the trio with Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis in the middle of the defense.  The need just isn’t as big there, so Ajayi makes more sense.

Cedric Ogbuehi, who I mentioned in the first-round pick analysis, was also still available at this point.  While I don’t think the Panthers would double up on offensive tackles in the first two rounds, he’d be a name to look at if the Panthers go elsewhere in the first round.

Round 3: Mike Bennett, DT, Ohio State

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Ohio State's Mike Bennett

Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has gone on record saying he’ll take the best player available, rather than simply looking to fill holes. While it’s possible for that to get a team in trouble, overloading a position, it’s still a good rule of thumb to take during the draft.

With players at positions of need vanishing in round three, and without the ability to trade up or down, I used Gettleman’s strategy to grab a second-round caliber player here. Here’s how the third round played out:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
65	Buccaneers	Rashad Greene	WR	Florida State
66	Titans	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
67	Jaguars	Jeremy Langford	RB	Michigan State
68	Raiders	Ali Marpet	OG	Hobart College
69	Redskins	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU
70	Jets	Tre McBride	WR	William & Mary
71	Bears	Jaquiski Tartt	S	Samford
72	Rams	Sammie Coates	WR	Auburn
73	Falcons	Mitch Morse	OG	Missouri
74	Giants	Rob Havenstein	OT	Wisconsin
75	Saints	D'Joun Smith	CB	Florida Atlantic
76	Vikings	Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington
77	Browns	Jordan Phillips	DT	Oklahoma
78	Saints	John Miller	OG	Louisville
79	49ers	Denzel Perryman	ILB	Miami (FL)
80	Chiefs	Tyler Lockett	WR	Kansas State
81	Bills	Bryce Petty	QB	Baylor
82	Texans	Doran Grant	CB	Ohio State
83	Chargers	Hau'oli Kikaha	OLB	Washington
84	Eagles	Quinten Rollins	CB	Miami (OH)
85	Bengals	Za'Darius Smith	DE	Kentucky
86	Cardinals	David Cobb	RB	Minnesota
87	Steelers	Jeff Heuerman	TE	Ohio State
88	Lions	Josh Shaw	CB	USC
89	Panthers	Michael Bennett	DT	Ohio State
90	Ravens	Derron Smith	SS	Fresno State
91	Cowboys	Trey Flowers	DE	Arkansas
92	Broncos	Henry Anderson	DE	Stanford
93	Colts	Mike Davis	RB	South Carolina
94	Packers	Brett Hundley	QB	UCLA
95	Seahawks	Alex Carter	CB	Stanford
96	Patriots	Kenny Bell	WR	Nebraska
97	Patriots	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	Oregon
98	Chiefs	Senquez Golson	CB	Ole Miss
99	Bengals	Steven Nelson	CB	Oregon State
*100	Titans	Nick O'Leary	TE	Florida State

Again, I looked for a receiver, but there were none to be found.  Tyler Lockett, who I briefly considered in the second round, went 80th overall to Kansas City.  The top remaining wide receiver on my board, East Carolina’s Justin Hardy, is a very tough player, but doesn’t have the sort of athleticism I want out of a Day 2 pick. Hoping he’ll last until the fourth round, it was best to look elsewhere. 

The value here is clearly on defense.  You have an edge rusher in Arkansas’ Trey Flowers and a more interior rusher in Florida’s Mario Edwards as potential replacements for Greg Hardy, and either would be very solid picks here.  I also like the idea of taking LSU’s Kwon Alexander and adding to the position of strength at linebacker.

However, I am a big fan of defensive tackle Mike Bennett.  The Panthers don’t really need a defensive tackle this season.  Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short are very good as starters, and the team just re-signed Colin Cole and Dwan Edwards for depth.

However, letting Bennett fall this far would be very surprising.  Advanced Football Analytics’ draft tool, which takes information from draft boards around the web, predicts only a four percent chance that Bennett would be on the clock this late, with an average draft position being around Carolina’s second-round pick.  In a mock draft I participated in on the Niners Nation blog, representing the Dallas Cowboys, I even reached and took Bennett in the first round.

The first round is a stretch, but in the third round, Bennett is a steal.  He’s an athletic interior pass rusher who excels at the three-technique.  He has a quick initial step, allowing him to get early penetration, giving him 18 sacks in his college career.  He’s undersized at only 293 pounds, but he plays larger than that, handling double teams and using his solid arm length and speed to win via positioning.

I have questions about his stamina and durability, but that’s fine on the Panthers’ line, he can rotate in behind Lotulelei and Short when Cole and Edwards leave after this season.  He’s a massive steal here in round three, even if he leaves positions of need empty.

Round 4: Markus Golden, DE, Missouri

John Raoux/Associated Press

Missouri's Markus Golden

The biggest remaining needs for the team after this mock draft are receiver, safety and linebacker, but once you get to the third day of the draft, you’re not going to get starters anyway.  It’s best to get solid value rather than reaching at this point.

As Dave Gettlemen, I’d be crossing my fingers that outside linebacker Kwon Alexander of LSU falls to this spot; he’d be an instant starter on special teams with his above-average speed and athleticism, and would eventually challenge for A.J. Klein’s starting spot.  It seems somewhat unlikely, however, that he’d fall to the fourth round.

Thus, I’m targeting Missouri’s Markus Golden to replace Greg Hardy and backup last year’s second-round pick, Kony Ealy.  He’s a tough edge setter with a high motor, and looked terrific in drills at his pro day.  Golden played second banana on Missouri’s defense, first to Michael Sam and then to Shane Ray, but he still had double-digit sacks.  I think, as part of a top line like Carolina’s, Golden could be one of the sleeper steals of the draft.  If Ealy doesn’t develop in his second season, Golden could become the second exterior pass rusher alongside Charles Johnson.

Round 5: James Sample, S, Louisville

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Louisville's James Sample

The Panthers are still receiverless at this point in the draft, and there’re a number of players who could fall down here.  East Carolina’s Justin Hardy could still be on the clock, as could Maryland’s Stefon Diggs or Stanford’s Ty Montgomery.  Any of them would be a bit of a steal at this point, and would provide an interesting option as a third or fourth receiver in 2015.

However, the Panthers still need a replacement for Roman Harper, and so the best player likely available on the clock when the Panthers pick is Louisville’s James Sample.  Sample is a Bernard Pollard-esque in-the-box safety who excels in both run defense and pass support.  The issue Sample has is a lack of experience, with only one season at Louisville.  He’s raw as raw can be, but he has all the potential in the world.

Sample would not be a starter in 2015, so the Panthers would have to hold on to Harper for one more season.  However, as Sample gains more experience, he’ll be able to couple instincts and coverage skills with his speed and tackling ability.  Hopefully, that will become a long-term answer at the position, which is all you can really ask for out of a fifth-round pick.

Round 5, Compensatory: Kyle Emanuel, OLB, North Dakota State

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

North Dakota State's Kyle Emanuel

The actual pick here is probably the best wide receiver that drops.  Stefon Diggs, Ty Montgomery or Jamison Crowder could fall in this range, and any would be a very logical pick.  Other players who would jump off the board, assuming they fell this far, would include linebacker Davis Tull, tight end Tyler Kroft, quarterback Garrett Grayson or defensive end  Anthony Chickillo.

Limiting the selection to players more likely than not to actually be on the clock, however, I like adding Kyle Emanuel.  He’s from a small school at North Dakota State, so there’s some competition worries, but his tape shows a higher level of skill than your average FCS player.  He dominated at his level, which is exactly what you want to see out of someone playing a rung down on the college level.  He’d contribute on special teams immediately, and his strength and agility project intriguingly to the NFL level.  There’s no guarantee he’d be able to handle the jump to the NFL, but he’s at least worth a long look.

Round 5, Compensatory: Jarvis Harrison, OG, Texas A&M

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Texas A&M's Jarvis Harrison

Again, we’re looking for value here, preferably in the form of one of those receivers mentioned in the previous slides falling through.  With three picks at the back end of the fifth round, I do feel that the Panthers will find some receiver here.  However, with any individual receiver being unlikely to fall to a pick, I’ll have to address other needs in this mock.

Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell came on late last season to have solid years, but there’s no real depth behind them.  Amini Silatolu and Fernando Velasco are penciled in as the reserves right now, and that’s definitely something that can be improved upon.

Harrison will likely fall due to work ethic concerns—he was late for his own pro day, which plays into that narrative.  Three different scouts called him a “knucklehead”, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  As a third-round pick, which is where NFL.com had him, that’s too much of a risk for my liking.

As a fifth-rounder, however, Harrison’s raw athleticism and massive frame is worth gambling on.  He has pro bowl level talent if he can just find it within him to dedicate himself to the game.   He’s not just an athletic phenom either; he’s got very good technique for a college guard, with experience playing tackle for emergencies as well.  He’s a high-risk, high-reward player in the fifth round.

Round 6: Max Garcia, C, Florida

John Raoux/Associated Press

Florida's Max Garcia

When you’re drafting in the last couple rounds, needs are out the window.   It’s just about lottery tickets—finding players who have high ceilings who could develop into something.  You’re not expecting anything out of these players—perhaps not even to make the final roster.  They’re practice squad players you want to kick the tires on and hope they develop into something great.

Max Garcia isn’t really a great athlete.  He’s slow and heavy-legged with inconsistent footwork and stiff legs.  He brings upper-body strength, power and a nasty disposition to the field, and leadership and versatility off of it.  He played both guard and center at Florida, and that’s key to his NFL potential—he’s a player who can back up multiple positions.

He also has shown the ability to handle higher-rated prospects.  At the Senior Bowl, he was matched evenly with high-round picks Danny Shelton and Carl Davis, which is impressive, and he never was a liability in the ultra-competitive SEC.  He’s worth bringing in to see how he develops.

Round 7: Chaz Green, OT, Florida

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Florida's Chaz Green

If you’re going to take one offensive lineman from Florida, you might as well complete the set    Like Garcia, Chaz Green has the possibility to play multiple positions.  Like Garcia, Green has a natural feel for opposing pass rush moves, even if he lacks some of the strength and athleticism to handle them.  He’s dealt with injuries for his entire career, only starting every game this last season.  He’s the sort of player you bring into camp to see what he can do when healthy.

Is this a perfect mock draft?  No, of course not.   Thanks to not reaching for a wide receiver on the first two days, the Panthers are stuck with either Jerricho Cotchery or Ted Ginn as a starting receiver, which isn’t really a winning situation.  Hopefully, one of the middle round receivers will fall to Carolina, or perhaps they can make a move forward and pick one up.

Other than that, however, the Panthers could be pleased with this collection of talent.   They have a blue-chip offensive tackle and plenty of later round potential along the offensive line to keep Newton upright.  They have a second-round caliber running back and a second-round caliber defensive tackle.  They have a potential strong safety of the future and a couple of intriguing pass rushers.  It’s not the most exciting draft in the history of the NFL, but this would be a strong step forward for the 2015 Carolina Panthers.

Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers during the NFL Draft.  Follow him @BryKno on twitter.