Carolina Panthers Draft Picks: Results, Analysis and Grades

Follow along with the Carolina Panthers’ 2015 NFL draft here on Bleacher Report!  You’ve reached the slideshow that will give near-instant quick reactions to all of Carolina’s 2015 selections.  Over the next 72 hours, this slideshow will be updated every time the Panthers make a move.

The Panthers are now done drafting.  They added talent at offensive tackle, running back, wide receiver and outside linebacker, trading up early and often to become the second team to finish its 2015 NFL draft.  They added five players in total.

In other news, the first-round selection of Shaq Thompson does not mean the end of Thomas Davis' tenure with the team anytime soon.  General manager Dave Gettleman insists that the selection of Thompson means that the Panthers will use more three-linebacker sets, despite—or possibly because of—Davis' similarities to Thompson.

Follow along during draft day for more updates!

Round 1, Pick 25: LB/S/RB Shaq Thompson, Washington

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Will Shaq Thompson be Superman for the Panthers?

As the Panthers' first draft pick approached, it seemed clear that offensive tackle was going to be the choice.  When you consider the poor play of Byron Bell and Nate Chandler last season, no need was more pressing for the team entering draft day.  Yes, Carolina had signed Michael Oher in the offseason to handle one of the offensive tackle positions, but he isn’t a panacea or capable of protecting both sides simultaneously.

As late as the 20th pick, that seemed to still be in play.  However, at pick 21, the Cincinnati Bengals grabbed Texas A&M’s Cedric Ogbuehi.  At pick 24, the Arizona Cardinals took Florida’s D.J. Humphries.  That left Pittsburgh’s T.J. Clemmings and Oregon’s Jake Fisher on the clock, but it was disappointing to miss out on Humphries by just one selection.  The Panthers could have grabbed either player, but they would have been more of a reach.

Receiver also seemed like a possibility—UCF’s Breshad Perriman was tumbling, and the quintet of Philip Dorsett, Devin Smith, Jaelen Strong, Dorial Green-Beckham and Devin Funchess were all on the board as well.

Instead, the Panthers went with Shaq Thompson from Washington.  While he was an outside linebacker in college, it’s likely the Panthers will shift him to safety.  He did have some experience playing safety at Washington, as well as defensive end and even running back.  The plan, presumably, is to have him replace Roman Harper right away.  If that doesn’t work out, he could step ahead of A.J. Klein as an outside linebacker.

As a second-day pick, Thompson would have been a fine selection.  As a first-rounder, however, he’s a reach—the Panthers could probably have traded down into the mid-30s and still had the chance to take him.  He has some safety attributes, but his ability to play the position full-time in the NFL is a projection at best.  He’s an outside linebacker in the NFL, so you’re not replacing Harper—you’re adding depth to an already strong position.

No, I don’t like the pick.  It’s a reach on talent and doesn’t fill any of the Panthers' four biggest needs.

That’s not to say I don’t like Thompson as a player—I like players who can do a little bit of everything, and he has potential at a number of different spots.  But he’s a notable reach at this point, and the selection leaves the offense floundering.

Grade: D

Round 2, Pick 41: WR/TE Devin Funchess, Michigan

Carolina’s offense is now Jump Ball City with the selection of Michigan receiver/tight end Devin Funchess in the second round.

To grab him, the Panthers gave their second-round pick (57th overall), their third-round pick (89th overall) and their sixth-round pick (201st overall) to the Rams to jump up a whopping 16 selections in the second round.  That’s a heck of a move up—and one that’s unprecedented in recent Panthers draft history.

I’m not a huge fan of the trade.  It’s almost exactly the correct value, according to the classic Jimmy Johnson draft chart (as sourced here from WalterFootball, but available most anywhere), but more modern metrics (such as Approximate Value, which can be calculated here on Advanced Football Analytics) indicate that the Panthers are on the losing end of this deal, just in terms of value given.  In addition, there’s a good chance Funchess would have been available when they were picking originally, at 57th overall.  Even if he were gone, receivers like Jaelen Strong or Tyler Lockett might have been available.

However, as a player, I like Funchess better than first-round pick Shaq Thompson.  When you have a quarterback like Cam Newton, who throws the ball a little higher than you’d like, a 6’4” body to tower over opponents is a very, very good thing to add.  Funchess is an instant matchup problem in the red zone and on vertical routes.  Is he a tight end?  Is he a receiver?  He’s an offensive weapon and should help Newton tremendously.

Is he the pick I would have made here?  No, not quite—with the need at offensive tackle, T.J. Clemmings or Jake Fisher might have made more sense.  I also like Strong better than Funchess as a receiver.  Who is going to protect Newton? Who gives him time to make the throws to Benjamin or Funchess?  These are pressing issues that still need to be addressed.

However, the pick is totally logical.  No matter where they stick him, Funchess should produce.  He’s not as good as Jimmy Graham, whom NFL Network compared him to, but he has a chance to be a starter from Day 1—or at least a regular offensive contributor.  It’s a very solid pick.

Grade: B

Round 4, Pick 101: OT Daryl Williams, Oklahoma

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

When the Panthers traded up in the second round, I thought it would be for an offensive tackle.  It turns out I was just one day too early.

The Panthers sent their fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks to Oakland to move up to the 102nd selection and take Daryl Williams, the offensive tackle from Oklahoma.

There’s good news and bad news about this pick, and the analysis is, in many ways, the same as it was for the Devin Funchess trade in Round 2.  I feel the Panthers traded up for a player who might well have been available at their own pick.  The Panthers might have an early tee time today, as they no longer have any picks after the fifth round.

However, that’s a minor consideration, because I really like Williams.  He was my third-rated offensive tackle still on the board, but he was my highest rated without issues.  La’el Collins obviously has legal concerns that are making him toxic at the moment, while T.J. Clemmings’ stress fracture is likely causing teams to have concerns about his long-term health, as NFL.com's Mike Huguenin noted.

Williams doesn’t have any of these issues.  He’s not the most athletic tackle in the world, but he has ideal size at 6’5” and 327 pounds, with huge 35-inch arms.  He’s in the mix for right tackle right now and could move inside to guard if he doesn’t succeed in that role.  That’s a borderline starter and valuable backup at multiple positions in the fourth round, which is very solid.

No player at a position of need would have been better than Williams, assuming you take Collins and Clemmings off the board.  There was value for players who were slipping such as Grady Jarrett or Mike Bennett, but considering how pressing the tackle need was, this was a very good pick.

Grade: B+

Round 5, Pick 169: LB David Mayo, Texas State

Andres Leighton/Associated Press

For once, the Carolina Panthers stay put and take a pick when they were scheduled to pick!  The fact that compensatory picks are unable to be traded probably had something to do with that.

With their first compensatory selection, the Panthers took Texas State linebacker David Mayo.  Mayo is an inside linebacker who was not expected to be drafted, making his selection something of a surprise.  CBSSports.com had him listed as a UDFA, while NFL.com has no information on the player, as he was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.  He didn’t even have a Rotoworld page until he was selected.

He certainly was a leader on the field at Texas State, but he’s a mediocre athlete with poor instincts and was generally considered undraftable.  He lost parts of the last two seasons due to knee injuries—a meniscus tear and an MCL injury in back-to-back seasons.

What he does bring is a lot of effort and a never-ending motor.  According to John Whisler of the San Antonio Express-News, his defensive coordinator, John Thompson, said, “His greatest asset is his motor.  He plays the game like you want it to be played in that he thinks if he doesn’t make the tackle it’s not going to be made.”

Considering the Panthers had no sixth- or seventh-round picks after this selection, you could treat this as a selection to make sure no one else brought Mayo in as a UDFA before they could.  That’s the price of spending those late picks to move up in trades.  There were better players available in the fifth round.

Grade: D

Round 5, Pick 174: Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Auburn

Butch Dill/Associated Press

The Panthers draft ends with the selection of Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne.

I’m a big fan of Artis-Payne as a third-day pick.  He’s a patient runner who lets his blocks develop before turning it upfield.  He’s short and stocky, at 5’10” and 212 pounds, and is willing to pound the ball between the tackles.

He’s fast enough for your needs, running a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and he’s still developing his game.  Artis-Payne only came to Auburn two seasons ago, spending time in junior college.  He broke onto the scene this season, rushing for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns, with an average of 5.3 yards per carry.  He led the SEC in rushing yards and rushing attempts.

He sometimes has a habit of stalling out in the backfield waiting for holes to open and doesn’t have much elusiveness, but he’ll soak up carries and return you solid production.  He’s not going to bump Jonathan Stewart off the top of the depth chart anytime soon, but he’ll compete with Fozzy Whittaker for snaps right off the bat.  He could be a good change-of-pace back.

He was also the best player available at Carolina's position of greatest remaining need, so that’s very good value.  There were better players available, but none who filled quite as big of a need.  You could have made an argument for safeties Anthony Harris or Derron Smith, but Artis-Payne is a really solid selection.

Grade: B+

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