The Panthers have lost a lot of depth at several defensive positions this offseason. Last season, Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin were starting on the edges of the defensive line. Both have since left in free agency, signing with the Bills and the Seahawks, respectively.
Heading into the 2020 NFL draft, Carolina will need to reload at this position and find another starter to pair opposite Brian Burns. The team is doing their homework on EDGE prospects.
According to Justin Melo at Draft Wire, the team recently held a FaceTime meeting with Florida outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who has also spoken with the Giants, Jets, Titans and Falcons.
Greenard (6-foot-4, 263 pounds) spent the first three years of his college career at Louisville, then transferred to Florida for 2019. He had a breakout season for the Gators, totaling 10 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
Greenard is nowhere near as explosive as Burns, but he has grit and a good frame for his position. He is projected to be an early Day 3 pick.
According to Melo, the Panthers also held a Facetime meeting with Michigan State EDGE prospect Kenny Willekes. He’s also gotten interest from the Eagles, Browns and Ravens.
Willekes (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) posted very similar numbers to Greenard’s last year with 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss, but he has more experience and has been producing since his sophomore season.
For what it’s worth, we like the fit and picked Willekes for Carolina in the fourth round (No. 113 overall) of our most recent 2020 mock draft.
