On Monday, we asked readers to vote on who they want the Panthers to select with the No. 7 overall pick in next week’s draft. Well, the results are in and the people have made a clear choice: they want Carolina to take Clemson “linebacker” Isaiah Simmons in the first round.
With over 1,000 votes counted so far, over 52% said Simmons was their top choice. The next most popular prospect was Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown at 13.57%, followed by Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah at about 11.93%. Trading down was also a popular option, with around 11% choosing that. Here’s how it broke down:
It’s a good choice. Simmons is the top linebacker prospect in this year’s draft class, which makes him an excellent potential replacement for Luke Kuechly. However, he can do a whole lot more than that.
In college, Simmons lined up at practically every position except DT. His ridiculous athletic scoring makes pro comparisons absurd by definition, but the closest thing may be former Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor. During Seattle’s peak run, Chancellor wore a lot of hats for a defense that will go down as the best of this era. If the Panthers can get a similar versatile kind of playmaker in Simmons, the pick would be a home run.
