The Panthers have about as many roster holes to fill this offseason as any team in the league. There’s a lot of time between now and the start of next season, but generally the best place to start building is the NFL draft.
In our first seven-round mock of the year, we had Carolina pick Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown at No. 7 overall. A lot has changed since then, including the sudden retirement of All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly. With that in mind, we took a different approach to this mock. In addition to attempting to fill the void left behind by Kuechly with the first pick, we chose local prospects whenever it was reasonable to do so.
For the sake of this scenario, we assumed the Panthers will be keeping Cam Newton at least another year, hence no QB pick. Here’s how it played out.
No. 7: Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons
It was difficult picking between Simmons and Brown here. In the end, we went with Simmons because of his versatility. That’s often an oversold trait for college prospects. In Simmons’ case, he’s the real deal. Like Tyrann Mathieu, Simmons (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) can line up at a number of different positions, including safety or in the slot. He also loaded up the stat sheet at Clemson, totaling four interceptions, 11 sacks, six forced fumbles, 20 pass breakups and 28.5 tackles for a loss. That flexibility will make him more valuable than a defensive lineman, even a very good one like Brown.
No. 38: Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore
Even if the Panthers don’t wind up cutting Dontari Poe for cap savings, they still desperately need fresh blood for the interior of their defensive line. Kawann Short will continue to be the anchor. Everyone else’s future is up in the air, though. Drafting Gallimore (6-foot-2, 302 pounds) in the second round would provide some stability. He posted 8.5 sacks, 17 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles in 46 games with the Sooners.
No. 69: LSU TE Thaddeus Moss
Kuechly may not be the only key veteran Carolina has to replace this year. If Greg Olsen decides to retire, the team will also need an infusion at tight end. The son of one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, Thaddeus Moss (6-foot-3, 249 pounds) has an exceptional pedigree and a ton of promise. He also has experience playing for offensive coordinator Joe Brady. He caught 47 passes this past season at LSU, totaling 570 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
No. 103: Charlotte EDGE Alex Highsmith
The Panthers’ edge rotation also needs to be retooled. Mario Addison is starting to show signs of decline at 32 years old and Bruce Irvin (also 32) is set to become a free agent, as well. That means they may need two new starters. Picking a player like Highsmith (6-foot-4, 242 pounds) on Day 2 to pair with Brian Burns is probably a good idea. Over the last two seasons, he totaled 18 sacks and 40 tackles for a loss.
No. 134: South Carolina WR Bryan Edwards
Brady’s offense will call for a lot of spread concepts with four or even five wide receivers on the field at the same time. That means the Panthers need to add more firepower at this spot. Edwards (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) could provide some of the size that the current group is missing. He was a consistent producer during his career at South Carolina, where he caught 234 passes, totaling 3,045 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns, including at least four scores each year.
No. 164: Utah S Julian Blackmon
The Panthers should definitely re-sign free safety Tre Boston to a long-term deal this offseason. They’ll also need to add more depth behind him and Eric Reid, though. Blackmon (6-foot-1, 204 pounds) played some of his college ball with Corrion Ballard, a UDFA signing for Carolina last year. Blackmon showed some strong ball skills in college, intercepting nine passes and breaking up 20 more in 43 games.
South Carolina EDGE D.J. Wonnum
Our last pick rounds out the local theme for this mock. Taking a late-round flyer on Wonnum (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) would add youth and depth to the bottom end of the edge rotation. He should get time to develop behind guys like Marquis Haynes, Christian Miller and Efe Obada as they move their way up the depth chart. Wonnum totaled 14 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss during his time with the Gamecocks.
