The Carolina Panthers entered the 2020 NFL draft in need of help on defense. General manager Marty Hurney said it would be a focus, head coach Matt Rhule noted that it was an area that they needed to add depth to.
But to the extent that they did? It would have made for a pretty unbelievable mock draft. The Panthers used all seven of their draft picks on defensive players, the first team in the common-draft era to have at least seven picks in a single draft and use all of them on defense.
The "process" that Rhule has talked so much about it is finally being put in place. It wasn't a secret that they needed help on defense or that it would be addressed. They lost six defensive starters in free agency and only lightly addressed that side of the ball in free agency, bringing in defensive end Stephen Weatherly, safety Juston Burris and re-signing safety Tre Boston.
What was unexpected was the extent to which Carolina committed itself to addressing the defensive side of the ball. Carolina took no time to begin rebuilding almost every part of the defense for the long-term
"We knew it was going to be defense-heavy, but we didn't go in with that. I think there were a few times where we had an offensive guy, as the next guy up and (when) we got within three or four picks that offensive player went away, so we went back to the defensive player," Rhule said. "We thought maybe we'd would draft one or two defensive players, but knowing that we really, truly thought we addressed the offense in free agency and defensively just knew we needed to do something similar to this."
In fact, an all-defense draft was so much not the plan that Hurney noted multiple times offensive players they were planning to take, specifically an offensive lineman and tight end, were selected immediately before the Panthers took their pick.
"There were a couple picks that, if they would have felt a little differently, we would have taken an offensive player, but we basically did stick to the board and the groupings and it just happened that it was all seven defense," Hurney said. "We knew coming in that we wanted to help bolster our defense, we knew that, but we didn't come in planning that all seven picks were going to be defense. It just fell that way."
Hurney said Thursday he felt building a defense starts from the front. Enter Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown (first round), Penn State edge Yetur Gross-Matos (second) and Baylor defensive tackle Bravvion Roy (sixth). They also needed to address the secondary. Check, check, check and check. Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn (second), Notre Dame cornerback Troy Pride Jr. (fourth), West Virginia and XFL safety Kenny Robinson (fifth) and FIU cornerback Stan Thomas-Oliver (seventh) filled those holes.
This was Rhule's first draft and his vision for the offense became clear in free agency, fitting it to coordinator Joe Brady's liking, including bringing in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who played with him in New Orleans. But during the draft, the focus entirely shifted, not intentionally, to the defense. And the similarities that the players selected exhibited were not limited to the side of the ball they play on _ many of them "positionless" players, as Rhule likes to say.
"Lots of guys are good players. I mean they're all good players if they are at this process, and lots of guys might fit, but who (do) you have a vision for for how you are going to use them," Rhule said after Day 2 of the draft. "I think when you look at a player like the ones we took and you say, 'Hey, we can use them in multiple ways,' it excites you."
Gross-Matos can line up on the edge or as a 3-technique, Robinson can play in the box as a strong safety, single-high and nickel and the Panthers see Chinn at safety, nickel and Sam linebacker. Brown, who Carolina took with their first pick, can be a 3-technique, nose tackle or 5-technique. On the field, the Panthers are setting up their 4-3 base defense to be one in which many players can be used in many ways. Roy and Pride Jr. are the only two that are likely to stick more towards a traditional position.
In addition to versatility, these draft picks will be developed for the long-term success of the team, not a bandage. Multiple times it was mentioned that various players were taken because of their speed and size, and that the coaching staff feels the rest can be taught. Things that the coaching staff can't pass on, like those physical traits, were also a priority.
"I think we got a bunch of guys that are really committed to football and love the game. Some people love being a football player, some people love playing football," Rhule said. "When I watch these guys play, when I met with these guys, when you see them overcoming the obstacles that coronavirus has brought to this process. You say, 'hey, these guys love football they're committed to it.'"
Versatility is one key factor in how the Panthers are building this team. Players that have potential to continue to develop is clearly another. The less tangible quality Carolina is building its team with is athletes who have a desire to succeed.
When asked how he felt about dropping to the fourth round, Pride Jr. said it is something that he will use to fuel him.
"Just the potential that I have in the way that I'll work is going to set me up for success. And the Carolina Panthers will see this. And, you know, everyone else would just have to watch from afar," Pride Jr. said. "I'm not mad at anybody, I'm not bitter about anything, but I know how I'll work, I know what I do. And I know that you know what I'm capable of. And I'm gonna get to it."
Chinn said he has a chip on his shoulder from being a zero-star recruit in high school without offers from NCAA FBS programs. Gross-Matos has gone through great tragedy, with his father having died in a boating accident while trying to save him from drowning when he was two-years old. Several years later, Gross-Matos' brother, Chelal, died after being struck by lightning on a baseball field.
"I take those things and they have put the rest of my life into perspective. It's just about taking advantage of another opportunity, every second of every day," Gross-Matos said. "Give your best and love the people around you. Me and my family are a very close group. That's how it's affected me on and off the field."
Thomas-Oliver switched from wide receiver to cornerback after his sophomore year of college when a coach saw him messing around during a practice. He rode his new position all the way to the NFL, where he hopes to have any type of opportunity to find his spot on the roster.
"I just want to find a role. That's pretty much what I want to do. Find a role and grow into it," Thomas-Oliver said. "I know the first thing I would like to do is impact special teams. That would be the first thing (I want to do is) just to make sure I put in special team's work."
There's not one way to build a football team. Instead of meeting with prospects in person, conversations were almost entirely over phone and video chats, something Rhule points to as a way to get to know these players better than they otherwise could have.
The "process" made history _ and it's just beginning.
