Panthers 7-round mock draft: A trade, 2 edge rushers and 2 weapons for rookie QB

May 07, 2024

You might not know it based on the pre-draft media coverage, but the Panthers have other positional needs besides quarterback.

Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have dominated the headlines since the Panthers traded up for the top overall pick on March 10, but general manager Scott Fitterer has other areas he’d like to address over the 258 picks that will follow No. 1.

“I think you always need a pass rusher. We could beef up the offensive line. We’ve done a lot of things at receiver, but you can always add a receiver. Linebacker,” Fitterer said last week. “No team’s ever complete, and you can always add whoever.”

Fitterer reiterated that his philosophy is to try to check enough boxes in free agency that he can use a best-player approach during the NFL Draft. Still, if there are two similarly ranked players on the Panthers’ board when they’re on the clock, the position of need gets priority.

Dane Brugler’s The Beast, the complete 2023 NFL Draft Guide, is now available.

“Going into it we’re aware of where our weaknesses are and we’d like to address that,” Fitterer said. “But we’re not going to force it.”

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In The Athletic’s final, seven-round mock, we tried to stick to that approach while giving the rookie quarterback a couple of additional weapons and giving Fitterer an additional pick with a Day 2 trade.

Round 1, pick No. 1 (from Chicago)

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

I still had Stroud at the top of my March 31 mock, with the caveat that I might have Young jump ahead of him before the draft. That day has come. Questions about Young’s size will follow him throughout his NFL career. Fitterer said last week that the Panthers believe Young can add weight through a strength and nutritional plan, pointing to Russell Wilson as a small quarterback who added 15 pounds over the years. But Wilson has a thicker frame than Young, who one NFL talent evaluator said is built like a nickelback. The scout doubts whether the 5-foot-10 Young will be able to bulk up much, but — with his field vision and ability to distribute the ball — views him as the best quarterback in the draft. Young scored in the 98th percentile on the S2 Cognition test, which could be what sealed the deal for Panthers owner David Tepper. The last time the Panthers had the No. 1 pick, they used it on a 6-5, 248-pound quarterback from Auburn. Young’s playing weight figures to be about 50 pounds lighter than Cam Newton’s. But the Panthers are seemingly convinced Young can make a huge impact.

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Round 2, pick No. 39

B.J. Ojulari, edge, LSU

The most glaring need for the Panthers is the one Fitterer mentioned first in the above quote from his pre-draft press conference. I’ve been asked a lot whether the Panthers would trade down from 39 to pick up an extra pick. But Fitterer believes there’s a lot of talent between the 20th and 45th selections, so I think he’ll stay here and take an edge rusher to complement Brian Burns. Ojulari racked up 16 1/2 sacks and 25 tackles for loss over three seasons, showing off his explosiveness early in his career with a three-sack game against South Carolina, an LSU freshman record. Ojulari comes from a family of edge rushers: His brother Azeez has 13 1/2 sacks in two seasons since the Giants took him in the second round in 2021.

Projected trade: Panthers deal the 93rd pick (from San Francisco) to Kansas City for the Chiefs’ third-round (No. 95) and fifth-round (No. 166) selections.

Round 3, pick No. 95 (from Kansas City)

Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss

I drafted Mingo to the Panthers in the fourth round (at 114) in my March 31 mock, but I’m not sure the 6-2, 220-pounder makes it to Day 3. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has the Panthers taking Michigan State wideout Jayden Reed at No. 93 in his latest mock. So while we might disagree on the player, we’re on the same page as far as the thinking that — as Fitterer suggested — the Panthers need another receiver despite the additions of Adam Thielen and DJ Chark in free agency. Mingo was reportedly among the Panthers’ top-30 visits after a 2022 season that saw him break Elijah Moore’s single-game receiving record with a 247-yard day against Vanderbilt. Mingo and Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt were the only two SEC players to catch 50-plus passes and average at least 16.5 yards per reception last year.

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Round 4, pick No. 114

Chandler Zavala, G, N.C. State

Zavala has to be near the top of the list of players itching to move on to the NFL. The 24-year-old spent six years in college — four at Fairmont State, a Division II school in West Virginia, and then two with the Wolfpack after the Division II season was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. With starting guards Austin Corbett (ACL) and Brady Christensen (ankle) still both recovering from major injuries, the Panthers could use another interior lineman, and the last one they took from N.C. State worked out pretty well. Like Ikem Ekwonu, the 6-3, 316-pound Zavala is a big, physical mauler whose father is a celebrity chef. One concern: the back surgery that caused him to miss the second half of the 2021 season.

Round 4, pick No. 132 (from San Francisco)

Terell Smith, CB, Minnesota

Fitterer didn’t mention cornerback among the Panthers’ needs. But like at the guard spot, both starting corners are coming off injuries so reinforcements are probably a good call. The Panthers have typically favored bigger corners, owing to Fitterer and Dan Morgan’s time in Seattle. Smith has a tempting blend of size (6-0, 205) and speed (4.41-second 40 at the combine). Plus, he’s not afraid to line up and play physical, press-man coverage — something else the Panthers value (see: Horn, Jaycee). Like a lot of the prospects whose college careers coincided with the pandemic, Smith is older. He’ll turn 24 in July.

Terell Smith (Matt Krohn / USA Today)

Round 5, pick No. 145

Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama

I’m a tight-end guy. And this is a great year for the position. I’ve mocked Luke Musgrave (in the second round) and Sam LaPorta (in the third) to the Panthers in previous exercises. But given that Hayden Hurst gave the Panthers five tight ends on the roster, that was admittedly too soon. In fact, Fitterer and Frank Reich might decide not to take a tight end at all. But bringing in Young’s college tight end would give the young quarterback a trusted target who caught 56 passes for 787 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons with Young. Latu’s eight touchdown receptions in 2021 were the most by an Alabama tight end in school history. Something else to consider: Latu matched Young on the S2 test by scoring in the 98th percentile, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

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Round 5, pick No. 166

DJ Johnson, edge, Oregon

Remember what Fitterer said about best player available? Meet Johnson, who made Bruce Feldman’s “freaks” list after playing both ways (plus special teams) for the Ducks in 2021. As Brugler noted, Johnson had a first-down catch (as a tight end) and the game-ending sack against Ohio State early in the ’21 season. He had 28 reps on the pro bench press (225 pounds) and a max of 455, can sumo deadlift 655 pounds and ran a 4.49 40 at 6-4 and 260 pounds. And yes, the Panthers already grabbed an edge rusher earlier in this mock and Johnson is a bit unrefined and will turn 25 midway through his rookie year. Don’t care. He’s long and explosive and the cherry on top of this killer mock.

(Top photo of Bryce Young: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

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