Isaiah Simmons light? Panthers trade up to get Jeremy Chinn in the second round
The Carolina Panthers didn’t select Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday. But Carolina made a trade Friday night to get a guy with a similar skill set.
Carolina traded its third round pick, at No. 69, as well as the 148th overall pick to Seattle to move up to the final pick of the second round. The Panthers selected Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn with that pick, at No. 64.
Why the gamble?
Chinn, 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds, has often drawn comparisons to Simmons during the run-up to the draft. Simmons, 6-4 and 238, ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Chinn ran a 4.45 at the Senior Bowl, where he posted a 41-inch vertical leap.
Both players are considered “hybrids” who can play multiple positions. Chinn made 36 starts in college. He was a consensus FCS All-American who had 243 career tackles, 13 interceptions and six forced fumbles.
Some NFL scouts began to think he could be an early round draft pick after some strong performances late in the season, including a 15-tackle game against Western Illinois and a 12-tackle game against North Dakota State, both in November. Later in the Senior Bowl, Chinn impressed at safety and at cornerback.
Chinn is a three-time All-Academic selection and a nephew of NFL Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater of the Broncos.
The Panthers have needs at cornerback, after losing starter James Bradbury, but Chinn would appear to be more of a fit as a safety, a nickelback and maybe as someone who could get some light duty as a linebacker. His speed will allow him to cover tight ends in the middle of the field and his size and tackling ability could make him formidable rushing the passer or playing near the line of scrimmage.
Panthers GM Marty Hurney was asked about not taking a corner. He said the Panthers “really did take the guy that was highest on the board.” Head coach Matt Rhule said he planned to use Chinn at safety with opportunities to play nickel and linebacker, thinking he can cover tight ends and running backs.
Bottom line, Hurney said he didn’t think Chinn would’ve been on the board if the Panthers had remained at No. 69.
“He needs to just see things a little better,” an AFC defensive backs coach told ESPN about Chinn, “but there’s a lot to work with there. [He can] be that big nickel guy, cover, work against tight ends — those type of things.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 10:14 PM.
