Carolina Panthers will target 5-6 prospects at No. 16. Who could they be?
Last week in Phoenix, Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said that when evaluating targets for the No. 16 pick in this year’s NFL draft, the team will likely have five or six prospects in mind to allow flexibility at the pick point.
“Last year, we were at No. 24 and we went in with five or six guys who we thought had a chance to (be around). That number probably won’t change much,” Hurney said. “... But shoot, you might get surprised and somebody that you (rated much higher) could still be there.”
As April 25, the first night of the draft, inches closer, the Panthers are honing in on those prospects.
Who might they be?
Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State
Burns would be a good fit in Carolina because of his speed, combined with his versatility. He ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds at the NFL scouting combine last month, and his ability to play both outside linebacker and defensive end feels like a match for the Panthers as they become more multiple on defense in 2019, blending three- and four-man fronts and mixing up rush packages.
Burns wouldn’t have to come off the field should the team switch fronts from play to play. He’s also solid against the run and has been making jaws drop as his Florida State and pro day clips circulate on social media, in which his special flexibility when bending around tackles or tackling dummies is on display.
Finally, his fit in Carolina runs in the family. Burns’ brother, Stanley McClover, was drafted by the Panthers in the seventh round in 2006. Burns told Charlotte radio station WNFZ that he owns two Panthers jerseys: his brother’s, and future hall of fame defensive end Julius Peppers’.
Hurney was at Florida State’s pro day late last month to see Burns, a source told the Observer. Burns also has reportedly spent time with a few other Panthers assistant coaches.
Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
Ferrell is also a strong off-the-field fit for the Panthers because of his upbringing. He said at the combine that he was raised in a large family by parents who both served in the military — a similar background to Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. Like Rivera, Ferrell said discipline and leadership have always been important qualities to him.
At 6-4 and 264 pounds, Ferrell seems NFL-ready despite the fact that he left school after his redshirt junior season (and two national championships). He is explosive and has a knack for making plays on the ball, a trait the Panthers needed badly last season. In 2018, Ferrell, who won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end, had 19.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
At his pro day last month, which Hurney attended, Ferrell said he had a visit lined up with the Panthers.
Andre Dillard, LT, Washington State
The Panthers have a huge question mark at left tackle after designating former starter Matt Kalil as a post-June 1 cut last month.
As the team continues to evaluate Dillard — a contingent of assistant coaches and Hurney attended his pro day on Wednesday — the Panthers must decide whether he can immediately fill in either at left tackle, or swing to the right if a more experienced player already on the roster moves to the left side.
When the Panthers signed Kalil in free agency in 2017, they lauded his athleticism and excellent footwork. But Kalil failed to demonstrate consistency and was injured during the bulk of his time with the Panthers. Dillard also shows stellar athleticism and footwork, plus experience as a four-year starter in a pass-heavy offense without the injury history. If the Panthers draft Dillard at No. 16, it would be because they feel he could start immediately and be an improvement not just over Kalil, and a more natural option than either of the right tackles on the roster right now (who, as it currently stands, would have to swing to the left in 2019).
Rivera has shown a pattern of hesitancy to start — or even play — rookie offensive linemen. But Dillard has accumulated enough pass-protection snaps in Mike Leach’s air-raid offense to perhaps convince him otherwise.
Cody Ford, T/G, Oklahoma
Because the draft is front-loaded with solid offensive and defensive linemen, Hurney and the Panthers are preparing for a run on either position in the early picks of the draft.
If a run — meaning several players at the same position are picked in a row as teams scramble to snag the best players — occurs on the defensive side, more offensive linemen who might not otherwise be available could then fall to Carolina, and that includes Ford.
Ford (6-4, 329 pounds), declared for the NFL draft after his redshirt junior season, during which he was a starting member of the best offensive line in the country and winners of the Joe Moore Award.
He played tackle and guard in college, showing the type of “position flexibility” the Panthers’ staff looks for in offensive line prospects.
Ford could immediately contribute on the interior, and he could also be a really good NFL tackle with some coaching and development.
Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
Sweat is player who could also surprise the Panthers by being available at No. 16 if there is a run on offensive players, because recent projections have him coming off the board much higher.
Teams seem attracted to Sweat’s size and speed combination — he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the combine at 6-6 and 260 pounds — and after his excellent testing, he even catapulted into many analysts’ top 10.
But other teams might hesitate, thinking he might be a little raw in some areas and because of a recently-reported heart condition (it did not prevent Sweat from working out at the combine).
Still, like Burns and Ferrell, Sweat’s versatility in 4-3 and 3-4 packages make him an appealing fit for the Panthers. Perhaps the biggest deciding factor will be whether Sweat can match his speed to his production and do it from multiple angles, as quarterbacks around the league get the ball out of their hands faster than ever.
Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame
Tillery is a bit of a wild card here, because he’s been projected all over the place by analysts in the last several weeks.
But everyone can agree on his physical gifts, knack for the game and versatility.
He seems like a good fit for the Panthers on the field, as they transition to a more multiple defense. Tillery, who is 6-5 and 310 pounds, won’t be just a 3-4 defensive end or 4-3 defensive tackle in the NFL — he could be both. The Panthers struggled to get consistent pressure up the middle in 2018, and bringing in a player who wouldn’t have to come off the field when different fronts are called might be an advantage.
The Panthers also like players in their locker room with unique interests, and Tillery fits in that regard.
Tillery was an economics major who used to read the Nasdaq report before practices, according to the Indianapolis Star, and subscribes to The Economist and The New Yorker magazines.
Sounds like a player first-year Panthers owner David Tepper, a hedge-fund manager and self-described “numbers guy” wouldn’t mind having in his locker room.
This story was originally published April 3, 2019 at 5:39 PM.
