A guide to everything you need to know for the Carolina Panthers in the 2020 NFL draft
After months of preparation for the 2020 NFL draft, it finally arrived. It’s time to see what the Panthers’ first draft class for new coach coach Matt Rhule will look like.
They’ve already added to their original seven picks for the year, acquiring Washington’s fifth-round selection, and could continue to add more as the draft goes on. The team will be drafting remotely with everyone in different locations due to restrictions related to COVID-19. Picks can be submitted to league officials online or over the phone.
To help prepare you for the next three days of selections, we’ve put together our guide to the draft for the Panthers. From needs to the names to keep an eye on, we’ve put it all together in one place.
Draft needs
DL/EDGE. The Panthers lost their sack leaders, Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin, to free agency, in addition to Gerald McCoy and Vernon Butler. Carolina has a lot of holes to fill up front.
CB. This is pretty simple. There is no replacement for James Bradberry. Donte Jackson the only starting cornerback on the roster. This needs to be addressed early.
LB. This isn’t as much of an immediate need with the Panthers signing Tahir Whitehead in free agency, but he’s not a long-term solution to replace Luke Kuechly.
OG. Both of Carolina’s starting guards in 2019 will play elsewhere in 2020 with Trai Turner traded to the Chargers and Greg Van Roten signing with the Jets. The position was somewhat addressed by signing former Bengals guard John Miller, but they could use a more long-term answer at guard and need to add depth across the offensive line.
S. This isn’t as big of a need with the Panthers re-signing Tre Boston this offseason and adding Juston Burris, but they are the only two players that are strictly listed as safety on the roster. Adding depth here during the draft would be a logical move.
Where the Panthers pick in this year’s draft
First round: No. 7 pick (seventh overall)
Second round: No. 6 (38th)
Third round: No. 5 (69th)
Fourth round: No. 7 (113th)
Fifth round: No. 2 (148th) – from Washington
Fifth round: No. 6 (152nd)
Sixth round: No. 5 (184th)
Seventh round: No. 7 (221)
Pre-draft reading guide
I asked 8 former Panthers who they’d draft No. 7 overall. Here’s what they said.
The bottom line on the Panthers’ 2019 draft class and what Carolina can learn from it
Panthers mock draft 3.0: Projecting best-case and outside-the-box picks for all 7 rounds
Panthers Tracks: Outside-the-box options for Carolina with the No. 7 pick in NFL draft
Evaluating the dire state of the Panthers’ defense and who can help in the NFL draft
Panthers QB Justin Herbert? Here’s who NFL draft experts say Carolina will pick seventh
Panthers draft board
Here are some names to keep an eye on over the first two days of the NFL draft for the Panthers. Some fill position needs, some have connections to Carolina’s coaching staff and others would only be possible if Carolina chooses to trade back in the first round from the seventh overall pick. But all of their landing spots will be worth watching.
- Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
- Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson
- Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
- Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
- Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
- CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
- CJ Henderson, CB, Florida
- A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
- Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
- Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
- Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
- Julian Okwara, DE, Notre Dame
- Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
- James Lynch, EDGE, Baylor
- Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming
- Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
- Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
- Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
- Matt Hennessy, OL, Temple
NFC South’s free agency in review
Panthers lost: QB Cam Newton, QB Kyle Allen, CB James Bradberry, G Trai Turner, TE Greg Olsen, G Greg Van Roten, OL Daryl Williams, DT Dontari Poe, DE Mario Addison, DE Vernon Butler, S Eric Reid.
Panthers signed: QB Teddy Bridgewater, WR Robby Anderson, S Tre Boston, WR Pharoh Cooper, LT Russell Okung, WR Seth Roberts, WR Keith Kirkwood, QB P.J. Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead, G John Miller, DE Stephen Weatherly.
The Panthers had a very busy free agency period. From changing starting quarterback to losing veterans on both lines, Carolina has a lot of rebuilding to take care of in the draft. They did bring in significant depth at wide receiver and helped fortify the offense, but there are still a lot of holes left by defensive starters to be filled.
Buccaneers notable additions and departures:
Lost: QB Jameis Winston, RB Peyton Barber, DE Carl Nassib
Signed: QB Tom Brady, TE Rob Gronkowski
Saints notable additions and departures:
Lost: QB Teddy Bridgewater, LB A.J. Klein, S Vonn Bell
Signed: WR Emmanuel Sanders, S Malcom Jenkins
Falcons notable additions and departures:
Lost: RB Devonta Freeman, TE Austin Hooper, DE Adrian Clayborn, LB Vic Beasley, CB Desmond Trufant
Signed: EDGE Dante Fowler, RB Todd Gurley, TE Hayden Hurst
Panthers’ 2019 draft class
First round: DE Brian Burns
Burns started his rookie season with 4.5 sacks and a fumble return for a touchdown in the first six games, but his playing time decreased over the second half of the year, partly due to an injury. He should have a big role moving forward.
Second round: LT Greg Little
Little played in just four games in 2019 due to two concussions and an ankle injury. Carolina traded for Okung this offseason to bring a veteran presence to the position and help Little develop. He could still develop as the left tackle of the future and/or add increased position versatility.
Third round: QB Will Grier
The quarterback from West Virginia served as Allen’s backup for most of the season, but started the final two games of the year. In those starts, Grier completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 228 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions before leaving the final game of the year early with an injury.
Fourth round: LB Christian Miller
Miller didn’t see many snaps on defense in 2019, playing in only seven games, partly due to injuring his ankle in Week 5. Giving Miller more opportunities at the end of the season would have helped the new coaching staff get a better sense of what to expect from him, especially with the reduced offseason programs.
Fifth round: RB Jordan Scarlett
Scarlett didn’t play much of a role in 2019 with Reggie Bonnafon taking on the role of Christian McCafrey’s backup. But he did participate on special teams during the middle of the season.
Sixth round: OL Dennis Daley
The Panthers drafted Daley in the sixth round and he ended up starting six more games than Little, who they moved up to draft in the second round. He had some positive moments as the offensive dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season. As things stand now, Daley will likely be a starting guard in 2020 and have the opportunity to develop at one position.
Seventh round: WR Terry Godwin
Did not make regular-season roster.
Panthers depth chart if season began today
Offense
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Will Grier
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Reggie Bonnafon, Mike Davis, Scarlett
WR: DJ Moore, Anderson, Curtis Samuel, Kirkwood
TE: Ian Thomas, Chris Manhertz, Seth DeValve
LT: Okung, Little
LG: Dennis Daley, Tyler Larsen
C: Matt Paradis, Larsen, Chris Reed
RG: Miller, Larsen
RT: Taylor Moton
LDE: Stephen Weatherly, Efe Obada, Chris Smith
DT: Kawann Short, Woodrow Hamilton, Zach Kerr
RDE: Brian Burns, Marquis Haynes, Christian Miller, Smith
OLB: Shaq Thompson, Jordan Kunaszyk, Jermaine Carter
MLB: Tahir Whitehead, Andre Smith
CB: Donte Jackson, Corn Elder, Dominique Hatfield, Cole Luke
FS: Boston, TJ Green
SS: Burris
How to watch/listen to the draft
The NFL Draft will be broadcast across ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. ESPN and NFL Network will combine to offer one showing across both networks, while ABC will present its own prime-time telecasts for rounds 1-3, in addition to simulcasting the ESPN and NFL Network telecast of rounds 4-7. Round 1 will start Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, Rounds 2-3 will begin Friday at 7 p.m. ET and the final rounds of the draft start Saturday. at noon ET
The Charlotte Observer will also be offering a live four-hour broadcast on its Facebook page and Charlotte.com on Thursday beginning at 7:45 p.m.
Radio coverage of the 2020 NFL Draft will be provided by SiriusXM, Westwood One, and ESPN Radio. Digital audio coverage of the 2020 NFL Draft will be available via the TuneIn app.
If you’re looking for somewhere to watch the draft with friends, the Observer is also hosting a watch part on Zoom beginning at 8 p.m. If interested, visit tinyurl.com/panthers-draft and enter the password “CLTnotCHA” when prompted.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
