The final day of the 2021 NFL draft has arrived and the Carolina Panthers have some major work to do. Courtesy of four trades Friday, the Panthers have five picks in the last four rounds of the draft.
Thus far, the Panthers have selected South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn, LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., BYU offensive tackle Brady Christensen and Notre Dame tight end Tommy Tremble.
A significant amount of help is still needed. Among the positions the Panthers should look to address are interior offensive line, running back, safety, defensive tackle and linebacker. The Observer will keep you updated with everything you need to know about the team’s final draft picks, right here.
To start the day, the Panthers traded back, acquiring two additional picks from the Tennessee Titans.
Image Taken at the Oklahoma State Cowboys vs West Virginia Mountaineers Football Game, Saturday, September 26, 2020, Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK. Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics Bruce Waterfield
Round 4, No. 126 overall (via trade with Titans): RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State
The Panthers added a running back that will complement Christian McCaffrey with the first pick of Day 3. Chuba (CHOO-buh) Hubbard is from Edmonton originally and is coming off an ankle injury suffered late during the 2020 season. He had a variety of injuries, also undergoing groin surgery, but he says that he is now healthy. Hubbard’s production was down in general this past year, but he doesn’t view the challenges of this past year as a negative.
“Just a learning period. A period to get better, become a better person, a better leader, a better football player. That’s really what this year has been,” Hubbard said. “A lot of people say, ‘Whatever, it has been a year that’s just been bad.’ I don’t really look at it like that. I just look at it as a year of learning and growth.”
Hubbard, 21, led the FBS with 328 carries and 2,094 rushing yards in 2019, while averaging almost 26 carries a game. He earned first-team AP All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year for his performance. He has competed at the junior world level as a sprinter, and ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his pro day. Growing up, he was a runner first and a football player second.
He also has experience as kickoff returner. The running back grew up a Cam Newton fan and models his receiving skills after McCaffrey.
He is not afraid to speak up for what he believes in. In June 2020, he threatened to boycott team activities because coach Mike Gundy was seen wearing a shirt with the logo of One America News Network, a far-right news outlet. The running back has been vocal in advocating for children. Hubbard has started a nonprofit, Your Life, Your Choice, to help children in tough situations.
The 6-foot, 210-pound back will fill a need for the Panthers, who do not have a clear backup to McCaffrey on the roster. He runs with power and is a north-to-south runner, but has had ball protection issues. He is the second Panthers running back draft pick who grew up in Canada, joining Tshimanga Biakabutuka (first-round pick, 1996). This is the first time Carolina has drafted someone from Oklahoma State.
Iowa Hawkeyes defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon (54) against the Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday, November 21, 2020 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com) Brian Ray Iowa Athletics
The Panthers continue to address positions of need. After moving on from two veteran defensive tackles this offseason, Kawann Short and Zach Kerr, Nixon fills a need that the team had not fully addressed leading up to the draft. Nixon can be a starting 3-technique defensive tackle and could be a key addition to the defensive line.
Nixon, 6-3, 305 pounds, played two full seasons at Iowa and declared for the draft after his junior year. In eight games last season, he had 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and an interception he returned 71 yards for a touchdown.
In 2020, Nixon earned AP All-American honors and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Hawkeyes with 13.5 tackles for loss and had 45 total stops.
Many projected Nixon to be a Day 2 pick or early Day 3. Instead, the Panthers got him in the fifth round. Nixon had academic issues coming out of high school and was later investigated for an incident at a dormitory during a redshirt year, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Washington cornerback Keith Taylor was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round. Lindsey Wasson
Round 5, No. 166 overall (via trade with Titans): CB Keith Taylor, Washington
After addressing the secondary in the first round of the draft, the Panthers continued to address the back of the defense with Taylor. The 6-3, 195-pound corner developed into the starting role at Washington, starting all 13 games in 2019 and four games in 2020. Throughout his career with the Huskies, he started a total of 19 games and had significant playing time all four seasons.
In 2020, Taylor had 59 tackles, including two for loss, and five pass breakups. After the season, he was given the Husky Excellence award. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein describes him as a press corner who has struggled to defend against the run and blames his lack of instincts for his zero career interceptions. He also only has 10 passes defensed from his college career.
Taylor, however, shined at the Senior Bowl and clearly caught the attention of the Panthers’ coaching staff.
11/21/20 MFB Alabama vs Kentucky Alabama offensive lineman Deonte Brown (65) Photo by Kent Gidley Kent Gidley Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
Round 6, No. 193 overall: OL Deonte Brown, Alabama
The Panthers have added a solid piece to the interior of the offensive line. Brown has experience starting at left guard and right guard. At 6-4, 350-pounds, he will certainly add a big presence to the line. He was coached by Carolina at the Senior Bowl, so the Panthers got to know him well.
Brown was suspended by the NCAA for six games over the 2018 and 2019 seasons for undisclosed reasons. He was a first-team All-SEC selection at left guard in 2020 and part of the best offensive line in the country, earning the Joe Moore Award. Many projected Brown to be selected much earlier in the draft.
Per Pro Football Focus, Brown did not allow a single sack in college. He put an impressive performance against the Panthers’ first-round pick last year, Derrick Brown, in 2019.
American Team wide receiver Shi Smith of South Carolina (13) catches a pass during the American team practice for the NCAA college Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Rusty Costanza) Rusty Costanza AP
Round 6, No. 204 overall (via trade with Texans): WR Shi Smith, South Carolina
A second Gamecock joined the roster with the Panthers selecting wide receiver Shi Smith. He is also the second player to have been coached by the team at the Senior Bowl.
Smith will contribute on special teams as a kick returner and provide much needed depth to the wide receiver room. During his career at South Carolina, he started 35 games and played in 43, finishing with 174 catches, 2,204 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Round 6, No. 222 overall: LS Thomas Fletcher, Alabama
J.J. Jansen has been the Panthers’ long snapper since 2009, however, the 35-year-old will have some competition this offseason.
Fletcher finished perfect on all snapping duties across his four seasons at Alabama and started every game. He won the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2020, which is presented annually to the nation’s top long snapper.
Round 7, No. 232 overall (via trade with Titans): DT Phil Hoskins, Kentucky
Hoskins provides additional depth on the defensive line after the offseason departures. He played in 31 career games and started 11. During his senior year, Hoskins had 30 tackles, four for loss and five quarterback hits.
He has a wing span of 84 inches and could provide some solid depth to a line that is still being rebuilt.
Alaina covers the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. Before coming to Charlotte, she worked at The Dallas Morning News and The NFL Today on CBS.Support my work with a digital subscription
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