Panthers mock draft: Who Carolina will pick in the NFL draft’s first four rounds

Unless it’s clear who the top players in the draft are, it’s often hard to know how the first few picks may go.

For instance, last season, Trevor Lawrence was clearly the top player in the draft. And the Jaguars, who owned the top pick, needed a quarterback.

But this draft doesn’t have that. And that’s why this draft will be tough to predict. Many draft experts differ on who the top players are. The quarterbacks are a wild card, too, and teams don’t like to show their cards before the draft.

But it’s clear that the Panthers have two big needs ahead of the draft. The Observer’s Jonathan M. Alexander and Ellis L. Williams take a crack at who they think the Panthers will pick based on how they believe the first five picks will go:

FIRST ROUND, PICK NO. 6

▪ Name: Evan Neal

▪ Position: OT

▪ School: Alabama

▪ Year: Junior

Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer and coach Matt Rhule have said they’ll take the best available player in the draft at No. 6, unless there’s a trade-back option they can’t pass up.

And if former Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal is there, he’ll likely be the best available player. He also addresses an immediate need for the Panthers, which haven’t had a franchise left tackle since 2013 when Jordan Gross retired. The fact that this is a deep offensive tackle class is also why they haven’t signed one in free agency yet.

Neal could easily fall. And that’s what the Panthers are hoping for.

We see it every year. There’s a team desperate for a quarterback and they’ll trade up. Rhule was asked at his press conference at the owners’ meetings whether he thought any of the top quarterbacks were worthy of a top-10 selection. He declined to answer that directly to not give away what the Panthers were thinking.

But he did say this:

“I think one of those quarterbacks will be a top-10 pick,” Rhule said. “They are all impressive.”

You have to look at what’s in the top 10 and who could trade back. There are two teams in the top five most likely to offer their picks because they have multiple — the New York Jets, who own the fourth and 10th pick, and the New York Giants, who own the fifth and seventh pick.

Atlanta (8th), Seattle (9th) or Washington (11th) will try to trade up because none have definite long-term options at quarterback. If a quarterback is drafted in the first five picks, that means one of the top players moves down. I think Neal does.

If this scenario happens, then the Panthers will be trading for, or signing Jimmy Garropolo, Baker Mayfield, or Gardner Minshew.

— Jonathan M. Alexander

FIRST ROUND, PICK NO. 6 (Alternative)

▪ Name: Malik Willis

▪ Position: QB

▪ School: Liberty

▪ Year: Senior

In my first mock draft, I pegged Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Panthers. A lot has changed since the combine. NFL teams are learning more about the top prospects each week. Carolina is doing extensive research on quarterbacks and offensive linemen.

Top coaches and executives spent last week touring the pro days of Pickett, Malik Willis and Matt Corral. On Monday, VP of player personnel Pat Stewart attended North Carolina’s pro day to watch Sam Howell. The next day he was at N.C. State for tackle Ikem Ekwonu’s pro day.

I’d be surprised if the Panthers do not use their first-round selection on either a quarterback or tackle. It’s a matter of who will be available at No. 6. Coach Matt Rhule has used the team’s first-round pick on a defensive player the past two years. He cannot go three straight years without selecting a blue-chip offensive player.

An NFL scout told me Carolina would like to select Willis, Evan Neal or Ekwonu. It’s just a matter of who — if any of them — will be available.

NFL evaluators are split on whether the Panthers should prioritize quarterback or left tackle more. Those who say quarterback reference recent history which suggests a franchise cannot consistently win without one. Others argue this rookie quarterback class is not worth a top-10 pick. Thus, Carolina should build its roster and wait to land a franchise QB like the Broncos did with Russell Wilson this offseason.

But general manager Scott Fitterer recently spoke highly about Carolina’s offensive line. He views new additions Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett as key pieces. The team is comfortable playing Brady Christensen at left tackle.

Such praise has me thinking Carolina is ready to finally select their future franchise quarterback. If Willis is available at No. 6 then he should be the pick. However, he is gaining top-five buzz after an electric pro day last week. If Willis is taken by the Lions, Texans or Giants (all selecting before Carolina) then Fitterer should try trading back for Pickett while recouping Day 2 draft capital.

Either way, it’s time for Carolina to select a first-round quarterback for the first time since 2011.

— Ellis L. Williams

THIRD ROUND, PICK NO. 100 (via a trade from Ravens)

▪ Name: Nik Bonnito

▪ Position: DE

▪ School: Oklahoma

▪ Year: Junior

I think there’s almost zero chance the Panthers don’t pick again until the fourth round. I think they’ll trade up to get into the second or third round. The Ravens have two third-round picks.

What we know is the Panthers want to add an offensive tackle, a defensive end or edge rusher and a quarterback before the regular season begins. Offensive tackle is already addressed. I think the Panthers ended up trading for a quarterback. And defensive end is the only need left to fill.

Nik Bonnito fits that bill.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound end/linebacker is small and would likely have to put on weight. But he has shown an ability to get to the quarterback.

He had 8.5 sacks in 2020 during his sophomore season at Oklahoma, and seven sacks, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries during his junior season.

He wouldn’t be an immediate starter, but could be a solid backup, who could develop into a starter, addressing one of their three final needs.

— JMA

FOURTH ROUND, PICK NO. 137

▪ Name: Max Mitchell

▪ Position: T

▪ School: Louisiana

▪ Year: Senior

After taking a quarterback, the Panthers add an offensive tackle. Mitchell isn’t a Day 1 starter. Those prospects will be long gone by the time Carolina selects after Round 1. But Mitchell has a lot of traits scouts like.

Mitchell competed well against Power 5 schools this year in games against Texas and Iowa State. Scouts love seeing prospects produce against the best competition on their schedule. In pass sets, Mitchell gains great depth and tends to beat defenders to their spots. He shows quality lateral movement and redirects well.

He played both left and right tackle at Louisiana. His position flexibility is a nice bonus to an already rather complete prospect.

— ELW

This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 1:12 PM.

Jonathan M. Alexander

The Charlotte Observer

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Jonathan M. Alexander is a native of Charlotte. He began covering the Carolina Panthers for the Observer in July 2020 after working at the N&O for seven years, where he covered a variety of beats, including UNC basketball and football, Duke basketball, recruiting, K-12 schools, public safety and town government. Support my work with a digital subscription