The Panthers do not have a Day 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Here are some late-round sleepers to watch
The 2022 NFL Draft — a three-day spectacular — is three weeks away.
Panthers fans can ignore Day 2 of the draft if general manager Scott Fitterer stands pat with his allotment of picks. After selecting No. 6 overall (Day 1), Carolina does not pick again until Round 4. Day 2 of the draft consists of Rounds 2 and 3.
There is reason to believe the Panthers will find a way to recoup some Day 2 capital. Ideally, Fitterer trades back and adds a Round 2 or 3 pick. Perhaps the Panthers part with a player for a mid-round selection. But until that happens, the Panthers have a 131-pick break between No. 6 and their next selection at No. 137.
Fitterer has been excellent at building along the margins in free agency. The team added depth, power and size to its offensive line by signing guard Austin Corbett and center Bradley Bozeman. Running back D’Onta Foreman complements Christian McCaffrey and Chubba Hubbard. Safety Xavier Woods should allow Jeremy Chinn to play in the box more. These are all important signings. But several NFL scouts and analysts told The Observer that Carolina has not done enough to “move the needle”.
That is fair. The team still has needs at three of the game’s most important positions: offensive tackle, quarterback, and edge rusher. Without any Day 2 capital — where the Panthers have recently drafted well — Fitterer and his scouting department must hit on some Day 3 picks.
After talking with draft scouts and analysts, here are some names that continue to surface. This first installment of late-round sleepers focuses on defensive linemen. This series will run until the draft and will highlight a different position group each week.
“It’s looking at a good defensive line group. This is a really good edge class,” the Athletic’s Dane Brugler told The Observer. “In my top 100, I have 19 edge players. It’s unrealistic that all 19 are gonna go that high. It’s one of those things where you can kind of sit there and wait and there might be a pretty good edge rusher that maybe you have a third-round grade on who falls where the Panthers are picking it a Day Three.”
Defensive linemen
▪ Name: Alex Wright (6 foot 7, 270 pounds)
▪ Position: Edge
▪ School: UAB
▪ Year: Junior
When scouts are evaluating players from small schools (like all three prospects on this list are) they look for consistent dominance against lesser competition and steady production against Power 5 schools. Wright proved that in games against Georgia and BYU.
All the athletic traits are there for Wright. He’s tall, long, and moves with quickness and bend for someone his size. His allotment of pass rush moves is evident on tape. He has polished swim moves, arm chops, and speed-to-power rushes which keep offensive linemen guessing.
He sounds like the complete package but there are reasons for his Day 3 grade. First, he tends to get out leveraged because he’s so tall. He also did not record double-digit sacks or tackles for loss in any of his three seasons at UAB. Lastly, there are some injury concerns.
“He’s been banged up a little this pre-draft process,” Brugler said. “He’s still learning. He’s not a guy that’s gonna come in and necessarily compete for starting reps or anything like that. But we’re talking Day Three, so this is a developmental edge rusher. You know a guy that is going to get better and better with more experience.”
Wright recorded seven sacks and 12 quarterback hits last season, playing in 12 games. Wright was a second-team All-Conference USA selection in 2021. He doesn’t turn 22 years old until September.
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo said Wright pursues the ball well. Against Liberty this season, Wright was all over the field tracking down quarterback Malik Willis, which caught Melo’s attention.
“You see some really good things in that game, him attempting to chase down the ball,” Melo said. “Willis was obviously electric with his legs and can escape the pocket. You see Wright playing with a good motor and converting speed to power at a high level. Liberty’s offensive tackle had a really had a hard time.”
▪ Name: Eric Johnson (6 foot 5, 300 pounds)
▪ Position: DT
▪ School: Missouri State
▪ Year: Senior
Missouri State defensive tackle Eric Johnson did not get a combine invite but his performance at the Senior Bowl in early February left a favorable impression on scouts. Then, he dominated his pro day, running a 4.86 40-yard dash. Only defensive tackles Devonte Wyatt of Georgia (4.77) and Jordan Davis (4.78) ran faster. At 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds, that’s freakish athleticism.
“He’s got the experience in terms of on the field but just wasn’t against high-level talent. So there’s gonna be a little bit of a learning curve for him,” Brugler said. “But you see explosiveness and youth. You see the movement skills. And he does a really nice job of breaking down blockers in different ways, whether it’s with power with quickness. He’s of those fifth or sixth round guys.”
Johnson played in every game over his career at Missouri State. His hand size of 10 inches and arm length of nearly 35 inches is ideal for pro defensive linemen. Johnson played at a university that has produced just seven NFL players in its program history. That makes getting noticed difficult.
But he’s used to being overlooked. Coming out of high school, Johnson was under-recruited out of Plainfield, Illinois. He’s been with the Bears for six years and has been a starter since 2017. Johnson used the NFLPA Bowl to gain clout and then parlayed that success into a great Senior Bowl showing, proving capable of playing either a three or zero technique in the pros.
“The biggest thing is identifying translatable traits. Things that you feel really good about that are going to translate to the next level,” Brugler said about identifying late-round sleepers. “And then understanding which players have upside and which players just you know, they are who they are.”
▪ Name: Dominique Robinson (6 foot 5, 255 pounds)
▪ Position: Edge
▪ School: Miami (Ohio)
▪ Year: Senior
It’s been a wild off-season for Dominique Robinson. Between workouts, invites to the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine, he also got married.
With the honeymoon on hold, Robinson’s complete attention is on the NFL draft. One regional scout told the Observer Robinson could go as early as Round 3.
“I thought his combine was pretty electric. He had a 41-inch vertical, which is absolutely ridiculous,” Melo said. A broad jump that was just greater than 10 feet. Twenty-five reps on the bench press. This is a really fun day three athlete.”
His vertical jump was the best by a defensive lineman since 2003 and his bench press score was second-highest among his class. In 2021, Robinson had 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for losses, 4.5 sacks, and four hurries. He was named a third-team all-MAC selection.
Robinson played quarterback and tight end growing up. His tape sometimes shows he’s still learning how to play defensive end. But his testing numbers will make him a prospect worth taking a flier on.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 3:53 PM.
