I asked 8 former Panthers who they’d draft No. 7 overall. Here’s what they said.
Lots of people have an opinion on the NFL draft and who the Carolina Panthers should take with the No. 7 overall pick Thursday night.
But what would former Panthers do with the pick?
To find out, this week I contacted eight well-known former Carolina players and asked them who they would take at No. 7.
The poll’s participants included three of the Panthers’ four 2019 Hall of Honor inductees — quarterback Jake Delhomme, offensive tackle Jordan Gross and tight end Wesley Walls — as well as former linebacker Jon Beason, offensive lineman Kevin Donnalley, defensive tackle Al Wallace, safety Mike Minter and defensive end Mike Rucker.
For the purposes of this exercise, we assumed that the Panthers didn’t trade the pick.
The results? A defense-first landslide.
Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, a popular pick in many mock drafts to go to the Panthers at No. 7, barely won the former players’ poll.
Brown received four of the former Panthers’ eight votes. Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons was close behind with three votes. Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy received one vote.
Here are the first-person thoughts from each former player, with their comments lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Jake Delhomme: Draft a QB nightmare
“I want to go defense with this pick. I saw Derrick Brown wreak absolute havoc against LSU. I love watching him play. As a quarterback, I know I hated, hated, hated inside pressure. Inside pressure, pardon my French, is a b----.
“In the NFC South, you now have three statues at quarterback: Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. There’s no Michael Vick running around. You get Brown in there paired with KK Short at defensive tackle, and you’ve got something.
“Brown is not a sexy pick. He won’t get 10 sacks. But he will help a lot against the run. And he will help with inside pressure, which is a quarterback’s nightmare.”
Jordan Gross: Find the next Davis
“I’m going with Isaiah Simmons. You can never have enough speed and flexibility on defense. Simmons reminds me of a young Thomas Davis in that regard.”
Wesley Walls: Give me Jeudy
“I like Jerry Jeudy at 7. He’s a great route runner and has tremendous speed for the up-tempo offense.
“If Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs falls, or if Tua falls to 7, it will be interesting to see what the Panthers do. Derrick Brown is the safe pick. But I think we need a safety or linebacker more than a defensive tackle.”
Al Wallace: Plug in Brown from Day 1
“I know I will sound a little biased because I was a defensive lineman. But if you can nab Derrick Brown, that’s huge.
“When the Panthers were good in 2003, they had Kris Jenkins and Brentson Buckner at defensive tackle. They had similar guys in 2015. Those big guys up front are so important. You need a space-eater — a guy who’s going to eat up a couple of blocks.
“I went back and watched 2-3 games of Brown’s at Auburn. He does the dirty work. He grinds it out. When he wasn’t doubled, he wrecked running games. For a Panthers team that was historically bad against the run last year, he’s a guy you could plug in from Day 1 and improve that. And Shaq Thompson would love him.”
Jon Beason: Fill hole with Simmons
“I think Isaiah Simmons ends up as a Panther, but only if someone trades up to 3 or 4 to get Tua before the fifth pick. If not, Simmons will be gone.
“The Panthers have plenty of holes defensively and Simmons would be a great fit because of his versatility, even though I don’t believe he’s a true linebacker. Unfortunately, Derrick Brown is not worth the seventh pick because he’s not much of a pass rusher. He’s got everything else.”
Mike Rucker: Foundation must be up front
“If you want to restart any team, the foundation has got to be up front. Look at 2003 or 2015, when the Panthers were in the Super Bowl. They had a strong defensive line and they were getting after the quarterback.
“The Panthers have a lot of offensive weapons now. They’re going to be very competitive there. But the defense has to be better. Last year they got a pass rusher with the first-round pick (defensive end Brian Burns). Now they can get the defensive tackle.”
Mike Minter: Multiple skills a must
“I would go after Isaiah Simmons from Clemson — a linebacker/safety/defensive end all in one. With today’s game, you have to have a playmaker on defense that can play multiple positions. This allows you to stay in the same personnel and give different looks. After losing Luke Kuechly, I believe Simmons gives us that type of ability.”
Kevin Donnalley: Got to stop the run
“Defensive tackle is the way to go, and I would select Derrick Brown. Brown can dominate on the interior versus the run. The 2003 Super Bowl team had Jenkins and Buckner. The 2015 Super Bowl team had Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short. The 2020 team can have Brown and Kawann.
“If they don’t get Brown, though, the Panthers have to get an offensive or defensive lineman!”
What about a QB?
As for me? I’ve written before that I think the Panthers should draft a quarterback at No. 7 if Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert drops.
Otherwise, I’d take Simmons, if he’s available, and Brown if he’s not.
But I think the Panthers’ best option may very well be a trade down. On a team that went 5-11 last season and still has so many needs, the more throws you can take at the NFL dartboard, the better.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
