Self-quarantining may be a bummer, but some of the online content that’s emerged as a result has been pure gold. Perhaps the most notable comes courtesy of the music industry’s biggest names, who have taken to Instagram Live to go head-to-head in some heated beat battles. We’ve seen Timbaland vs. Swizz Beatz, Lil’ Jon vs. T-Pain and Scott Storch vs. Mannie Fresh, to name a few.
For our latest 2020 mock draft, we decided to follow their example and put out a mock draft battle between two of our Panthers Wire contributors: five-year veteran Anthony Rizzuti and the up-and-coming rookie Erik Williams.
Read on to take a look at their mock picks, conducted via the PFF Draft Simulator, to see how they ran their respective drafts for the Panthers. Then vote at the end for which mock you like best.
Round 1: pick No. 7 overall
Rizzuti: Isaiah Simmons, LB/S, Clemson
Carolina’s new head coach Matt Rhule places a premium on athleticism and versatility and there’s no player in this draft on either side of the ball who has a better combination of both.
Simmons’ blend of tools – particularly his physical abilities and natural feel for the game – have earned him a variety of reps as a linebacker, edge, both safety spots, outsite corner and even some slot corner. He’d make for an ideal fit for the positionless prototype being brought in by Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow.
Whether you see him as Luke Kuechly’s heir apparent or as a Derwin James-like playmaker, it doesn’t really matter seeing as the team has needs at practically every single position on defense. Simmons offers depth at most of them.
Williams: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
This has been a popular mock pick this year, but Brown is simply too good to pass on, here. The Panthers get the best player available in one of their greatest areas of need: the interior of the defensive line.
Brown’s draft stock has taken a bit of a hit following his sub-par combine performance, but he is still considered by most to be the best defensive tackle in this class, if not a close No. 2 behind South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw.
Brown plays with unbelievable strength and explosiveness, tremendous gap penetration ability, and a motor that never stops. He is exactly the kind of prototype player Rhule wants to work with, and he can start right away.