The Carolina Panthers picked up four new defensive backs in the 2020 NFL draft. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t still use some help on the back end, though. According to an analysis by ESPN, the team’s biggest roster hole after the draft is still the cornerback position.
“The Panthers made the unprecedented decision to use all seven of their 2020 draft picks on defensive players, and yet the team somehow still has several holes on defense. . . Alongside Donte Jackson, the team will have to rely on some combination of a 2017 fifth-rounder in Corn Elder, an undrafted second-year player in Cole Luke, and a pair of Day 3 rookies in Troy Pride and Stantley Thomas-Oliver. None of those corners has started an NFL game, and yet two of them will need to play first-team reps in nickel situations this season.”
It’s tough to argue with that logic.
At the moment, we’re projecting Donte Jackson and Troy Pride will start outside. Both have question marks. Jackson was benched late in the 2019 season due to repeated mistakes in coverage and Pride might be undersized to match up with some of the NFC South’s longer receivers like Mike Evans and Julio Jones.
There’s also the question of who will inherit the slot corner role from Javien Elliott, who is still a free agent.
Our best guess is that position will be filled by Jeremy Chinn, who is capable of lining up at almost any spot in the defensive backfield. His size and athleticism should allow him to blanket the smaller receivers you typically see playing the slot. That’s only an educated guess, though.
Adding a veteran corner would not be a bad idea. While Logan Ryan is the top slot corner on the market, the team doesn’t have much cap space left.
In any case, starting multiple rookies in the secondary is a risky proposition. This group will either sink or swim.
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