The 2020 NFL draft is one week away. That means we are mercifully coming to the end of the season of speculation.
Throughout most of the offseason, the same three names have been connected to the Carolina Panthers in a lot of national media mock drafts: Auburn DT Derrick Brown, Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons and South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw. They are all fine prospects who would fill significant holes for a floundering defense. However, there’s no guarantee they will be available at No. 7.
Every year, the draft is filled with twists and turns like any one-score game and very few people outside the actual draft rooms themselves get it right when it comes to predicting what’s going to happen. Let’s take a look at a few names who the team might consider selecting in the first round who aren’t named Brown, Kinlaw or Simmons.
Here are five potential surprise picks for the Panthers this year.
Baylor WR Denzel Mims
We know coach Matt Rhule really likes his guys and the Panthers have already signed several former Temple players. Mims (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) is the best 2020 prospect who played for Rhule last year at Baylor. He’s also one of the top wide receivers in a deep class of them. In 2019, he posted 66 catches, 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns. Picking Mims at No. 7 would be a reach, but if they’re moving down into the teens to add more picks, Mims could be right in their range.