When Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer rattled off his team’s remaining needs during his pre-draft press conference earlier this week, NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter must’ve been listening.
In his fresh seven-round mock, Reuter hooks the Panthers up with almost everything their general manager is looking for. And here, according to Fitterer, is exactly what Fitterer is looking for:
“Yeah, I think you always need a pass rusher,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “We could beef up the offensive line. We’ve done a lot of things at receiver, but you can always add a receiver. Linebacker. No team’s ever complete and you can always add whoever.”
First things first, perhaps quite literally in this case, Reuter begins with the obvious atop the board—University of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. He writes:
The Panthers choose an intelligent, humble leader in Young, who will make plays from the pocket despite his lack of size while also evading pressure and finding targets downfield on the run.
He then puts the rest of the pieces together for a pretty nice puzzle . . .
- 39th overall: Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State
- 93rd overall: Parker Washington, WR, Penn State
- 114th overall: Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma
- 132nd overall: Brodric Martin, DT, Western Kentucky
- 145th overall: Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia
Pass rusher? Check.
Wide receiver? Check.
Beef? Check
So while this draft is primarily about the franchise quarterback they’re about to take with the first overall selection, the Panthers would probably be quite content if the rest of the weekend rolls out like Reuter’s got it.
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