The Panthers defense is surprising many people with their outstanding, high energy play over the last three games. Yes, they have struggled to stop the run but the secondary has played fantastic and Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos are starting to apply constant pressure to the pocket from the edge.
Unfortunately, defensive tackle Kawann Short will be placed on season-ending injured reserve for the second straight year with a shoulder injury, so it looks like the Panthers could potentially move on from him during the offseason and free up a ton of cap space. Bravvion Roy and Zach Kerr are decent rotational pieces for now, but they need to look into a long term replacement for Short that can be a true run stuffer and help complete their defense.
The defensive tackle group in the 2021 NFL draft class is not particularly strong. However, there is a player who is viewed as a consensus top-15 pick by most scouts. Let’s take a look at Florida State’s Marvin Wilson and what he could do for Carolina.
Profile:
6-foot-5, 310 pounds
Projected 40 yard dash: 4.95 seconds
Wilson is a beast in the trenches who plays with high energy, tremendous strength and a surprisingly quick get-off for a tackle his size. He carries his weight well and is just as strong in his upper half as he is in his lower half. Wilson has dominant hands and can absolutely blow blockers out of balance with his perfect placement and power on his punches and blows. He has a devastating swim move that allows him to split double teams with ease, something he’s shown many times on film. Overall, Wilson’s raw strength, hand usage and unique ability to beat double teams will make him a quality defensive tackle in the NFL with the potential to become one of the best in the league at his position.
Highlights:
Wilson vs. Georgia Tech
Wilson vs. Miami
Wilson vs. Wake Forest
How he compares:
Wilson is definitely the alpha dog at the defensive tackle position in this year’s class. However, there are other prospects hot on his tail who are gunning for that DT1 label. Alabama’s Christian Barmore, USC’s Jay Tufele, Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman and LSU’s Tyler Shelvin are all quality tackle prospects who can make an impact Week 1 in the NFL. Twyman might be the top pass rusher in the group and Tufele the best run stuffer, but Wilson has the most upside and more of a technically sound game than the others. Look for Wilson to be the first interior defensive lineman off the board.
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