Linebacker
Unless the Panthers are somehow lucky enough to stumble into drafting Isaiah Simmons, there’s no hope of finding an adequate replacement for Luke Kuechly. Simmons is a freakish hybrid whose game lands somewhere between Brian Urlacher and Kam Chancellor. His physicality, athleticism and versatility make him the single most enticing defensive prospect in this class.
Carolina would almost certainly have to trade up from No. 7 to get him though and trading up is probably not in the cards this year.
The addition of Tahir Whitehead will help soothe the burn of Kuechly’s retirement, at least somewhat. He has experience with Matt Rhule and has played the middle linebacker/playcaller role before, as well. The Panthers need some more depth behind Whitehead and Shaq Thompson, though. Jermaine Carter and Andre Smith are decent backups but we don’t project them to be starters in the long run.
Some of the linebacker prospects the team has shown interest in are Utah’s Francis Bernard, Wake Forest’s Justin Strnad, Michigan’s Josh Uche, Fresno State’s Mykal Walker and Miami’s Shaquille Quarterman. This is another position to watch on Day 3.