Tag: Carolina Panthers

Panthers pick Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos at No. 38 overall

The Panthers have picked Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

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The Panthers have picked Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Gross-Matos (6-foot-5, 266 pounds) is one of the top pass-rushing prospects in this class. Over his last two college seasons, he totaled 17.5 sacks and 34.5 tackles for a loss. At the combine, he posted 20 bench press reps, a 34 inch vertical and a 120 inch broad jump – respectable athleticism for a player his size. He measured in with 34 7/8” arms and 9 3/4” hands.

While Gross-Matos didn’t play for Matt Rhule in college, they share a connection as Rhule also went to Penn State.

Now that the Panthers have hit their holes on the defensive line, it’s time to get to work fixing that secondary.

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Watch: Matt Rhule talks about why the Panthers picked Derrick Brown

Coach Matt Rhule spoke with Steve Wyche at NFL Network about the pick and offered insight into how he will fit in. Watch.

The Carolina Panthers made a polarizing pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

While Auburn’s Derrick Brown is considered the top defensive tackle prospect in this class, the fact that Isaiah Simmons was still on the board has put a damper on what would normally be a lot of excitement for a top-10 draft pick. Brown’s lackluster performance at the NFL scouting combine and his mediocre production as a pass rusher also raise questions about whether or not it was worth picking him that high.

This morning, head coach Matt Rhule spoke with Steve Wyche at NFL Network about the decision and offered some insight into how he will fit in with Carolina’s defensive front. Watch.

This is relieving to hear from Rhule and moving Brown around the defensive line is a good idea, but bringing up his versatility is a tough sell when Simmons was still there.

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3 Panthers players who could be traded before the end of the 2020 NFL draft

Here are three Carolina players who could get dealt before the draft ends.

The Panthers say they aren’t interested in trading wide receiver Curtis Samuel. According to Ian Rapoport, they keep getting calls about him though and there’s a chance they may get an offer that’s too good to refuse.

Samuel isn’t the only one who might be on the trade block today. Here are three Carolina players who could get dealt before the draft ends.

WR Curtis Samuel

Curtis Samuel
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Samuel may be criminally underrated. That doesn’t mean the Panthers shouldn’t consider dealing him if they get an offer sweet enough. While offensive coordinator Joe Brady wants as many passing weapons as he can get, the team is already pretty loaded at wide receiver and they can pick up another good one on Day 3 of the draft. If there’s no plan to give Samuel a long-term contract extension, this is probably the best time to trade him.

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Report: Teams keep calling Panthers about WR Curtis Samuel

According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, teams have been consistently calling the Panthers about making a deal for Samuel.

Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel has been the subject of trade speculation ever since he entered the NFL. This offseason, that hasn’t changed as he’s frequently been brought up as a potential trade target for practically every wide receiver-needy team around the league.

So far, Carolina has not shown any interest in dealing Samuel. The last we heard on this subject was the end of March, when the Athletic reported the team wasn’t looking to trade him.

That won’t stop other teams from trying, though.

According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, teams have been consistently calling the Panthers about making a deal for Samuel.

It’s not hard to see why teams want Samuel. His numbers may not suggest superstar potential, but his work on the field does. Samuel is one of the game’s most underrated deep threats and route runners. If he ever is able to hook up with a quarterback who has an accurate long ball he could easily post 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns a season.

The Panthers seem to know his value though, which is why they have rebuffed these efforts to date.

If they are going to change their mind and trade Samuel, this seems like an ideal time, though. The 2020 draft class is very deep at the wide receiver position and they could land a playmaker as late as Day 3.

Remember, Samuel is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Keeping him around makes sense but the fact that they gave Christian McCaffrey an extension before Samuel suggests they may not be sold on giving him a long-term deal. If they’re not 100% sold on keeping him, trading Samuel now and getting something is better than losing him in free agency next spring.

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Should Redskins try to trade for Panthers WR Curtis Samuel?

The Panthers are reportedly accepting calls for WR Curtis Samuel, and moving him to Washington could make a lot of sense going forward.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Carolina Panthers are reportedly open to trading 2019 breakout WR Curtis Samuel during the 2020 NFL Draft. While nothing official has come out yet, the team has been fielding calls on the former second-round pick and trying to find a deal that they can’t refuse.

So should the Washington Redskins make such a deal? Before you dismiss it completely, consider the fit if it were to happen. Samuel, who has 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons, had a great year in Carolina’s offense during 2019, playing under Ron Rivera and Scott Turner, both of whom are now in Washington. The Redskins also have a dire need at the WR position, and pairing a burner like Samuel next to Terry McLaurin and Steven Sims could be lethal.

A couple arguments against this move would be that giving up draft capital for Samuel is counterproductive for the Redskins, as they are currently trying to increase their haul of picks via trade of Trent Williams, not give picks away. Adding Samuel to the Washington offense may also be unnecessary, as Sims is already a young speedster who is expected to occupy a role similar to what Samuel had with the Panthers last year.

Nonetheless, the news that this impressive, young WR is on the market should make a few ears prick up in Washington. He could soon be on the move, and a trip to D.C. isn’t completely out of the question.

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Marty Hurney on picking Derrick Brown over Isaiah Simmons: ‘It starts up front’

According to general manager Marty Hurney, they had Simmons rated high, but he told reporters that “it starts up front” last night.

Derrick Brown is probably going to be an excellent defensive tackle in the NFL. He’s explosive, powerful and has succeeded against the best competition college football has to offer.

Through no fault of his own, Brown’s career will probably always be linked to that of Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, who was picked by the Cardinals one spot after the Panthers took Brown. Simmons was the most popular prospect for Panthers fans this offseason and he was easily the best athlete in this draft class, in addition to the most versatile. Passing on a prospect like that is the kind of move that can haunt a team for years.

So, why did they pick Brown over Simmons?

According to general manager Marty Hurney, they had Simmons rated high, but he told reporters last night that “it starts up front.”

Obviously, Hurney’s decision can’t be distilled down to one soundbite and the whole process is far more complicated than that quote suggests.

That said, it’s definitely an old-fashioned way of thinking. Building from the inside out sounds good in theory, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of a chance to draft a special kind of playmaker with the ability to line up at half a dozen different positions.

Former general manager Dave Gettleman also believed in starting in the trenches and that’s part of the reason he picked Vernon Butler in the first round back in 2016.

While Brown’s athletic testing is concerning, he does look like a far more promising, disruptive player than Butler. However, if he doesn’t pan out it will give more ammunition for the crowd who believes you build winning programs by getting the best players available, not by following a rigid philosophy or system that leads to picking inferior athletes.

In this era, picking a defensive tackle in the top 10 means you’re expecting a Week 1 impact defender who can both stop the run and get consistent interior pressure on the quarterback.

So, the key factor in deciding whether Brown was worth a top-10 pick or not is if he develops into a legitimate pass-rushing threat at the next level. We know Brown is a great run stopper. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted 35 tackles for a loss or no gain against the run since 2017, more than any other DT in college football. His production as a pass rusher was far less impressive, though. Brown’s career high for sacks in a single season at Auburn was just 4.5.

If Brown is going to live up to the pick, he needs to become as disruptive as All-Pro interior linemen like Fletcher Cox or Geno Atkins. If not, some Panthers fans might never stop wondering what might have been with Simmons.

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Redskins’ Thomas Davis Sr. says Chase Young reminds him of Julius Peppers

Davis played for several years alongside Peppers in Carolina, and he seems a lot of the same tendencies and skills in Chase Young.

Many members of the Washington Redskins were extremely excited when they saw that their team drafted Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night. They know that his presence on the field will have an instant impact, making their jobs quite a bit easier.

Veteran linebacker Thomas Davis Sr., who is one of the newer additions to the team after coming over in free agency, says that Young reminds him a lot of an old player he used to play with in Carolina with the Panthers — it’s about as solid of a comparison as you can give to a rookie edge-rusher.

“You know, the size, physical stature, relentless effort, motor, dominating the man across from him,” Davis said to NBC Sports Washington on Thursday night. “I would say that sounds a lot like what Julius Peppers was able to do early on in his career, and throughout his whole career.”

So did the Redskins really just draft the next Julius Peppers? It sounds like a great result if they did. In his 17-year career, Peppers made it to nine Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro three times with 159.5 career sacks. Davis was along for the ride in Carolina with Peppers from 2005-09, so he will have a good feel for the bar Young is trying to reach once they can get some snaps on the field together.

“Just getting to know him over time, you can just kind of see even Julius had to have some growth, he had to have that maturity level phase that had to take place,” Davis continued. “And I know that’s something Chase is going to have to go through.”

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2020 NFL draft: Order of picks for rounds 2 and 3

Here is a look at the complete order of picks for Day 2, which begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Panthers kicked things off last night by selecting Auburn DT Derrick Brown with the seventh overall pick in the draft. They have seven more picks to go over the next couple of days to fill out the rest of their roster.

Here is a look at the complete order of picks for Day 2, which begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Round 2

33. Cincinnati Bengals

34. Indianapolis Colts

35. Detroit Lions

36. New York Giants

37. New England Patriots

38. Carolina Panthers

39. Miami Dolphins

40. Houston Texans

41. Cleveland Browns

42. Jacksonville Jaguars

43. Chicago Bears

44. Indianapolis Colts

45. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

46. Denver Broncos

47. Atlanta Falcons

48. New York Jets

49. Pittsburgh Steelers

50. Chicago Bears

51. Dallas Cowboys

52. Los Angeles Rams

53. Philadelphia Eagles

54. Buffalo Bills

55. Baltimore Ravens

56. Miami Dolphins

57. Los Angeles Rams

58. Minnesota Vikings

59. Seattle Seahawks

60. Baltimore Ravens

61. Tennessee Titans

62. Green Bay Packers

63. Kansas City Chiefs

64. Seattle Seahawks

Round 3

65. Cincinnati Bengals

66. Washington Redskins

67. Detroit Lions

68. New York Jets

69. Carolina Panthers

70. Miami Dolphins

71. New England Patriots

72. Arizona Cardinals

73. Jacksonville Jaguars

74. Cleveland Browns

75. Indianapolis Colts

76. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

77. Denver Broncos

78. Atlanta Falcons

79. New York Jets

80. Las Vegas Raiders

81. Las Vegas Raiders

82. Dallas Cowboys

83. Denver Broncos

84. Los Angeles Rams

85. Detroit Lions

86. Buffalo Bills

87. New England Patriots

88. New Orleans Saints

89. Minnesota Vikings

90. Houston Texans

91. Las Vegas Raiders

92. Baltimore Ravens

93. Tennessee Titans

94. Green Bay Packers

95. Denver Broncos

96. Kansas City Chiefs

97. Cleveland Browns

98. New England Patriots*

99. New York Giants*

100. New England Patriots*

101. Seattle Seahawks*

102. Pittsburgh Steelers*

103. Philadelphia Eagles*

104. Los Angeles Rams*

105. Minnesota Vikings*

106. Baltimore Ravens*

*Compensatory pick

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Panthers continue mixed signals with selection of Derrick Brown

2020 NFL Draft: Panthers continue sending mixed signals with the selection of Auburn DT Derrick Brown in round one.

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Thursday night’s selection by the Carolina Panthers was not a surprise. The tea leaves were there. Not only was Derrick Brown’s name linked to the team early and often throughout the pre-draft process, but the team also ached sorely for any type of help for their scant defensive line.

After all, coming into the draft their projected starter at defensive tackle next to Kawann Short was Woodrow Hamilton.

That’s not to say picking Brown was the best choice, or the one that made the most sense. Along with the hiring of head coach Matt Rhule came the incorporation of a supposedly new, progressive way of thinking about football. Specifically, this new era was to usher in an emphasis on athleticism in the rebuild of the roster.

Rhule, most notably during his time at Temple University, placed a premium on players who were high-level athletes. Since the program at that time wasn’t held in the highest regard, landing coveted five-star recruits wasn’t easy. Instead, Rhule sought out prospects with particular abilities he felt could place shine upon. He wanted guys who exhibited the eye-opening speed, size and explosiveness that translates to all levels of the sport.

That approach to team-building, one he also carried over into his tenure at Baylor, would be one he and owner David Tepper highlighted when he was first hired.

And yet, with a chance to land the freakiest of freaks in Clemson’s do-it-all defensive prospect Isaiah Simmons with the seventh overall pick, they opted for Brown, who turned in one of the combine’s most disappointing displays of athletic testing in recent memory.

According to MockDraftable.com, Brown’s 40-yard dash (5.16 seconds), placed him in the 16th percentile of all defensive linemen in their expansive database. His vertical jump (27 inches) has him in the 12th percentile, his 20-yard shuttle (4.79 seconds) in the 10th and his 3-cone drill (8.22 seconds) in the first. Yeah, the first percentile.

Simmons, on the other hand, lit Indianapolis up for a 40-yard dash of 4.39 seconds (99th percentile for linebackers), a 132-inch broad jump (98th) and a vertical of 39 inches (91st).

Now, athleticism isn’t the be-all and end-all of determining a player’s future success in the NFL. There have been plenty of cases where elite athletes didn’t pan out as great players and poor athletes go on to have strong careers. However, with an opportunity to fetch the type of versatile talent this franchise says it wants to build its rock upon, they took a one-dimensional hog molly.

In addition to his athletic testing, Brown’s tape and production (12.5 sacks in four years) isn’t all that encouraging for his hopes of developing a consistently effective pass-rushing presence. He needs more than a bullrush in the arsenal and leaves much to be desired in terms of his technique, handwork and footwork.

The stature and strength is there, just not the game-wrecking talent you’d expect from a top-10 pick. They’re not getting a monster in the mold of Aaron Donald or Fletcher Cox—the type of interior defenders who are worth this high of an investment.

At the very least, Brown will help plug up what was a historically porous run defense. The Panthers allowed 143.5 rushing yards per game (29th in the NFL) as well as the most yards per carry (5.2) and rushing touchdowns (31) in 2019.

So, again, addressing that weakness was not a surprise. He’s a solid prospect and by all accounts a fine person to help establish that hard-working culture that Matt Rhule wants.

Brown will be fine.

What won’t be fine is that this three-headed monster consisting of Rhule, Tepper and general manager Marty Hurney continue to send mixed signals about what they’re doing.

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Panthers No. 7 pick: Scouting report for DT Derrick Brown

With the seventh overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft, the Panthers selected Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

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With the seventh overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft, the Panthers selected Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

It’s clear Marty Hurney and Matt Rhule are serious about strengthening their defense after a season that saw the team finish near the bottom defensively, especially when it came to stopping the run.

Let’s take a closer look at Carolina’s first-round pick, who should help turn around that atrocious run defense right away.

Strengths:

Brown measured in at a whopping 6-foot-5, 326 pounds with 34 1/4 inch arms at the NFL Combine. He has all the physical tools to become a dominant defensive lineman in the NFL. As for his athletic testing, he clocked a 5.16 second 40-yard dash, put up 28 reps on the bench and posted a 4.79 twenty yard shuttle time. It wasn’t a dominant combine performance, but it was a respectable one for a player his size.

More importantly, Brown has been a consistent All-American and has faced some of the best offensive line talent college football has to offer. His upper body strength and ability to drive opponents back is unparalleled in this class. Brown is explosive off the ball and has the first-step quickness to penetrate his gap on nearly every snap. He is also technically refined enough with his pass rush counters that he can occasionally line up on the edge. On film, Brown is constantly living in the opponent’s backfield and never gives up on a play.

Weaknesses:

Brown is a well-rounded lineman. The big concern will be that he relies too much on his upper body strength at times. This means that he plays with poor leverage and is too upright coming out of his stance. However, this is something that should be correctible with the right coaching.

Fit with the Panthers: 

Brown’s most natural fit is as a pure three technique in a 4-3 scheme, which is what the Panthers will be playing under Rhule. He should be disruptive enough to help take away double-team pressure on Kawann Short and Brian Burns. A starting inside tandem consisting of Short and Brown should be one of the best in the NFL.

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