INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Carolina Panthers interviews during the first day of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
A new era of Carolina Panthers football is upon us. What can we expect from the new regime heading into the 2020 NFL Draft?
No NFL coaching overhaul this offseason was more drastic than that of the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina brought in Baylor’s Matt Rhule, one of the collegiate circuit’s most sought-after head coaching candidates, and paired him on the offensive side of the ball with LSU offensive guru, Joe Brady.
Throw in the release of Cam Newton, the retirement of Luke Keuchly, and you have a brand new era of Panthers football.
How will the Panthers’ new regime approach their first NFL Draft? Let’s take a look for this seven-round mock draft.
1st round
Isaiah Simmons
LB, Tigers
Defense is the most-likely route for the Panthers with this pick and for a team in need of speed on that side of the ball, you can find no better fit than Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons.
Is he a linebacker? Is he a safety? Whatever your opinion of Simmons’ best position fit in the NFL, he has the athleticism to stick there. Heck, he could probably be a good quarterback if he really wanted to be.
Simmons’ performance at the Combine is already the stuff of legend and Matt Rhule would love to add a unique chess piece like the former Clemson star to build his defense around.
South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw has also been long-rumored to be a Panthers target but I’m not sure you can pass up an athlete like Simmons if he’s available here. If Carolina trades back and falls in love with a receiver, Baylor’s Denzel Mims and LSU’s Justin Jefferson could be fits based purely on familiarity with Rhule and new offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
The retirement of Luke Keuchly opens up an immediate hole in the middle of the Carolina defense and Simmons would give Carolina the perfect piece for the team as it begins to form its identity under its new coaching staff.