The Panthers picked up a potential franchise left tackle in Ickey Ekwonu, who gets to stay in the state of North Carolina. Offensively, the Panthers have a formidable set of receivers to start the year with in former Cleveland Browns receiver Rashard Higgins, who should combine with DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and Terrance Marshall, Jr. to round off the team’s depth. They also have 2021 sixth-round pick Shi Smith, who put up an 86-yard receiving performance in December.
| Carolina Panthers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round, Selection, | Player | School | DN Big Board Rank/ Grade | ‘Nasty’ Take: | ||
| 1 (6) | Ikem "Ickey" Ekwonu | NC State | 1/1st Round | Ekwonu gives the Panthers the flexibility to leave Taylor Moton on the right side of the offensive line. He may be the best run blocker in the draft despite playing on the perimeter. | ||
| 3 (94) | Matt Corral | QB/Ole Miss | 40/2nd Round | If Corral learns to protect himself better, then his quick release and instincts in the second or third phase of the play could prove to shine. | ||
| 4 (120) | Brandon Smith | LB/Penn State | 96/3rd Round | Smith's explosiveness doesn't always exude itself due to snapping the pictures a step late. He has a chance to become a better pro than collegian. | ||
| 6 (189) | Amare Barno | DE-OLB/Virginia Tech | 143/3rd Round | Barno just needs to add more weight for the NFL grind. The Hokies used him in a variety of roles this past season as a chess piece. He was much better in 2020 than he was in 2021. | ||
| 6 (199) | Cade Mays | OL/Tennessee, Georgia | 143/3rd Round | Mays' balance needs slight improvement, but he showed increased mobility this past season at the RT spot. The former Vol works to envelop defenders on the edge. He has started at four of the five OL spots in school. | ||
| 7 (242) | Kalon Barnes | CB/Baylor | 271/4th Round | Barnes has to improve stopping his charge on the intermediate concepts as a corner. He brings major upside as a gunner. If he can learn to control the 4.2 speed, there are possibilities for him as a long-term No. 3 or No. 4 at the least. He has plenty of familiarity with the staff and a leg up on the competition in terms of knowing the team’s defensive system. | ||
| Undrafted Free Agent signings | ||||||
| DN Big Board Rank | Player | Positions | School | Grade | Round | Nasty’ Take: |
| 217 | Charleston Rambo | WR | Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma | 5.58 | 4th Round | Rambo went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark in 2021 and it was largely due to his play speed and run after the catch capability. A lack of bulk hurt his charge. |
| 262 | Arron Mosby | OLB | Fresno State | 5.46 | 4th Round | Mosby may not have met the requirements for some teams when projecting its rushers, but he’s been a four-year contributor and actually had experience playing defensive back. Continues to get better. |
| 345 | Davis Cheek | QB | Elon | 5.17 | 5th Round | Cheek was one of our favorite quarterbacks in this year’s draft due to his play speed and ball placement. A quirky release didn’t do him any favors and there were durability question marks. |
| 349 | Khalan Tolson | LB | Illinois | 5.16 | 5th Round | Tolson is a heat-seeking missile who improved his diagnostic skills. The fiery Fighting Illini defender never really took the next step in school, but he always flashed the capability. |
| 364 | Josh Babicz | TE | North Dakota State | 5.13 | 5th Round | Babicz’s size screams NFL starter, but the overall savvy as a receiving entity may have been a step behind. From a talent perspective, he has room for growth after playing in a pro-style system in school. |
| 377 | Marquan McCall | DT-NG | Kentucky | 5.105 | 5th Round | One of the Wildcats’ true team leaders, McCall dominated in stretches against top-notch centers. He ranks as a two-down defender and could possibly find a role for a team that needs inside beef. |
| 542 | Isaiah Graham-Mobley | LB | Boston College, Temple | 4.53 | 6th Round | Graham-Mobley was another connection from the Panthers’ Temple days. He has had injury issues in the past but, when available, he played well in 2021. |
| 668 | Talolo Limu-Jones | WR/H-Back | Eastern Washington | 3.94 | 7th Round | We projected a possible move back to the tight end or H-back position for Limu-Jones. He was a part in Eric Barriere’s incredible success at the FCS level, as both a middle of the field entity and beyond. |
| 714 | John Lovett | RB | Penn State, Baylor | 3.49 | Free Agent | Lovett has all of the physical tools but never found a rhythm at Penn State. When playing with Rhule’s staff at Baylor, Lovett averaged nearly 6.4 yards per carry in 2019. |
| Drew Hartlaub | S | Penn State | N/A | N/A | The team certainly loves speed. After most thought they got the fastest player in the draft in the seventh round in Barnes, he was actually second. Hartlaub ran a 4.22 in the 40-yard dash on his Pro Day at Penn State. During his career, he posted 16 tackles on special teams. | |
| Andrew Parchment | WR | FSU, Kansas, Northern Illinois | N/A | N/A | Parchment really began to hit his stride at Kansas back in 2019. Long strider. Body dexterity to nearly make twisting grabs (Coastal Carolina '20, underthrown fade). Comes off the ball in a compact manner. Drives off the ball with high knees and rolls speed outs (1st QTR, 3rd and 7, Baylor '19). FSU’s second-leading receiver had the occasional concentration lapse in school. | |
| Ra’Shaun Henry | WR | Virginia, St. Francis (Pa.) | N/A | N/A | Henry, another postseason workout warrior (4.4 40-yd, 10’10” BJ, 6.7 3-cone), was one of the Cavaliers’ best down the field targets over the last two seasons after transferring from St. Francis (Pa.). | |
| Derek Wright | WR | Utah State | N/A | N/A | Wright was a significant contributor down the field for the Aggies in 2021 as part of a new offensive system. Games like the Colorado State contest showed off his ability to track the ball through coverage. Postseason workouts displayed his feel for the vertical passing game. |
Defensively, the NFL’s second-ranked defense under creative defensive coordinator Phil Snow had to garner a couple of reinforcements. The team needed to make up for the loss of Haason Reddick (Eagles) in free agency. Could the addition of sixth-round pick Amare Barno help fill at least some of the void? Much like Reddick, Barno was used in a number of roles in college due to his versatility.
In terms of the undrafted free agents, the Panthers did a viable job of getting a number of players who could be top-notch pickups or at least practice squad candidates. The team has intimate knowledge of several players they’ve worked with in the past at either Baylor or Temple. Some of those names include Graham-Mobley, Lovett and even their seventh-round selection Kalon Barnes.
