Carolina bolsters secondary with CB Harris

by Crimsion | 5 years ago | 1 Comments

The Carolina Panthers found themselves on the outside looking in this past season, but are looking to show off the true talent that they have. QB Cam Newton only found the endzone through the air a total of 11 times in 2019, but the Panthers' have spent a good while developing their talent when it comes to wideout. 

Meanwhile on the otherside of the ball, the Panthers were home to a solid pass rush attack, but still felt as if they lacked a bit within the secondary. They decided to target that within the 1st round and look into improving their defensive efficency.

Round 1 - CB - Courtney Harris - Auburn - 5'10" - 21 yrds - 189lbs - 72 OVR

Courtney Harris comes into a situation where he has the opportunity to start within Nickle packages and get a good amount of snaps in during his rookie year. Harris brings some solid speed to the table, as well as a decent set of hands when it comes to intercepting passes. His coverage could certainly use some work, but manning up for this Auburn product will help this Panthers offense keep things infront of him.

Round 2 - WR - Cecil Hannah - Harvard - 22 yrs - 6'0" - 197lbs - 68 OVR

The Panthers were unable to identify a true slot receiver during their 2019 campaign,  but Hannah can certainly make a point for himself to be placed into such a role. The Harvard product was able to break school records in receiving yards and touchdowns this year, showing that he deserved to be respected on and off the field. His route running comes in the middle of the pact, but he can make some noise here in his rookie year as well.

Round 3 - RE -  Gilbert Bullitt - Michigan State  - 23 yrs- 6'5" - 297lbs - 65 OVR

Once labelled as a first-round talent, Gilbert decided to stay what would seem to be a year too long. A serious knee injury cost him his senior year, and he entered the draft with his stock nose-diving. The Panthers took a chance here in round 3 to see if he can regain some of that spark he found during his junior year with the Spartans.

Round 4 - RG - Gary Jones - Temple - 23 yrs - 6'3 - 343lbs - 67 OVR

Coming out of a smaller school such as Temple you won't likely see a lot of the top tier talent that the nation has to offer, but in the regards of Gary Jones, he's seen and dominated the competition. Carolina will look at Jones to potentially start at the vacant LG position on the depth chart, but he'll need to use this off-season to find his barrings.

Round 5 - QB - Brady Grimm - Iowa State - 22 yrs - 6'5" - 227lbs - 61 OVR

With Cam Newton in a contract year and Will Grier not getting much work this past season, the Carolina Panthers used their 5th round pick on Brady Grimm. The Iowa State product was labelled as a "system quarterback" by many scouts coming out of the combine, but Grimm could be able to find himself in a solid back up role if he can beat out Grier during the pre-season.

Round 6 - LE - Jackie Gross - N.C. State - 23 yrs - 6'3" - 313lbs - 61 OVR

Jackie Gross will get to continue to enjoy some home cooked meals and with this pick he'll stay in the state of Carolina. While he isn't the fastest of pass rushers, his big frame will help eat up space in the running lanes while allowing the elite pass rushers on this Panthers' front to thrive. He'll likely spell Gerald McCoy and Kwann Short when it comes time.

Round 7 - QB - Forrest Burroughs - Middle Tennesse State - 23 yrs - 6'2" - 225lbs - 49 OVR

This Middle Tennesee State product will likely serve as a camp body, but the competition for the back up job is as open as it can get with the future of the man under centre not guaranteed. Forrest could insert himself into the mix with a solid pre-season, although he doesn't possess a very strong or accurate arm, nor does he have game breaking speed in his arsenal.