A handful of second and third round prospects that perfectly fit the Carolina Panthers philosophy and needs
Thanks to a trade in 2024 with the Los Angeles Rams the Carolina Panthers have a pick in each of the first three rounds despite trading away their own second round pick for the rights to acquire Bryce Young. That second round pick is a huge boon for this draft class, but it will have to be used wisely for it to ultimately matter.
Earlier I wrote about which prospects destined for the first round would fit the Panthers the best, now it’s time for Day 2.
(Note: consensus ranks pulled from the Consensus Big Board on NFL Mock Draft Database)
Round Two
Trey Amos | Cornerback | Mississippi | 6’1 195 lbs | Consensus Rank: 41
A very good but not elite athlete, Amos might be able to slip to the Panthers pick at 57, although that might be a pipe dream considering Amos’ instincts and ball skills. If the Panthers ended up with a pick closer to the front or middle of the 2nd round, Amos’ productivity would make him a worthwhile addition to a secondary lacking talent beyond Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.
Why he fits: Amos’ skillset and film projects an easy match with Ejiro Evero’s Cover 3-heavy scheme while his frame fits within the height and arm length thresholds for an outside corner that the Panthers seem to covet.
Mason Taylor | Tight end | LSU | 6’5 251 lbs | Consensus Rank: 52
Taylor is the son of NFL Hall of Fame defender Jason Taylor and those bloodlines translate to the field. He is a smooth, natural athlete and it is easy to believe he’s just scratching the surface of his potential as he’ll only be turning 21 in May.
Why he fits: If the Panthers want to add quality weapons around their young quarterback, I can’t help but think back to the era of Cam Newton throwing to Greg Olsen and pine for a reliable tight end to grow alongside Young. Taylor would be the perfect passing game compliment to the current Tight end room and is already a satisfactory blocker despite his age.
Bradyn Swinson | Edge | LSU | 6’4 255 lbs | Consensus Rank: 72
Swinson was a bit of a late bloomer at LSU who’s best season was his last, totallying 9 sacks. The surface numbers won’t wow you, but he did have 22.1% pass rush win rate and 91.4 true pass set rush grade according to PFF. Swinson does not shy away from contact and showed he could win in a variety of ways despite not having a huge amount of playtime compared to others in this class. While not a dominant run defender, Swinson isn’t a liability either. Still, he will need to be more disciplined in this area to be a full time Edge in the NFL.
Why he fits: Swinson’s measurables in height, weight and arm length (33.375 in.) all fall in line with the threshold the Panthers seem to prioritize under Evero, based on their free agent and previous draft selections. For a team that is lacking in pass rush productivity, Swinson would immediately provide the team some juice as a designated pass rusher while developing other aspects of his game while Clowney and DJ Wonnum continue to start.
Round Three
Kevin Winston Jr | Safety | Penn State | 6’2 215 lbs | Consensus Rank: 97
Winston was projected to be one of the top safties in this class, if not the top safety, in this draft class prior to the season. Unfortunately, Winston partially tore his ACL in the second game but still declared for the NFL based on the strength of his 2023 tape. A year in which Winston was the only safety to post PFF grades in coverage and run defense above 85.0 and was not credited with a single missed tackle in over 500 snaps on defense.
Why he fits: Winston’s athleticism at his height and weight is a coveted trait in the NFL. His versatility to play the post as well as play in the box, similar to new free agent addition Tre’von Moehrig, gives the Panthers the interchangeable skillsets on the back-end that Evero desires. The Panthers would also covet Winston’s elite tackling, having a just over 2% missed tackle rate for his college career.
Jared Ivey | Defensive End | Mississippi | 6’6 274 lbs | Consensus Rank: 114
Ivey was played more on the Edge at Mississippi but has the frame and power to add more weight and become special as a 3-4 defensive end. While competing with the other talent on the Mississippi defensive line and lined up mostly outside the tackle, Ivey still had 8 sacks in back-to-back years lined up mostly outside the offensive tackle. Ivey’s pass rush win rate in 2024 was 16.8%.
Why he fits: Ivey has the size, strength and athleticism (86th percentile athleticism score according to NFL Next Gen Stats) to be a consistent disrupter from the inside. In 2024, A’Shawn Robinson was tied for the Panthers team lead in sacks with 5.5. In his career, Robinson had not had more than 2 in a season prior to that. If the scheme is providing enough opportunities for historically poor pass rushers like Robinson to be productive, imagine what placing in a true athletic power rusher could look like?
Jalen Royals | Wide Receiver | Utah State | 6’0 205 lbs | Consensus Rank: 74
Royals is built like a running back but was productive at Utah State as an outside wide receiver who rotated into the slot on occasion. What would make Royals be available in the third round is that he is more above average than elite as an athlete, and he doesn’t have much variety in his route tree.
Why he fits: Royals versatility fits the Panthers well, as he could line-up at most of the positions and not look out of place. Despite the limits on his athletic potential, Royals is still fluid and shows tremendous body coordination. The main reason Royals would be a benefit to the Panthers is that he is a weapon after the catch for a team that was ranked dead last in wide receiver created yards after catch in 2024. Royals was averaging 7.9 yards after the catch per reception, had 17 missed tackles forced after the catch and lead the FBS with 10 catches of 50+ yards over the last two seasons.