The Panthers have gone heavy on the defense during the first two days of the draft. And they might not be done, yet.
Correction: They shouldn’t be done, yet.
Because while the early reviews on the defensive troika of Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jeremy Chinn have been solid, the Panthers still haven’t addressed the cornerback spot.
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I would expect that to change Saturday, when the Panthers begin the day with one pick in each of the final four rounds (they traded their third and a fifth to grab Chinn with the last selection of the second round).
General manager Marty Hurney said corner “obviously” was a position of need after James Bradberry signed with the Giants, and the Panthers did nothing in free agency to address it. But Hurney also said he wasn’t going to reach just to fill a spot, either.
The Panthers’ picks on Saturday are 113, 152, 184 and 221.
Here are five possible Day 3 targets, including a couple of corners and a bit of a grab-bag elsewhere:
Troy Pride, CB, Notre Dame
Troy Pride has speed on his side, arriving at Notre Dame after winning multiple state titles as a high school sprinter in South Carolina. Pride, who also was on the Fighting Irish track team, ran a 4.40 at the combine. But he has average size (5-11, 193) and was often hit-or-miss in coverage, allowing four touchdowns as a senior. But he might be the best of the rest at this point.
John Reid, CB, Penn State
Matt Rhule looked to his Penn State alma mater for Gross-Matos, so it’s probably worth keeping track of John Reid on Saturday. The New Jersey native, who was teammates with D’Andre Swift and Jon Runyan Jr. at his Philadelphia private school, is undersized at 5-10 and 187 pounds. He spent five years with the Nittany Lions, including three as a starter after redshirting in 2017 after tearing his ACL in his left knee. Reid had seven career interceptions and ran a 4.49 in Indy.
Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
The North Carolina native turned down an offer from Boston College to stay closer to home. He started every game the past two seasons with the Mountaineers, finishing with more than 100 tackles both years. An outside linebacker with excellent length and speed, Akeem Davis-Gaither could be a “discount version of Isaiah Simmons,” according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. But if the Panthers go with a cornerback in the fourth round, they likely will miss out on the home-state player.
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Jared Pinkney, TE, Vanderbilt
Jared Pinkney, who played high school football with the Saints’ Alvin Kamara in Norcross, Ga., was at Vandy for five years after redshirting as a freshman. As a junior, Pinkney caught 50 passes for 774 yards, the most receiving yards by a Commodores tight end since 1984. Good size (6-4, 257) but not terribly fast (4.96), Pinkney could help the Panthers’ tight end depth with his athleticism and sure hands.
JaMycal Hasty, RB, Baylor
Rhule has to get at least one former Bears player, right? Many observers (raises hand) thought Baylor defensive lineman James Lynch could wind up in Charlotte. And while Lynch is still available, the Panthers might have reached their limit on D-linemen for one draft. JaMycal Hasty, who fell 2 yards short of 2,000 career rushing yards at Baylor, is a late-round prospect who could provide running back depth while helping immediately on special teams.
(Photo of Troy Pride: Joe Robbins / Getty Images)
