Did the Panthers get the best value with their picks in the 2021 NFL draft?
Nobody knows how any college prospect is going to work out in the NFL. For every Peyton Manning there’s a Ryan Leaf and there’s no telling which is which until they actually get onto the field.
So, time will tell whether or not the Panthers got a good haul in this year’s draft. For what it’s worth, the early reviews for their picks are splendid. Some analysts have even said that they did the best work of any team in the league. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranked his top 150 prospects with a simple point-value and Carolina came out on top.
Fun exercise- took my top 150 players & assigned point values. My number 1 player is worth 150 points. My 150th player is worth 1 point.
(H/T @NFLResearch) Here’s the result👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/ua4GKIRaCG— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) May 4, 2021
UCLA’s Director of Player Personnel also has them ranked No. 1.
I thought six NFL teams had fantastic drafts, acquiring top talents while addressing key needs and upgrading their overall roster. In order:
1. Carolina Panthers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Washington Football Team
5. New England Patriots
6. Los Angeles Chargers— Ethan Young (@EthanYoungFB) May 1, 2021
Former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt says the Panthers got two of the top value picks in the draft in sixth-round selections Deonte Brown and Daviyon Nixon.
Based on my Hot 100 draft board and where players got picked, here are the picks I would consider the best value:
G Trey Smith, KC (+152)
G Deonte Brown, CAR (+131)
OT Stone Forsythe, SEA (+115)
DT Daviyon Nixon, CAR (+83)
CB Shaun Wade, BAL (+80)
LB Garret Wallow, HOU (+73)
1/2— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) May 4, 2021
In ESPN’s post-draft podcast, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay also raved about what the Panthers did.
Like we said at the top, this is all speculative at this point. Everything we know about the draft though indicates that this current front office knows what they’re doing.
These individual prospects might not pan out, but as long as Scott Fitterer and Matt Rhule are committed to a philosophy of trading down for more picks and using them on the best athletes available it will bode well for this team’s future.
