Football is back. After a hefty two week break, the NFL is headlining the sports world once again. Teams are congregating in Indianapolis to watch a bunch of college kids run and jump and go through drills to add another data point to their scouting profiles. Every year, we talk about how film trumps measurables, but every year several players post measurables that seem to have rather significant impacts on their viability as prospects, both good and bad. We’ll look at a few players that are projected
to go around the Panthers’ picks that could be worth monitoring.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Tight end is probably the most obvious hole on the offense right now, and Kenyon Sadiq is getting some buzz in the middle of the first round around where the Panthers will be picking. He was pretty productive at Oregon, but he’s expected to blow people away should he go through physical testing. He’s a shredded 6’3”, 245 pounds and is expected to post speed and explosiveness numbers that will rival those of wide receivers. He’s got some rawness to his game, but the physical traits might be too juicy to ignore.
Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
Faulk looks the part of an NFL defensive end. He’s 6’6” and 270 pounds with long arms. However, he only tallied two sacks last season at Auburn. Still, he’s seen by many as a potential first round pick, and he can solidify that with measurables that match the hype. He’s only 20 years old and is apparently a great culture guy. If he can post some elite athletic numbers, somebody is going to convince themselves that there’s no way he fails. The Panthers need help getting to the quarterback, so while he may not be a perfect fit in Ejiro Evero’s scheme, Carolina could be intrigued.
R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma
Thomas posted decent production his last two seasons in Norman, but he’s getting dinged as a prospect because of his size and length. The Panthers are missing any sort of real explosiveness off the edge, and if nothing else, Thomas has shown that trait on tape. He should test really well, which is going to reinforce the idea that he can be a disruptive force despite his size.
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Rodriguez was the most productive linebacker in this class, finishing last season with 128 tackles, four interceptions, and seven forced fumbles. Still, there are some questions that tend to follow players of his ilk regarding his speed and agility. The production and the motor are there. Solid testing numbers could bump up his stock and put him in play for a Panthers pick on day two. Carolina badly needs a linebacker that can make some plays and cause some disruption. Rodriguez did that in spades at Texas Tech, and he can prove that he has the athletic chops to translate that to the NFL.
Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State
The Panthers have invested significant draft capital into the wide receiver position in recent years, so it might be frustrating to see them dip into that well again, but Thompson is a different kind of animal. The Panthers top three wide receivers are all big targets that aren’t the twitchiest. A burner WR3 would really add some diversity to the group. Thompson is widely expected to clock the fastest time in the class. He has some warts, but if he runs in the 4.2s like some people expect, it’d be hard to ignore that should he be available in the third round.
