Cat Crave
FanSided

Carolina Panthers: Jordan Scarlett adds much-needed depth at RB

By Danny Jaillet

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 29: Jordan Scarlett #25 of the Florida Gators scores a third quarter rushing touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 29: Jordan Scarlett #25 of the Florida Gators scores a third quarter rushing touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Carolina Panthers got some much-needed depth at running back.

The Carolina Panthers continued to be very busy on the final day of the draft. In what can be seen as an insurance move, they selected running back Jordan Scarlett of the University of Florida with the 154th overall pick.

Scarlett had a very productive year for  Florida in 2018. He rushed the ball 131 times for 776 yards and five touchdowns. He had a tremendous game against South Carolina on November 10. In that contest, he rushed the ball 18 times for 159 yards. Averaging 8.8 yards per carry, a 28-yard scamper was his longest of the afternoon. He was a huge reason why Florida would edge the Gamecocks in that contest by a 35-31 margin.

More from Cat Crave

The performance against South Carolina was his second 100-yard game of the season. He also managed to ambush the Vanderbilt Commodores on October 13. Rushing the ball 16 times for 113 yards, he averaged 7.1 yards per carry. He also managed to find pylon on the day, and a 48-yard run was his longest of the afternoon. He certainly put up impressive numbers last season. Now, he looks to do the same for Carolina.

This was a great draft pick. The Carolina Panthers desperately needed depth for Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey carried the load too many times last season and he definitely could have used breaks in some situations. Scarlett should allow McCaffrey to have a breather and offer production to boot. Norv Turner’s offense relies a lot on the running backs, and having a guy like Scarlett who can provide explosiveness and big-time playmaking ability is great.

According to his NFL.com profile, Scarlett is a guy that can burst quickly out of his cuts and can stay on his feet after contact. That is certainly the mark of a physical running back, and the Panthers could definitely use that to complement Christian McCaffrey’s speed and finesse. He did suffer some off-the-field issues while at Florida, but I am all for giving second chances. Scarlett should be able to help Carolina right away.

After a questionable pick with Will Grier yesterday, the Carolina Panthers made a safe one here with Scarlett. Again, this pick provides a great value and he can help Christian McCaffrey relax a little bit over the course of the game. Depth at the running back position was desperately needed, and the Carolina Panthers addressed it. I certainly can see him sliding into the running back rotation right away.

Home/Panthers Draft