Carolina Panthers: Isaiah Simmons can be Gronkowski’s kryptonite

How does Simmons match up with Gronkowski?

Isaiah Simmons excels in coverage and has the sort of versatility that is going to ensure he becomes an NFL star in no time at all.

The Carolina Panthers would be foolish not to consider Simmons with their No. 7 selection. But there is no guarantee he would be there by that point given the amount of buzz he has generated during the evaluation process.

Rob Gronkowski has been a nightmare to cover one-on-one throughout his career with the New England Patriots. However, Simmons has the size, speed, and athleticism to thwart the tight end’s threat whenever they are matched up on the field.

Simmons has the potential to play safety if required. It makes a ton of sense for the Panthers to put him up against Gronkowski if he ends up on the franchise. He has nothing to worry about from a speed perspective and has the anticipation necessary to contest every ball coming the player’s way.

Gronkowski does an exceptional job of putting his body in the right spots to give opposing players no chance of contesting. That might be different with Simmons, who has surprising strength and a quick first step to counteract any cuts from receivers of tight ends.

The prospect should already be high on the Panthers’ shortlist heading into the Draft. They do not have the necessary cornerbacks or linebackers that would be able to consistently cope with someone like Gronkowski two times a season without strengthening their ranks.

Simmons comes with the highest of ceilings and would be more than a match for the Super Bowl-winning tight end. If Carolina ends up picking him with their first-rounder, it is going to be a mouth-watering matchup in 2020.

While two games a season is unlikely to change the Panthers thinking regarding the Draft. Simmons offers so much and his potential against Gronkowski is just a small part of what he can bring to the NFL.