Carolina Panthers: 2012 NFL Draft do-over (6 rounds)

Carolina Panthers 2012 Pick No. 143: Damon Harrison over Josh Norman

With the 143rd pick, the Carolina Panthers took Coastal Carolina cornerback Josh Norman, who turned out to be a great player.

Norman didn’t get time to sit and learn on the sidelines, the Panthers needed him to be on the field right away due to the lack of production from the corner position. And he started 12 games with one interception and 73 total tackles in his rookie year.

In his second year, he only played seven games and was benched behind Captain Munnerlyn. By the end of the season, Norman was the fifth corner on the depth chart.

In 2014 Munnerlyn left to go play for the Minnesota Vikings and Norman finally got a chance to prove himself. He played well towards the end and was very good in their playoff games against the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

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In 2015 Norman really took off. The Panthers went 15-1 and he was one of the best corners in the NFL. Norman started all 16 games and finished with four interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns. The player also had three forced fumbles and 56 total tackles.

Norman made the Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All-Pro. He was a huge part of the Panthers’ success that season but unfortunately, that was his last in Carolina after he signed a huge deal that offseason with Washington.

Norman was great for the Panthers but they should have passed on him and taken one of the best defensive tackles the NFL has had this decade. Damon Harrison went undrafted and was signed by the New York Jets.  He didn’t get much playing time in his rookie year, only appearing in five games.

In his second season, he was a full-time starter for the Jets starting all 16 games, finishing the campaign with 66 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Harrison went on to be their starting defensive tackle for the next two seasons before heading across town to join the New York Giants.

It was with the Giants that Harrison became an elite pass rusher and run stopper. In his three seasons with the Giants, he had four sacks, 162 tackles, and 13 tackles for loss. He was named First-Team All-Pro in 2016.

Harrison was traded to the Detroit Lions during 2018 and he continued his dominance. In his two seasons with the team, he’s had 5.5 sacks, 99 tackles, and eight tackles for loss.