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

7 of 8

(Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) Tashaun Gipson /

player. 87. TASHAUNGIPSON. Pick Analysis. DB. WYOMING. 207. Scouting Report

Carolina Panthers 2012 Draft Pick No. 207: Tashaun Gipson over Brad Nortman

With the 207th pick in the draft, the Carolina Panthers selected punter Brad Nortman. He went on to be the starter for the next four years.

Punters and kickers don’t normally get taken in the early rounds so taking one in the sixth is normal, especially if you are in need of one. Nortman wasn’t ever the best punter in the league but he was very solid. He came in while the offense was still being rebuilt, so he was pretty active.

He averaged around 45 yards per punt with the Panthers, which is a decent average. Nortman never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team but he was still very good.

After his four seasons with the Panthers, Nortman signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2016 season. He averaged around 45 yards per punt and had career longest punt going 78 yards over his two seasons with the organization.

Nortman was released by the Jaguars following the 2017 season. He hasn’t been on a team since but he is still a very good punter. The Panthers should have passed on Nortman and taken a safety who would upgrade their secondary instantly.

More from Cat Crave

Tashaun Gipson went undrafted and was signed by the Cleveland Browns. He didn’t get a lot of playing time his rookie year but he finished with one interception and 33 total tackles.

Over the next two seasons, Gipson was one of the best safeties in the league and was one of the lone bright spots on those very disappointing Browns teams.

Over those two seasons, Gipson had 11 interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. He also had 147 tackles and made the Pro Bowl in 2014.

Gipson only played one more season for the Browns before leaving to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his first season, he had one interception and 41 tackles and spent three years in Jacksonville with his best year coming in 2017.

The Jaguars had the best defense in the league in 2017 and Gipson was a big part of that. He finished the season with four interceptions and 64 tackles. Gipson left the Jaguars after the 2018 season and played with the Houston Texans last year.

Gipson proved he was still a great safety with the Texans. He finished the season with three interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown. He also had 51 tackles and two tackles for loss.

Home/Panthers Draft