Carolina Panthers: 2013 NFL Draft do-over (5 rounds)

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(Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) Tyrann Mathieu /

44. Pick Analysis. LSU. TYRANNMATHIEU. player. 87. Scouting Report. DB

Carolina Panthers Pick No. 44: Tyrann Mathieu over Kawann Short

With their second pick in the draft, the Carolina Panthers decided to pick up another defensive tackle in Kawann Short. It turned out to be a great pick.

Short didn’t start a game his rookie year but he still put up some solid numbers finishing with 1.5 sack, 30 total tackles, and seven tackles for loss.

The following season Short started nine games and his numbers went up with 3.5 sacks and 39 total tackles. This was the start of an amazing three year stretch for the lineman.

In 2015 where it seems every Panther player had a career year, Short put up some amazing numbers. He finished with three forced fumbles, 11 sacks, and 55 total tackles. He was the force in the middle for Carolina, starting all 16 games and making the Pro Bowl.

Over the next two seasons, Short started all 32 games and totaled 13.5 sacks and 104 tackles. His numbers took a dip after that three-year spell but he was still selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

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Short only played two games during the 2019 season after he partially tore his rotator cuff in their week two matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will be fully healthy this season and hopefully will be the force in the middle he used to be.

Short has been great for the Panthers and is definitely not a bust, but he wasn’t the best player available. Carolina should have selected Tyrann Mathieu, who just won his first Super Bowl and was taken initially by the Arizona Cardinals.

Mathieu didn’t see the field too much in his first two seasons due to injury but he still put up solid numbers. Over those two years, the former LSU star totaled three interceptions, one forced fumble, one sack, and 106 total tackles.

In 2015 Mathieu started 14 games and finished with five interceptions, 17 pass deflections, one forced fumble, one sack, 89 total tackles, and 11 tackles for loss. He was effective at any spot on the field and was one of the best defensive backs in the league on his way to Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections.

Mathieu continued to produce for the Cardinals over the next two seasons despite missing six games. In 2016 and 2017, the defensive back totaled three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two sacks, 113 total tackles, and nine tackles for loss.

Mathieu signed a one year deal with the Houston Texans and made the Cardinals regret releasing him. In 2018 he had two interceptions, three sacks, 89 total tackles, and five tackles for loss. The player was great for the Texans but it would be the only year he was with the team as he signed a three-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs the following season.

He was huge for the Chiefs and finished with four interceptions, 12 passes defended, two sacks, and 75 total tackles. Mathieu got his first Super Bowl ring and was named First-Team All-Pro.

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