4 pass-rushing 2021 NFL Draft prospects the Panthers should scout
By Dean Jones
Which 2021 NFL Draft prospects could improve the Carolina Panthers pass-rush?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Carolina Panthers need to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. This has been a constant problem on defense throughout the 2020 season and it has really hampered them despite being competitive against some top teams so far.
Brian Burns has been outstanding, but he cannot do it alone. The 2019 first-round pick looks to have a big future and once he deciphers how to finish off plays a little better, the Carolina Panthers will have a real gem on their hands.
The Panthers drafted Yetur Gross-Matos in the second round, who has shown glimpses of what he’s capable of despite missing some time with a high ankle sprain. But the free-agent signing of Stephen Weatherly hasn’t worked out and he may be moved on in the offseason after just one year with the franchise.
Carolina has just 11 sacks through ten games, which isn’t going to win you a lot of football games. Significant reinforcements need to be sought either during free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft and here are four prospects that the Panthers need to be scouting ahead of the evaluation process.
Prospect No. 1
Gregory Rousseau – DT (Miami)
Whether the Panthers will be in a position to select Gregory Rousseau with their first-round pick remains to be seen. But he would be an option worth considering despite the obvious needs elsewhere.
Rousseau has everything you’d want to see in an elite pass rusher at the next level. He has the size, speed, and power to wreak havoc on any given down, and pairing him with Burns and Gross-Matos would give Carolina a potentially dominant young trio that would be the cornerstone of their success in the years to come.