4 NFL Draft prospects the Panthers will miss out on in 2021
By Dean Jones
Which 2021 NFL Draft prospects could the Carolina Panthers miss out on?
Sunday’s win at the Washington Football Team has sparked a great debate among analysts, fans, and those on the outside looking in regarding the Carolina Panthers. They lost six positions in the 2021 NFL Draft due to their fifth victory of the campaign against former head coach Ron Rivera, which has left plenty wondering what exactly was the point at this stage of the season.
Try telling those Carolina Panthers players who are fighting for their futures that they need to lose on purpose with a view to getting a better shot of drafting their replacement. The term ‘tanking’ might be nice to think about, but it never happens willingly.
One only has to look at the New York Jets to see that.
This was a team that was staring an 0-16 record in the face before winning their last two contests. This has ultimately cost them a shot at taking Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall selection – which now belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Let’s take a look at four prospects who the Panthers look set to miss out on next spring.
Prospect No. 1
Penei Sewell – OT (Oregon)
The Panthers were projected for the No. 3 overall selection for a brief time after the Bengals beat the Texans. This would have put them in pole position to take the best tackle prospect to enter the NFL in a generation.
Penei Sewell is a bookend protector that has an All-Pro ceiling. He may have skipped his final year at Oregon due to COVID-19 health concerns, but the lineman has enough film to ensure his name is one of the first called on draft night.
Adding Sewell is an opportunity that the Panthers won’t be able to take advantage of and there appears some doubt he’ll make it past the first two picks thanks to the recent resurgence of Jets signal-caller Sam Darnold.