5 prospects on defense for the Panthers to monitor at Senior Bowl
By Dean Jones
Hamsah Nasirildeen – S (Florida State)
There appears to be some concern surrounding the safety position with the Carolina Panthers. Tre Boston’s regression after signing a new deal was there for all to see and free-agent signing Juston Burris might be moved on after just one season after some indifferent displays that overshadowed the positives overall.
Phil Snow is eager for the Panthers to move stud rookie Jeremy Chinn to the backend, which would be a big boost to this particular area of the field. However, considering the impact he made as an outside linebacker during his first season in a professional environment, it might leave them a little short on the line of scrimmage.
Bringing in an exciting talent from the college ranks wouldn’t hurt even if Carolina does switch the former Southern Illinois standout to safety. Hamsah Nasirildeen comes with some exciting upside and possesses a lot of the same versatility that convinced the Panthers to trade back into the second round for Chinn at No. 64 overall.
The best thing one could say about Nasirildeen is his potential to be a positionless player at the next level. This isn’t a slight by any stretch of the imagination and this is something Matt Rhule clearly loves, so getting a strong indicator as to how the Florida State star could make a difference on the Panthers during Senior Bowl workouts in the coming days will be an invaluable source of information ahead of draft weekend.
Nasirildeen is physical enough to impact proceedings at the second level, has no trouble covering from the slot, and although there is a serious knee injury suffered in 2019 to consider, he comes with a significant amount of upside.