5 prospects on defense for the Panthers to monitor at Senior Bowl
By Dean Jones
Carlos Basham Jr. – DE (Wake Forest)
As stated previously, the Carolina Panthers had some difficulty getting sacks early in the season. If the pressure wasn’t coming from Brian Burns, then it generally didn’t come at all, and although Yetur Gross-Matos showed promise during a frustrating season overall for the rookie, some more options would be highly advantageous in their pursuit of progression.
One player that you cannot help but be impressed by is Carlos Basham. The Wake Forest defensive end has three seasons of exceptional film for NFL scouts to go off and he is sure to be getting more than his fair share of attention from Carolina’s coaching staff at the Senior Bowl.
Basham’s final stats from his time in college are just sensational. In four years with the Demon Deacons, the lineman recorded 19.5 sacks, 35.5 tackles for loss, eight passes defended, seven forced fumbles, and 173 tackles from 42 career games.
His technique is of a high standard and Basham has the necessary power to make a smooth transition to the next level. Putting him in a rotation that also consists of Burns and Gross-Matos would undoubtedly make the Panthers a pass-rushing force to be reckoned with moving forward.
The pass-rushing traits are there, so when he learns how to be more effective against the run, one NFL team is going to have a player with enormous promise on their hands.