Which college players caught the eye during their first day with the Carolina Panthers coaching staff at the 2021 Senior Bowl?
One of the more critical periods of the 2021 offseason is well underway. Teams are now well into the process of evaluating college prospects ahead of this year’s NFL Draft, with the Carolina Panthers getting a head start by working with some talented individuals first hand at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Day one of practice is now in the books and was full of weather problems. Heavy rain made things interesting during team drills and although the Panthers were without several assistant coaches due to COVID-19 complications, head coach Matt Rhule and new general manager Scott Fitterer were still on hand to get a first-hand look at how players of interest not only performed but also approached team drills.
This will all be invaluable additional information ahead of what is another important draft for the Panthers. They hit big with the majority of their 2020 selections and if they can do the same this time around, it is going to be a tremendous boost in pursuit of possibly entering the postseason discussion when competitive action gets underway in 2021.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some studs and duds from the first official day of Senior Bowl practice.
Stud No. 1
Kadarius Toney – WR (Florida)
Although he suffered an injury late in the practice, Kadarius Toney left his mark with an exceptional display that fully reflected the exciting skill set he brings to the table. The Florida wide receiver has seen his stock rise considerably during the 2020 campaign and with a strong evaluation process, he should be a late first-round pick this spring.
The Carolina Panthers do need some additional help at the wideout position if Curtis Samuel departs in free agency as expected. Toney has a lot of the same traits in terms of size, elusiveness, and pass-catching ability, but whether they’ll be in a position to select the player without trading down for more selections is another matter entirely.
Toney is an electrifying prospect who might just find himself on a Super Bowl contender from the word go if the draft plays out as projected.
Mac Jones – QB (Alabama)
There appears to be plenty of divided opinion on Mac Jones’ ability to make a smooth transition to the next level. The quarterback enjoyed a phenomenal season to steer Alabama to a convincing National Championship victory in 2020, which could see him enter the first-round discussion providing the prospect comes across well during the assessment period.
The Carolina Panthers are clearly looking for an upgrade at the position this offseason due to Teddy Bridgewater‘s inconsistent level of play throughout the season. However, with the top-four quarterbacks potentially coming off the board before No. 8 overall, it presents a complication.
Jones will be one of the players that Carolina’s coaching staff will be monitoring extremely closely. But his indifferent start to practices leaves the prospect with plenty to do in order to convince the Panthers he is worth taking with one of their top-end selections.
Mobility seems to be the main problem where Jones is concerned. He is an accurate thrower and sometimes fearless when it comes to moving the ball. However, his lack of conviction during team drills won’t have gone unnoticed and there is plenty of work to do for the signal-caller in the coming days.
Jamie Newman outperformed Jones by a considerable margin. The Georgia player opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 health concerns, but one could argue he has a little more upside with a unique skill set that is currently all the rage in today’s NFL.
Carlos Basham – DE (Wake Forest)
It didn’t take long for Carlos Basham to catch the eye during Senior Bowl practice. The edge rusher is a supreme physical specimen who has the talent to match, so there will have been plenty of NFL scouts watching his approach and production closely when he took the field in Mobile.
Basham was a relentless force on the line of scrimmage and gave offensive linemen a significant amount of difficulty throughout team drills. He also looked the part during the individual portion of the workout, which is hardly surprising given his exceptional athletic traits.
If the Carolina Panthers are looking to boost their pass-rush this offseason, then they could do worse than look at the Wake Forest stud. Basham has all the traits one looks for in a successful pass-rusher at the next level and putting him on a rotation that also includes Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos would be incredible to watch.
Whether the Panthers are looking to strengthen this particular area of the field early in the 2021 NFL Draft with more pressing needs elsewhere is another matter. Basham might be a late first or early second-round selection on current projections, which would make it difficult for Carolina to acquire the prospect if they don’t take him with their opening selection.
No. 8 overall is too high for Basham, but if new general manager Scott Fitterer decides to trade down and acquire more picks, then he will enter the discussion.
Deonte Brown – OG (Alabama)
It will come as no surprise to anybody that Deonte Brown weighed in at 364 pounds at the Senior Bowl. The offensive lineman is an absolute mammoth on the interior protection, but the quickness he displayed during pass-rushing drills one-on-one was an eye-catching feature from day one of practice.
Brown demonstrated the sort of footwork and ability to keep players in front of him that might just see him become an NFL caliber player after all. There were some doubts about his conditioning in terms of being able to cope with a three-down job at the next level. But the early signs are positive for the Alabama standout after an exceptional 2020 campaign.
The Carolina Panthers will be keeping a close eye on Brown for the rest of the week. They are set for wholesale changes on their offensive line this offseason with four out of contract and center Matt Paradis in danger of becoming a salary-cap casualty.
Acquiring someone like Brown comes with some risk.
But the rewards could be great.
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He made a good start to proving some of his doubters wrong during the first portion of team drills. Brown is a player clearly high on confidence and he might be the one who benefits most from a strong series of practices in the coming days.