Panthers 2021 Draft: QB gamble landed in latest 7-round mock
By Dean Jones
Shi Smith – WR (South Carolina)
Another prospect who made his presence felt at the Senior Bowl practices was Shi Smith. The South Carolina showed off some impressive burst, smoothness out of his cuts, and came up with some big catches during the various scrimmages throughout the week.
The Carolina Panthers will be looking for additional depth in the passing game if Curtis Samuel, Brandon Zylstra, and Pharoh Cooper all move on during free agency. Smith gives them a viable option in the mid-to-late rounds who works well out of the slot, which could make him a candidate to play some meaningful reps right away.
Noah Gray – TE (Duke)
Ian Thomas simply didn’t do enough to convince the Panthers he is worthy of filling the void left by Greg Olsen. The tight end was a relative afterthought in the passing game – which was a damning indictment of his prospects considering how much Joe Brady utilized the position during his time at LSU – so it would be a shock if Carolina didn’t address this need either with a veteran or an incoming college recruit.
Noah Gray is yet another player who came up with some nice production during Senior Bowl practices. Despite transitioning to the position after initially coming in as a quarterback during his time at Duke, his ability to find space over the middle is highly encouraging and there is every chance the player can get even more accomplished once he gets to the pro ranks.
Jimmy Morrissey – OG (Pittsburgh)
Spending multiple selections on offensive linemen is probably the smart way to go for Carolina considering how much the salary-cap is coming down. Getting veteran players who can produce the goods in this area normally comes at a high price, so given general manager Scott Fitterer’s reputation for finding gems in the later rounds, this would be a good time to utilize such a skill considering how deep this class should be for protectors.
Jimmy Morrisey comes into the NFL on the back of being a three-year starter at Pittsburgh, where he earned team captaincy thanks to his high level of consistency and ability to lead. He absorbs oncoming rushers extremely well on passing downs and thrives in an aggressive nature when called upon for run support.
Providing Morrissey can improve the power element of his game, his versatility to play either center or at one of the guard positions could come into use.