Panthers land Trey Lance and 12 picks in 7-round 2021 NFL Draft mock

Fifth-Round Pick (No. 152)

Brady Christensen – OL (BYU)

Although Brady Christensen spent his college career protecting the blindside of BYU’s phenom Zach Wilson, there are plenty who project him to be better as a guard once he gets to the NFL. This is somewhere that the Carolina Panthers need additional reinforcements and although they’ll need to pick up a veteran in free agency on the other side, the versatile prospect could be a plug-and-play starter.

Carolina would possibly have three rookies on their new-look offensive line in this scenario. Having Taylor Moton will help, but adding someone with a bit more in the way of experience for whoever is under center is also vital.

Fifth-Round Pick (No. 154)

Jaylen Twyman – DT (Pittsburgh)

It’s hard to look at Jaylen Twyman’s film and wonder just why he seems to be a relative afterthought in the draft process. The Pittsburgh standout opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns, which seems to have put him at the back of everybody’s minds despite a sensational season last year.

Twyman’s skill set seems to compliment what Carolina already has and with a little refinement, the prospect might even become a long-term successor for Kawann Short, who was released to save some significant cap space.

Fifth-Round Pick (No. 185)

Tre Norwood – S/CB (Oklahoma)

Juston Burris is another veteran who might become a salary-cap casualty this offseason. The safety just hasn’t done enough to prove he can become a reliable starter, and Tre Boston was also released after going through his fair share of struggles during the campaign.

Even if Carolina does move Jeremy Chinn back into the safety spot, getting another young prospect with a high upside would be welcome for the depth chart. Tre Norwood missed a whole year of college action in 2019 and does need to bulk up if he wants to make a go of things at the next level, but he has the talent to make things happen if adjustments are made.