5 cornerbacks the Panthers could target in the 2021 NFL Draft

Which cornerbacks could the Carolina Panthers potentially target to bolster their options during the 2021 NFL Draft?

We are now a little more than two weeks away from finding out which college recruits will be joining the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 NFL Draft. Just what direction the organization will go in is still undetermined, with those in power keen to adopt the best player available approach rather than target a specific positional group with their selections at any stage.

This sounds good, in theory. And the acquisition of Sam Darnold from the New York Jets will surely help open things up. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there are still a couple of groups on the depth chart that need to take priority during what is sure to be a critical weekend for the Panthers and their chances of mounting a surprise playoff push in 2021.

One such positional group is cornerback.

The Panthers did sign A.J. Bouye to put alongside Donte Jackson. However, the Pro Bowler is suspended for the first two games of the season and there isn’t much confidence in Troy Pride Jr. or Stentley Thomas-Oliver occupying a prominent starting role with more development needed.

Carolina Panthers should take advantage of a deep CB class.

Fortunately for the Panthers, this is expected to be a very deep draft class for cornerbacks, with plenty of prospects set to be taken in the first round.

Much will depend on exactly what Carolina decides to do from No. 8 and with their second-rounder. But even though they’re planning on selecting whoever is higher on their draft board, it would be jaw-dropping if they didn’t take one before turning their attention to more luxury selections.

With this in mind, here are five cornerback prospects the Panthers could end up taking during the draft.