Ranking the Panthers’ top-5 DT options in the 2021 NFL Draft
By Will Burns
Daviyon Nixon – Iowa
Daviyon Nixon was a beast on the interior this past season for Iowa. The player won the 2020 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year award, and was named first-team All-American after a stunning campaign.
Recording 5.5 sacks in eight games, Nixon showed that he can get to the quarterback almost at will. He flashed the ability to get to the passer and was able to disrupt the run often.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, he provides the necessary size to hold his own at the next level. The Big 10 provided him with plenty of good competition and lots of nice tape for NFL scouts to watch. Nixon has great mobility for a defensive tackle and often showed off his ability to move left to right.
This allowed him to slide past blockers and fill gaps. He even recorded a 71-yard pick-six in 2020 for the Hawkeyes that made highlight reels across the country.
Nixon is a projected Day 2 or 3 draft pick, so he’s going to have some flaws.
Carolina Panthers could get great value with Daviyon Nixon.
He was inconsistent in 2020, and wasn’t as effective versus better talent. Nixon also doesn’t have the power of someone like Christian Barmore. This shouldn’t scare teams away though, because he makes up for his lack of power with crafty mobility. With further progression, the lineman would be a nice complement to Derrick Brown should the Carolina Panthers take him providing other needs are filled first.
Nixon is a name that should be on the Panthers’ draft board in Rounds 2 or 3, depending on how the draft plays out.