Carolina Panthers: Could wide receiver duo break the Clemson streak?

Could the Carolina Panthers break their streak of not drafting Clemson players by taking either Amari Rodgers or Cornell Powell in the 2021 NFL Draft?

It does appear somewhat odd that the Carolina Panthers have not shown a preference for drafting college players from Clemson considering the location between the two. However, even though they won’t get the chance to draft Trevor Lawrence – the consensus No. 1 overall selection bound for the Jacksonville Jaguars – there could be a couple of prospects that might make the organization think twice about this trend.

That was, of course, under the previous regime which is no longer around. The Panthers did select Derrick Brown at No. 7 overall in 2020 ahead of Tigers’ linebacker Isaiah Simmons, but few would argue that wasn’t the right call considering what we saw from the dominant defensive tackle during his rookie campaign.

In truth, this is probably just a coincidence. Carolina’s new duo in power won’t care about what college any potential prospect is from, just so long as they ball out.

The Panthers might be on the lookout for additional wide receiver depth during the draft after losing Curtis Samuel to the Washington Football Team in free agency. They did sign David Moore from the Seattle Seahawks and bring back veteran duo Keith Kirkwood and Brandon Zylstra, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to compensate for the former Ohio State star’s departure.

Carolina Panthers should take advantage of another strong WR class.

This is yet another outstanding crop of college wideouts entering the NFL this year. Carolina didn’t take advantage of the 2020 class during their historic all-defense selections. But if Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell are still around where they think either provides value, then it would be foolish not to consider the possibility.

Rodgers does his best work out of the slot and possesses a physique that is NFL-ready. He thrived for Clemson in 2020 after emerging from a role player into Lawrence’s favorite target, bringing in 77 receptions for 1,020 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, propelling his draft stock in the process.

He followed this up with a standout showing in front of Carolina’s coaching staff at the 2021 Senior Bowl, which won’t have gone unnoticed. Whether the Panthers want to allocate a Day 2 pick on a receiver or not is up for debate. But general manager Scott Fitterer is keen to take the best player available which makes the possibility more likely.

There is also a lot to like about the skill set Powell brings to the table. The prospect was a relative afterthought during his first four seasons with the Tigers before announcing his arrival onto the scene with a phenomenal campaign in 2020 that ended with 53 receptions, 882 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns.

His deep threat was evident throughout, with Powell generating a 16.6 yards-per-carry average. Some NFL scouts might not believe he’ll bring this momentum to the next level and become a productive player in the professional ranks, if the Panthers can snag him on Day 3 it’s a gamble well worth taking.

Both players bring their own superb set of physical attributes to the table. Carolina has plenty of needs to address before they get the luxury of simply picking the prospect atop their big board. So out of the two players, Powell is the most likely and may even have more upside if he builds on his recent success.