10 best fits for the Carolina Panthers on Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft

Jaylen Twyman – DT (Pittsburgh)

Regular readers will know how high we are on Jaylen Twyman. The Pittsburgh defensive tackle seems to have suffered more than most by opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 health concerns, but his dominant 2019 campaign was nothing short of phenomenal and the Carolina Panthers should look closely in his direction on Day 3.

Twyman has drawn comparisons with Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams with both coming from the same program. Those are some lofty expectations to meet, but the prospect can get after the quarterback at will, has enough physicality to improve against the run, and represents some exceptional value this far down the board.

James Hudson – OT (Cincinnati)

The Carolina Panthers traded up to land BYU’s Brady Christensen in the third round, who was largely responsible for giving No. 2 overall selection Zach Wilson all day to throw from the pocket in 2020. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be better suited to guard and if this proves to be the case then they might want to bring someone like James Hudson on board.

Hudson made a transition from a defensive lineman to playing tackle extremely well in college. Considering his relative inexperience, he is only going to get better with more reps under his belt.

Kary Vincent Jr. – CB (LSU)

The Panthers did use their first-round selection to get themselves a potential shutdown cornerback in the form of Jaycee Horn. But if Kary Vincent Jr. drops any further then it might cause them to double-dip at the position and give the defense another talented prospect.

Vincent comes from a solid program when it comes to corners who make a successful transition to the NFL, as the Panthers know full-well following their acquisition of Donte Jackson in 2018. Joe Brady will know plenty about the player having worked with him at the Tigers and his name might be one of the first called on Day 3 considering the player’s obvious upside.