4 prospects the Panthers missed out on during the 2021 NFL Draft

Samuel Cosmi – OT (Texas)

• Washington Football Team – No. 51 overall

Now the Carolina Panthers had a shot at drafting Samuel Cosmi at No. 39 overall. But whether they thought this was too high and wanted to take their chances further down the board is up for debate.

There is little doubt that this was a position of real need in the second round, and trading down came with some sense of fear within the team’s fanbase on social media that they were going to miss out on an outstanding plug-and-play starter, which Cosmi could become.

Instead, the former Texas standout was taken by the Washington Football Team at No. 51 overall, which might be a significant steal for the NFC East champions regarding a prospect that was graded in the first round by some analysts.

Carolina didn’t have to wait much longer for a new tackle to call their own. The Panthers traded up in the third round to select Brady Christensen out of BYU, who was responsible for protecting Zach Wilson’s blindside with supreme efficiency on his way to a historical 96.0 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2020.

Cosmi seemed like a nice scheme fit and boasts plenty of starting experience with a prestigious program. But the front office gets full trust until proven otherwise after an outstanding draft weekend overall.