4 Carolina Panthers rookies with unrealistic expectations in 2021
By Dean Jones
Daviyon Nixon – Carolina Panthers DT
There were more than a few eyebrows raised when Daviyon Nixon starting dropping like a stone during the 2021 NFL Draft. The defensive tackle was projected to go in the second-round by many analysts thanks to his outstanding production for Iowa in 2020, but he had to wait until the fifth round before he eventually got the call from the Carolina Panthers.
This was reportedly down to some serious character concerns that even had some teams wipe Nixon off their boards entirely, according to WalterFootball.com. The Panthers felt like he was worth gambling on at this stage of that draft and if things don’t work out for whatever reason, it’s cost them nothing more than a Day 3 pick to find out.
As fortune would have it, Nixon has landed in a tremendous spot.
Carolina’s defensive front is loaded with young talent who are capable of great things. So if he can develop certain areas of his game and also assist on a rotational basis, then that is all the Panthers are probably after at this stage.
Some fans are expecting Nixon to become even better than that with a smooth transition to the NFL. This is perhaps setting the bar a little too high.
That being said, if Nixon performs well when called upon and also alleviates the fears surrounding his off-the-field problems, then this has the potential to be one of the draft’s biggest steals and one that could benefit the Panthers exponentially moving forward.