Trades galore and major early focus in Panthers 2022 NFL mock draft

Carolina Panthers pick No. 82: Devin Lloyd – LB (Utah)

Although this isn’t considered a real need for the Carolina Panthers as yet, it could be by draft time. Jermaine Carter and Haason Reddick are on the lookout for new deals, with Shaq Thompson’s whopping pay rise coming with a salary-cap hit of more than $18 million – making him a prime candidate for release.

The Panthers could use some additional depth even if all three somehow stay around. Now that Carolina has two third-round picks to call upon in this scenario, Devin Lloyd makes a ton of sense.

Lloyd is long, athletic, and has a real ability to make things happen from the second level. He can hold his own in coverage and gets off blocks quickly on running downs to further enhance his overall influence.

Another strong area of Lloyd’s game is in blitz packages. His burst allows him to generate pressure quickly and providing his instincts can progress in the years ahead, someone is going to have a tremendous prospect on their hands.

In an ideal world, the Panthers can work something out with Carter and Reddick. But a player like Lloyd will enter their thoughts providing they can get back some of the draft capital the team’s given up of late.