5 studs the Panthers should montior from Senior Bowl practice Day 3
By Dean Jones
Jalen Pitre – S (Baylor)
This would make a lot of sense for the Carolina Panthers given their need for safety reinforcements and the fact Matt Rhule coached Jalen Pitre at Baylor. The head coach has endured mixed success with his former college players in the pros, but the incoming recruit is doing his chances no harm at all during an impressive showing at the 2022 Senior Bowl.
Pitre made a successful transition from linebacker to the backend after Rhule departed the program and absolutely thrived. His senior year was nothing short of exceptional, with 18.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and 75 tackles boosting the player’s reputation at just the right time.
The defensive back has brought this positive momentum to Mobile and his natural football instincts saw plenty of big plays from him during Thursday’s practice. Rhule will know more about Pitre than most, so don’t be surprised if he is pretty high up Carolina’s draft board when it’s all said and done.
One thing that really stands out when watching Pitre is his run defense, which is outstanding. He also has enough speed to more than hold his own in coverage, so there is plenty to like about his chances at the next level.
If Pitre can work on his tackling technique in the coming weeks, then he should have more than his fair share of suitors – including his ex-college coach.