5 draft prospects in play if the Carolina Panthers trade back from No. 6

Carolina Panthers could draft Abraham Lucas

• Offensive Tackle | Washington State

Another offensive lineman who’s caught the Carolina Panthers’ eye during the evaluation process is Abraham Lucas. The Washington State product was brought in for a visit recently as those in power finalize various scenarios in which the edge protector could be someone worth taking on board.

Lucas has outstanding hands.

Magnificent, actually.

Although he is a big player with a massive presence, there is a lot to like about Lucas from a quickness standpoint and this is something that really comes across in pass protection situations – an area in which he excels.

Lucas backed up his superb college production with exceptional testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. There are some concerns about run blocking – something he wasn’t tasked with within an Air Raid offense all that much – and there is also a lack of experience that could mean he’s not quite ready to start immediately.

However, some traits Lucas has cannot be taught. These are natural instincts and football intelligence to see things happening better than most tackle prospects entering the league this year.

If the Panthers take their chances with a trade-down and generate more in the way of draft resources, then they could do far worse than look in Lucas’ direction in the second or third round.