Carolina Panthers 4-round 2023 NFL mock draft: Bye week edition

Carolina Panthers select Zach Harrison

• Defensive End | Ohio State

This past offseason the Carolina Panthers allowed Hasson Reddick to test free agency, where he eventually landed with the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles. This left the front office with very few pass-rushing options other than Brian Burns, Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes, and rookie Amare Barno.

Burns has turned in a phenomenal 2022 campaign, Gross-Matos has underwhelmed in Year 3 while Haynes has shown to be a limited passing-down rusher due to his lack of mass and power. This has left the Panthers with a hole opposite the former first-round selection out of Florida State, who is going to get a potential record-breaking contract when the season concludes.

Fear not. In this mock draft, the Panthers land a pass rusher who has shown progression along with a unique physical and athletic profile in Zach Harrison.

While Harrison doesn’t have a complete pass-rush skill set, he is certainly the type of edge presence that teams would be willing to bet his traits on. The Ohio State prospect offers great size, linear explosiveness, active hands, extension, and power that allow him to overwhelm opposing tackles.

Harrison may not start early on in his career. But the player will certainly be a part of the rotation as he looks to develop his skill set to be the primary No. 2 pass rusher opposite his elite counterpart.