4 non-QB prospects the Carolina Panthers could draft at No. 9 overall
By Ricky Raines
Carolina Panthers could draft Brian Branch
- Safety | Alabama Crimson Tide
Jeremy Chinn is a polarizing player for the Carolina Panthers, and I mean that in both a good and bad way. There is much debate on where he should be deployed in the team’s new-look defense moving forward, which is something Ejiro Evero must figure out quickly.
One addition that could help guide his move back into a linebacker/nickel role would be Brian Branch with the No. 9 overall selection.
Branch fits so well into today’s NFL with nearly prototypical size for the safety position at 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds. At Alabama, the defensive back was tasked with lining up in the slot more often than anywhere else on the field. In fact, in 2022, he was in the slot for 74 percent of his 768 defensive snaps for the Crimson Tide.
The prospect only allowed 36 receptions out of 416 pass coverage snaps. No slouch in the run game, Branch earned a 90.7 grade from Pro Football Focus for his run-stopping with only a 3.3 percent missed tackle rate.
That versatility to line up as one of two high safeties, in the box or covering the slot is an invaluable aspect of the Evero defense, which was derived from the legendary scheme of Vic Fangio. Showing certain looks pre-snap to disguise and hopefully deceive opposing offenses could become far more successful with the services of a prospect like Branch.