Reader’s Mock Draft – Carolina Panthers Are On the Clock

Dec 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) scrambles out of the pocket under pressure from the New Orleans Saints defense during first quarter of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Panthers are up next in our Reader’s Mock Draft, continuing the streak of NFC South teams.  The Panthers finished up the season 7-9, but Ron Rivera’s crew was thisclose to a much better record.   They narrowly escaped with a victory when they met up last season, needing a Tim Jennings pick-6 and a Robbie Gould last second game winning field goal to get past the Panthers.  Cam Newton got his act together and Carolina finished up 5-1 down the stretch.

The Panthers have been relatively quiet this offseason, picking up a few minor free agents including former Bears nickelback DJ Moore.  They could use some help to bolster their 14th ranked rushing defense, which gave up 110 rushing yards per game.  It’s possible they try to put some more weapons around Cam Newton besides the aging Steve Smith.  They could seek to improve their secondary with either a safety or a cornerback.  There are plenty of options.

Top Needs

Defensive Tackle

Cornerback

Safety

Wide Receiver

Offensive Line

Top Prospects

Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

DJ Fluker, OT, Alabama

Check our main Reader’s Mock Draft post for the results so far and bookmark that page to track the progress as we work our way towards the April 25th draft date.

Up next, the New Orleans Saints.