Carolina Panthers go bold with top 10 pick in new 7-round mock draft

In our last Carolina Panthers seven-round mock draft, we projected a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, moving Carolina back four spots to select Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. This week, we'll keep them at No. 8, but making a bit of a bold move with that pick.

RD1, Pick 8: TE Tyler Warren (Penn State)

I know this can be a little controversial given the Panthers' defensive needs, but they answered a handful of them in free agency. A corner, pass rusher, or safety would make sense here, but for the first time in a while, we're going with another weapon for Bryce Young.

Carolina hasn't had much production out of the tight end room since Greg Olsen was released in 2020 and they could fix that by selecting Tyler Warren, who has perennial Pro Bowler/All Pro written all over him. Ja'Tavion Sanders showed flashes last year as a rookie, but Warren would be an immediate upgrade.

RD2, Pick 57: LB Carson Schwesinger (UCLA)

The former walk-on has flown up draft boards over the past several months and some think he has an outside chance of sneaking into the first round. In this scenario, Schwesinger falls to Carolina at No. 57, giving them a potential budding star at linebacker. Shaq Thompson is gone and I'm not so sure Josey Jewell is a long-term solution. A Schwesinger/Trevin Wallace duo would be interesting.

RD3, Pick 74: EDGE Kyle Kennard (South Carolina)

You can never have enough pass rushers, and for a team that lacks an elite rusher off the edge, depth is important. Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Wonnum, Tershawn Wharton, and Patrick Jones II have all shown the ability to impact the quarterback, but again, probably not any long-term solutions there. Kyle Kennard was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in sacks (11.5).

RD4, Pick 111: CB Dorian Strong (Virginia Tech)

In future mocks, I'll probably have Carolina taking a corner much earlier because quite frankly, there's some major concern there beyond Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson. As for Strong, he has good length and can play effective press man coverage, especially against underneath routes. He doesn't have elite speed by any means, but it doesn't really show on film. Would be a good rotational option for the Panthers over the next two years.

RD4, Pick 114: WR Savion Williams (TCU)

Last year, the Panthers added some size to the wide receiver room with Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker. What's one more big body going to hurt? Savion Williams checks in at 6'4", 222 lbs and can be a Swiss Army knife of sorts. In addition to his 60 catches for 611 yards and six touchdowns receiving, he totaled 322 yards and six touchdowns as a rusher.