It may be difficult for fans to decide what the Carolina Panthers are going to do with the eighth overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft. But for the people behind the scenes, Thursday’s speculation in Green Bay will be the culmination of several months of preparation.
Part of that process is figuring out which players fit what the Panthers want to do. While fans may plug Penn State tight end Tyler Warren or Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan into the Carolina offense, general manager Dan Morgan or head coach Dave Canales may be looking for something different on defense.
To that point, it appears that the Panthers have already laid plans for a player who could be heading to Carolina and help save their defense when they go on the clock on Apr. 24.
Dan Morgan Hints At Plans For Panthers’ Draft Target Jalon Walker
Morgan pulled back the curtain on his draft plans during a media session with reporters on Tuesday and the conversation turned to Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker. While Walker isn’t on the team, Morgan spoke about him unprompted and said he would profile as a 3-4 linebacker in defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense.
“Jalon is a good player,” Morgan began. “He’s an outside linebacker for us that absolutely can do a lot for us in our defense. I think he’s definitely a great person, a really good player and I think he’s got a bright future ahead.”
It would make sense for the Panthers to target Walker in the first round of the draft. The former Bulldog posted 12.5 sacks including 6.5 during his final season at Georgia. He also set a career-high with 60 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss with a pair of pass deflections and two fumble recoveries last season, showing the type of game-wrecking ability the Panthers’ defense was missing last year.
But Walker’s arrival in Carolina is dependent on a couple of factors. First Walker has to fall to them, with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets needing help at edge rusher. The Panthers may also be listening to offers on the eighth overall pick as teams try to jump ahead of the New Orleans Saints to select a quarterback in the wake of Derek Carr’s injury.
It’s an intriguing prospect in a draft that’s full of possibilities for the Panthers with at the top of the first round and it could lead to Walker becoming the centerpiece of Carolina’s defense for years to come.