2020 NFL Draft: First-Round 2020 NFL mock draft with counterintuitive picks throughout

The Carolina Panthers are rebuilding their team going into the 2020 NFL Draft. And while they may not be demolishing the old Panthers from the foundation up, they are still doing their fair share of renovating this offseason.

Cam Newton Superman-ing in the end zone will no longer happen in Charlotte unless he is playing for the visiting team. The Panthers offense has lost more than just a former MVP and star quarterback. They have lost a leader on the offense.

The same could be said of the defense. Luke Kuechly retired over health concerns this offseason, potentially seeing the rebuild coming to North Carolina like a hurricane off the coast. He chose to get out while he could still play at a high level, with most of his body still in good shape.

Now, the team is in the hands of new head coach Matt Rhule, a college head coach who made his name in the NCAA by taking decrepit football programs and making them relevant again. He now has the free rein in Carolina and is looking to bring the program back to relevancy in a division largely dominated by the Saints over the last three seasons.

With the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they have almost too many needs to fill at once and instead should focus on bringing in an elite hybrid player who can fill several roles on the defense. Clemson linebacker/safety/pass rusher/slot cornerback Isaiah Simmons fits the bill for Carolina, as he can take over the role left vacant by Kuechly’s departure.

In Simmons, the Panthers will be getting a phenomenal talent at all levels of the defense. He finished his senior season at Clemson with 104 total tackles, eight passes defended and three interceptions. At the line of scrimmage, Simmons had 16.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks in 2019, according to Sports Reference, making him a versatile, swiss army knife of a prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.

https://twitter.com/ClemsonFB/status/1242178552956502016

A debate has swirled as to what position Simmons will play in the NFL. Should he stay as a linebacker or become a safety? To get the most out of his elite play the Panthers should let him remain versatile and become a bane for opposing quarterbacks past the line of scrimmage. Let opposing offensive coordinators have to guess play to play where Simmons will pop up next.

Simmons has great instincts and can sniff out offensive plays faster than any linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft. Instead of planting him at one position and giving him a role, let Simmons be the general of the defense. Chances are he’ll see the play before the defensive coaches do anyway.