2020 NFL Draft: Carolina Panthers late-round sleeper targets
Who are some late-round sleepers the Carolina Panthers could target on day three of the 2020 NFL Draft?
The 2020 NFL Draft is only a couple days away and everyone is excited to see who their favorite team will select on Thursday Night. For the Carolina Panthers, they seem to be locked in on Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown with their first-round selection.
I’m more interested to see who they could target in the later rounds of the draft. The Carolina Panthers have many holes on their defense and figure to fill some of them this weekend during days two and three of the 2020 NFL Draft.
If we all assume that Brown is the pick in the first round for the Carolina Panthers, they still have to fill spots at inside linebacker, cornerback and strong safety. They could add another edge rusher to go opposite Brian Burns, but that wouldn’t come until day two or three of the draft.
Fortunately for the Panthers, this draft class is pretty deep with the chance to land a starter or contributor well into day three of the 2020 NFL Draft. Past draft classes would see maybe a handful of late-day three picks helping out on special teams, but most likely those prospects would be fighting to make the team. Let’s find out which late-round sleepers could land in Carolina.
1. Geno Stone, Safety, Iowa
Geno Stone is projected to go in rounds 5-6, but I would not be surprised to see him taken a bit earlier. He won’t blow anyone away with his athletic ability, but he will give everything he has on every single down.
Stone also has the instincts and anticipation that is needed to play safety on Sunday’s. There are limitations to his game, but he is a smart player who always seems to be around the ball. He will have an immediate impact on special teams but could help out as a box safety as well.
The Carolina Panthers may need to find a safety with higher upside earlier in the draft, however, by taking Stone they’ll be getting a hardworking player that will do everything he can to get the job done.