Carolina Panthers: First Round Targets in the 2022 NFL Draft

Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State

The Carolina Panthers lost edge rusher Haason Reddick this offseason as he signed with the Eagles in free agency. Carolina may choose to replace him through the draft. They already have a talented edge rusher from Florida State (Brian Burns), and Johnson would be a nice bookend addition to their defensive front.

Most 2022 NFL mock drafts have Johnson being selected in the 7-14 range, so he’ll almost surely be available when Carolina picks at six. They could even trade back, acquire some middle round selections, take Johnson or another edge rusher toward the middle of the first round, and address the offensive tackle and/or quarterback position later in the draft.

Jermaine Johnson is a talented edge rusher with quintessential size (6’5” 262) and athleticism. He began his college career at Independence Community College, a junior college in Kansas, where he was featured on the Netflix show “Last Chance U.” He then transferred to Georgia where he was forced to play out of position as a traditional standup linebacker. He transferred to Florida State for his senior season and final year of eligibility and played extremely well.

Johnson won the 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award, racking up 11.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a fumble return for a touchdown. He’s a fluid player who shows good functional strength while also possessing the speed to vary his pass rushing moves.

Johnson is not just a finesse player either, he’s demonstrated a willingness and ability to play the run, and can defeat run blocks to bring down ball carriers trying to get to the outside. The Panthers would likely be very happy with this addition if they choose to pick a pass rusher in the first round. They would likely be even more thrilled if the next player on this list is still available at #6 overall.