Carolina Panthers: 7-round 2016 NFL mock draft

Another area where the Panthers may be looking for some help entering the 2016 NFL Draft would be adding depth at the running back position. Obviously, Jonathan Stewart performed phenomenally after the departure of DeAngelo Williams last offseason, but Carolina would definitely feel more comfortable this upcoming season about their offensive attack if they had a better option behind Stewart. Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Keith Marshall could undoubtedly be that guy.

Coming out of high school, most people were talking about him like all elite running back recruits get talked about when they go to Georgia—could he be the next Herschel Walker. The thing with Marshall, though, is that those notions were substantiated. Marshall had the size of the ideal running back to go with elite, big-play type speed.

However, he never fully lived up to the hype with the Bulldogs, partly due to injuries that plagued him throughout his college career and partly due to the fact that his elite size didn’t exactly translate to him being an elite player in regards to his ability to run through contact.

That being said, Marshall’s elite speed is still a part of his game as he clocked a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and showed time and again in Athens that he can bust open big plays any time the ball is in his grasp. This might be a bit of a reach for the Panthers and they may rather trade back if they’re looking at him, but adding a burner like Marshall behind Stewart is definitely an intriguing prospect.

Next: Round 7