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2017 NFL Draft: Carolina Panthers 7-round mock

By John Buhler

Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Carolina Panthers will have eight draft picks to get better this offseason. Here is a look at what the Panthers could do in this 2017 NFL mock draft.

Last season was a trying year for the Carolina Panthers. After reaching Super Bowl 50 the year before, Carolina stumbled to 6-10 and missed the NFC Playoffs for the first time since 2012. Carolina could be in better position for 2017. The Panthers have a navigable fourth-place schedule and eight picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Carolina has a pick in every round in the 2017 NFL Draft and two in the second round. They receive the  64th pick via the Kony Ealy trade with the New England Patriots. While the Panthers have a conditional draft pick at the end of the third round, they had to give New England their No. 72 pick as part of the Ealy deal.

Here is a look at what the Panthers could do in the NFL Draft in this up-to-date mock.

First Round

8

Leonard Fournette

Running Back, LSU Tigers

Carolina’s most glaring need this offseason is to find a bell-cow back. Jonathan Stewart is solid when healthy, but he rarely is. He may be best served as a rotational piece the rest of his career to sustain longevity and overall effectiveness on the ground.

Fortunately for the Panthers, they should have a great opportunity to get a star running back at No. 8 in the 2017 NFL Draft. All things equal, the pick has to be LSU Tigers junior running back Leonard Fournette. He is going to wreck some guys with his powerful runs up the middle.

While Fournette’s college game will need to pivot to have sustained success at the next level, there is a lot to like about his bruising running style. He is adept at breaking tackles and explodes in the second level after contact. Fournette is capable of pulling off 20-yard runs with relative ease in his first few years in the league.

He will have to work on catching the ball out of the backfield and in pass protection. Frankly, Fournette needs to establish that he has the shiftiness to run off tackle. Unless the Jacksonville Jaguars take him at No. 4, Carolina needs to pounce on Fournette. Otherwise, trading back to the middle of the first round to get either Dalvin Cook or Christian McCaffrey could be in play. Carolina has to go running back in the first round.

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