2019 NFL Draft: Carolina Panthers 7-round mock

Round 2: Erik McCoy

A lot of draft experts believe that Carolina wants to draft N.C. State center Garrett Bradbury in the second round. We don’t take issue with that idea, but we think he’s going to be gone with the Panthers’ second selection comes around.

That doesn’t mean Hurney and company won’t attempt to address the center position in round 2. Instead, we think they’ll go for McCoy. The Texas A&M product isn’t a perfect prospect, but he’s a really safe pick. He’s the type of player who should be able to come in and make an instant impact for a team that really needs help at center.

Like Williams, McCoy’s arm length is an issue. When you watch him on film you see him struggle to hold off guys at times. However, you also see a player that really moves well in space. Having a center who can get out and make blocks on the edge could give Carolina’s offense a dimension they didn’t have with Kalil.

Similar to round one, there’s also a possibility that the Panthers try to draft an edge rusher here. Someone like Brian Burns or L.J. Collier could come into play. The chance to grab a starting center should be too tempting to turn down though. That’s why McCoy is our projected selection.