USAT: Panthers Wire audio clip

USAT: Panthers Wire

Feb 15, 2022

It’s no secret that the Carolina Panthers are looking to take some type of major swing this offseason. But are they taking that saying a little too literally? - If you ask The Ringer‘s Danny Kelly, they just might be. In his first 2022 mock draft, he has the Panthers swiping University of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton—who he compares to Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers and Ken Griffey Jr. . . . of a completely different sport. - “The Panthers need to bolster their offensive line, but it’s just too hard to pass up an elite prospect like Hamilton,” Kelly writes of the logic behind the selection. “The dynamic defender could be the keystone to what’s already an ascending defense, and alongside Jeremy Chinn and Shaq Thompson, Hamilton gives Carolina endless possibilities for how to deploy their back-seven chess pieces.” - Although he doesn’t directly address his comparison of Hamilton to the Hall of Fame baseball player, Kelly is a Seattle boy through and through. So if he see shades of “The Kid,” perhaps we shouldn’t question it. - And why would we? If the Panthers are to take a prospect who is reminiscent to one of the greatest athletes of all-time, just be happy and leave it be, right? - What Kelly was trying to get at is that Hamilton is a rare centerfielder in the secondary. His length, range, athleticism, instincts and overall natural ability make him a very appealing prospect and, perhaps, a generational presence at his position. - While mostly solid throughout the 2021 campaign, the Panthers defense routinely lacked the big play—finishing with the fourth-lowest total of takeaways (16). Hamilton could quickly help change that and give the unit an extra bite and bark it was also missing way too often. - Even though Carolina has a ton of work to do on offense with limited resources to do it with, this swing might be too sweet to pass up on. - - RelatedGM Scott Fitterer: Panthers could 'take a shot' at QB inside draft's top 10Panthers pass on 2022's best prospect in new CBS mock draft? - - List - - Panthers 2022 NFL mock draft 1.0: End of January edition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Panthers Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Panthers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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