FanSided NFL Mock Draft: Carolina Panthers Select Marqise Lee
By Ernie Padaon
Dec 21, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Marqise Lee (9) is defended by Fresno State Bulldogs safety Derron Smith (13) in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. USC defeated Fresno State 45-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
We are running through our FanSided NFL Mock draft at the moment. This is where the editors around the network make the selections for their teams. We will be publishing the entire mock when it is complete on this site and will post each selection individually as they come in as well.
Here are the selections that have already been made by our FanSided editors:
| 1. Houston Texans | Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina |
| 2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins) | Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo |
| 3. Jacksonville Jaguars | Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville |
| 4. Cleveland Browns | Derek Carr, QB Fresno State |
| 5. Oakland Raiders | Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson |
| 6. Atlanta Falcons | Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M |
| 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M |
| 8. Minnesota Vikings | Blake Bortles, QB, UCF |
| 9. Buffalo Bills | Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M |
| 10. Detroit Lions | Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn |
| 11. Tennessee Titans | Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA |
| 12. New York Giants | Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina |
| 13. St. Louis Rams | Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt |
| 14. Chicago Bears | Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville |
| 15. Pittsburgh Steelers | Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State |
| 16. Dallas Cowboys | Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan |
| 17. Baltimore Ravens | Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame |
| 18. New York Jets | Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State |
| 19. Miami Dolphins | C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama |
| 20. Arizona Cardinals | Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State |
| 21. Green Bay Packers | Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech |
| 22. Philadelphia Eagles | Dee Ford, DE, Auburn |
| 23. Kansas City Chiefs | Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama |
| 24. Cincinnati Bengals | Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St |
| 25. San Diego Chargers | Odell Beckham Jr, WR, LSU |
| 26. Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis Colts) | Xavier Su’a-Filo, G UCLA |
| 27. New Orleans Saints | Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State |
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With the 28th pick in the NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select…
Marqise Lee, WR, USC
Selection made by Joe Soriano, NFL Spin Zone
Here is the analysis on the selection:
While the Carolina Panthers biggest need at this moment in time is at offensive tackle (Bryon Bell was already in need of an upgrade as the team’s starting right tackle before being forced to move to the left side after Jordan Gross’s retirement), I think Marqise Lee is too talented to pass up on. There’s more depth at WR than OT in this year’s class, but drafting a guy like Morgan Moses or Joel Bitonio would be a reach here. Bitonio was an enticing choice, but Lee has the kind of physical tools that would make him a standout wide receiver for Cam Newton. USC WRs have been a trouble spot for the Panthers, but Dwayne Jarrett and Keary Colbert have no relation to how effective Lee will be in the pros. He has big drop issues due to poor technique (claps the ball with too much aggression, does not make a triangle when catching passes, clasps the ball against himself too much), but that’s his only major concern. Lee is a fluid route-runner who can win at any level of the field, and he can also line up inside or outside. His 2012 season was a bit like Sammy Watkins’s in 2013, and he displays good route-running skills, great athleticism near the sidelines, and plenty of agility after the catch. His drops make him an inconsistent prospect, but his ability to run NFL-quality routes overcomes that. Drafting Bitonio here would make sense, but I firmly believe that Lee is the better prospect, and it’s important for the Panthers to draft the best player available at either WR or OT with this pick.