2021 NFL Mock Draft, 3 Rounds: Chiefs bolster O-line after Super Bowl loss

There was a time when NFL teams were scared to try and test the Carolina Panthers’ secondary. Of course, that was when Josh Norman was back there and playing lights out. However, since he left the team following them pulling their offer back in 2016, Carolina has struggled to find an elite cover guy. And playing in the NFC South against players such as Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin is hard when you don’t have someone who can lock down one wideout.

With that being something they need, the Panthers use their first pick in this 2021 NFL Mock Draft to land a potential No. 1 cornerback in Patrick Surtain II from Alabama. If the name sounds familiar to NFL fans, that’s because his father played in the NFL for 11 seasons.

The elder Patrick Surtain was with the Miami Dolphins for seven seasons and made the Pro Bowl three times (from 2002 through 2004). He then played four seasons with the Chiefs before retiring following the 2008 season.

Now his son comes in and is an even higher pedigree than his father — who was a second-round pick. The younger Surtain checks off all the boxes and would give Matt Rhule a stud defensive back to start building his defense around.