CHARLOTTE – Panthers coach Matt Rhule does not have a general manager or a full coaching staff at the moment, but he has another task.
The Panthers and Dolphins were chosen to train at 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
The game itself is January 30, but the most important part is the practice week leading up, when Rhule and his team can take an in-depth look at some of this year’s best college candidates.
Last year, a skinny boy from southern Illinois named Jeremy Chinn had a great week of practice there and jumped into the second round. It looks like his current team likes him.
“We are thrilled to be training at the Senior Bowl,” said Rhule. “Every year, Jim Nagy and his team assemble the best showcase of university talent in the country, and we are excited to lead and meet a team with the best prospects this year.”
The Panthers choose eighth in the NFL’s 2021 Draft, while the Dolphins have the third and 18th selections.
Of particular interest to the Panthers will be to take a look at the quarterback prospects. At the moment, the six defenders who have accepted invitations to the game (to be split between the two teams) are Kellen Mond from Texas A&M, Sam Ehlinger from Texas’, Ian Book from Notre Dame, Kyle Trask from Florida, Feleipe Franks from Arkansas and Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman.
The Panthers only trained in the Senior Bowl once, when George Seifert led his team there in 2000. This led to the (unfortunate) selections of cornerback Rashard Anderson in the first round and point guard Leander Jordan in the third, although the guard’s job was well done sixth round Jeno James and seventh round linebacker Lester Towns, who played in the Senior Bowl that year.
The Panthers technical team is still changing at the moment. They have already lost coach of defenders Jake Peetz and assistant coach DJ Mangas to LSU (where they will be offensive coordinator and play coordinator of passes, respectively), and assistant coach of offensive line Marcus Satterfield left to become offensive coordinator at South Carolina.
In addition, offensive coordinator Joe Brady was interviewed for four main coach jobs (Jets, Falcons, Texans, Chargers) and defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons was interviewed for the defensive coordinator job in Dallas.