2015 NFL mock draft: Ronald Darby to Carolina Panthers at No. 57

The Carolina Panthers are back up in the mock draft to close things out for the day. After taking a starting offensive tackle in the first round, do they get a future starting player on defense in the second? Jaxon from Cat Scratch Reader is up with the pick.

Jaxon: With this pick I was very tempted to double dip at OT with a player like Donovan Smith as the Panthers could use more depth at the offensive tackle position. Yet in the end I decided to go Best Player Available at a position of need. The Panthers need more depth at CB and Darby has tremendous upside. He has the size and speed the Panthers covet at the CB position, plus he excels at zone coverage. The only knock you see on him is his tackling but honestly I’m drafting him to cover WRs, not play at the LOS. I think he has the ability to develop into a cover CB in due time as he has all the tools. With Josh Norman on one side and second-year CB Bene Benwikere sliding into the slot Darby would give the Panthers three talented and athletic CBs.

Dan Kadar, SBNation.com: This is a hard pick. The top wide receivers are obviously gone. Devin Funchess of Michigan is still out there, but he’s basically a slower version of Kelvin Benjamin. So would he make the team markedly better? Maybe not. Do you reach for someone like Tyler Lockett or Jamison Crowder? Maybe. After you eliminate wide receiver as a need, you turn to defensive end or cornerback. Presumably, neither player would be a starter in 2015. Out of those two positions – and knowing that GM Dave Gettleman loves bigger ends – corner is the way to turn. Darby is a speedy corner who is a little more physical than people think. His developmental upside is high. And, how about that, the two Florida State cornerbacks in back-to-back picks.

That’s it for our picks today. Coming up Friday we continue to close out the second round with the Ravens, Broncos and Cowboys.