Reviewing Ron Rivera’s draft history on Days 2 and 3
2014 NFL Draft
Though one of the worst first-round picks of the Ron Rivera era came in 2014, the Panthers were able to find some other quality contributors including a Pro Bowl guard in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Round 2, Pick 60: EDGE Kony Ealy, Missouri. Ealy may be one of the strangest picks of the Rivera era. He had a nice three-years stretch with the Panthers as a rotational end and part-time starter. In his three years with the squad, he totaled 14 regular-season sacks and was incredible during the Panthers’ 2015 Super Bowl run. In those three games, he had three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble and may have been the Super Bowl MVP had the Panthers beaten the Denver Broncos.
Eventually, Ealy fell out of favor in Carolina and was traded to the New England Patriots. He didn’t make the team and bounced around to three other NFL teams from 2017-2018. He last played for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL.
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Round 3, Pick 92: OL Trai Turner, LSU. Turner was a great value pick by the Panthers and he quickly emerged as a starter on the offensive line. He has played in 84 games (80 starts) over the course of six seasons with the Panthers. He has missed exactly three games a year the past three years, but he has a streak of five consecutive Pro Bowls. Not bad for a third-round pick. Turner will play for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 after being traded by the new regime in exchange for Russell Okung.
Round 4, Pick 128: S Tre Boston, North Carolina. Boston is a player that Redskins fans will be familiar with, as he was the apple of the fans’ eyes for three consecutive offseasons. Boston has been a great ballhawking safety and has logged 14 career interceptions, including three or more in the past three seasons. Boston weirdly bounced to three teams on one-year deals after the Panthers cut him following his third season, but he landed back in Carolina and has signed an extension. He’s a rock-solid coverage safety and center fielder, so getting him at the price of a fourth-round pick was a great investment by Rivera.
Round 5, Pick 148: CB Bene Benwikere, San Jose State. Benwikere was another player who had a solid two-plus-year run with the Panthers. He paired up well as a nickel back with Josh Norman and started 14 games over the course of three years with the Panthers. He totaled 102 tackles, two interceptions, 20 pass defenses, and a sack during those two-plus seasons. However, after fracturing his leg late in the 2015 season, he was never the same. He was cut by the Panthers in 2016 as a statement after the team was shredded by Julio Jones. Benwikere bounced around to seven other teams from 2016-2018 as he tried to prove that he belonged in the NFL.
Round 6, Pick 204: RB Tyler Gaffney, Stanford. Gaffney never played a down in the NFL and he suffered a torn meniscus in his first season with the Panthers. He was notably waived with the intention of him going to IR, but the New England Patriots swooped in and claimed him. In the long run, it didn’t matter, but that move caused a stir at the time.
Overall: The Turner and Boston picks made this a nice draft for the Panthers, though we’re left to wonder what could’ve been had Ealy and Benwikere lived up to their potential. Still, it shows that Rivera has a keen eye for talent.