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Reviewing Ron Rivera’s draft history on Days 2 and 3

By Jacob Camenker

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 29: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers watches on before their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 29: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers watches on before their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Devin Funchess #17 of the Carolina Panthers makes a catch over Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Devin Funchess #17 of the Carolina Panthers makes a catch over Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

2015 NFL Draft

The Panthers were short on picks in the 2015 NFL Draft, and they had only five total during the event. They made their four non-first-round picks count and found a few contributors for their squad.

Round 2, Pick 41: WR Devin Funchess, Michigan. Funchess was viewed as a tight end/receiver hybrid coming into the draft but the Panthers opted to use him at the receiver position. Funchess proved to be a solid big-bodied target and grabbed 21 touchdowns during his four years with the Panthers. His best year came in 2017 when he started all 16 games and caught 63 passes for 840 yards and eight scores.

Funchess fell out of favor amid the team’s transition to a quicker receiving corps and signed with the Colts after his contract in Carolina expired. He was injured in the opener and only caught three passes on the season as a result. Now, he’ll try to resurrect his career a bit with the Green Bay Packers.

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Round 4, Pick 102: OL Daryl Williams, Oklahoma. Williams developed into a versatile offensive lineman for the Panthers and eventually emerged as the starter at right tackle. In 2017, he was a key to the success of their line and if not for an injury that sidelined him in 2018, he may have gotten a big payday in free agency.

Williams played with Carolina in 2019 and improved his value by playing at least 45 snaps at every position aside from center on the Panthers line. He allowed a lot of pressure, but further removed from that troublesome knee injury, he should compete for a starting role with the Buffalo Bills in 2020. And even if he’s only a super-sub the rest of that way, that’s still good value based on where the team got him.

Round 5, Pick 169: LB David Mayo, Texas State. Mayo was mostly a depth player and special teamer during his four years with the Panthers as he was stuck beyond a boatload of talented linebackers. He started for the New York Giants last year and was decent. Overall, he’s been a solid contributor as a depth option.

Round 5, Pick 174: RB Cameron Artis-Payne, Auburn. Artis-Payne was another four-year depth player for the Panthers. He dressed for 32 games (three starts) and totaled 491 yards and five touchdowns on 118 carries (4.2 ypc average). He was a decent depth option but never got a true chance to prove himself as a starter. He played well for the Dallas Renegades of the now-defunct XFL, so maybe another team will take a chance on the 29-year-old.

Overall: Even with so few picks, the Panthers landed some contributors. There were no top-tier guys in this year’s class, but finding two decent starters and two depth options on Days 2 and 3 isn’t bad.

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