With the San Francisco 49ers on deck for the Carolina Panthers tomorrow, this was—by far—the toughest “Player Prowl” to contemplate. Because if we could (hypothetically, of course) take any one of Kyle Shanahan’s players for Matt Rhule to use, there are plenty of worthy candidates to choose from.
We could go with Trent Williams, who is widely regarded as the game’s premier left tackle. Since coming over to the Bay Area in 2020, the former fourth overall pick has allowed a mere five sacks and 39 pressures over 1,156 pass-blocking snaps.
We could also go with wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Although the Panthers are currently having trouble even getting the ball to DJ Moore, who wouldn’t want this do-it-all offensive tank?
Then, we have other proven veterans—tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. Each of those men are some of the best at their respective positions and can provide some much needed stability to three particular areas of need for Carolina.
But, in a league built on the guys who play quarterback and the guys who knock the quarterback down, we’re taking defensive end Nick Bosa.
The talented soon-to-be 25-year-old is already one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers. He’s fresh off a 2021 campaign where he posted career-highs pretty much across the board—in sacks (15.5), quarterback hits (32), tackles for loss (21) and forced fumbles (four).
And he’s back at it this season, as he leads the league with 6.0 sacks through four games. So, there’s no doubt he’d give the Panthers one of the best edge duos in the sport alongside Brian Burns—another budding superstar from, funnily enough, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Did we get it right? Give us your take . . .
