Florida Football: Panthers get 5th round steal in RB Jordan Scarlett

The Panthers got a steal in former Florida football running back Jordan Scarlett in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. How does he fit?

Florida is going to miss Jordan Scarlett. Sure, the Gators have plenty of talent in the backfield ready to replace his production but he’s off to the NFL to make one team happy.

That one team is the Carolina Panthers who selected Scarlett No. 154 overall which is surprising given that I expected him to be more of a fourth round pick, at the latest. I may have over-valued him after his lack of serious production at Florida, but he has the potential to be a star in the NFL.

Scarlett fills an immediate need for the Panthers which is depth in the backfield. They have Christian McCaffrey and Cameron Artis-Payne, but Scarlett can be a solid No. 2 option.

Just how good can this kid be? He never broke 200 carries in a single season at Florida but he finished with a total of 1,846 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per touch. He has size at 5-11 and 210 pounds, but he’s also explosive. It’s hard to find this combination of size and speed, but the Panthers got themselves a mid-to-late round steal.

Although he may not get a ton of carries behind McCaffrey who seems to be the main weapon on offense, Scarlett will develop into a nice backup and will be a guy who can make defenses pay for worrying too much about Christian.

Sorry, Florida football fans, Scarlett is off to the next level, but he could soon develop into a star despite being a fifth-rounder.