Panthers Trade Back Into Second Round, Select Chinn

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The Carolina Panthers have traded up with the Seattle Seahawks to select Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn with the final pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Carolina traded their third-round (69th overall) and fifth-round pick acquired from Washington (148th overall) to the Seahawks for their second-round (64th overall) pick. 

"He was too good to take the chance to see if he could get through six picks to get to us," general manager Marty Hurney said. 

Chinn joins defensive tackle Derrick Brown and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos as the third defensive player the Panthers have selected with their first three picks in the draft. 

This is the moment Jeremy Chinn learned he would be a Carolina Panther. The raw emotion from @ChinnJeremy2one of only two non FBS players drafted in the first two rounds and a zero star recruit:#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/xUVvMTz4c0

— Adam King (@AdamKingKFVS) April 25, 2020

Listed at 6-foot-3, 221 pounds, Chinn has the length and athleticism to play cornerback, a position the Panthers desperately need more talent at.

"Chinn gives us an opportunity that can be versatile, play the nickel, play the tight ends we'll face man-to-man and be an excellent run defender as well," head coach Matt Rhule said. "He brings versatility. He's a positionless player that we can utilize in multiple places"

He didn't burst onto the scene as a strong NFL draft prospect until his senior year at Southern Illinois. 

Chinn was a consensus All-American in 2019 after recording 71 tackles, 2.5 for loss, four interceptions and a sack last season. 

A two-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree, Chinn was ranked as a top-five safety in the draft by most NFL experts.

Chinn and his versatility will join returning starting safety Tre Boston and newly-signed Juston Burris in the secondary.