The momentum in mock draft land for the Panthers to grab a wide receiver with the eighth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft moves forward again with a prospect known for moving forward at a rapid rate.
Washington wide receiver John Ross makes his first appearance, one week after receivers Corey Davis and Mike Williams debuted in Mock Draft 6.0. Chad Reuter of NFL.com touts Ross, and he cut right to the chase.
"Finding speed at the receiver position should be a priority for the Panthers," Reuter wrote.
Ross certainly has speed on his side, having recently recorded an NFL Scouting Combine record 4.22-second time in the 40-yard dash. Ross didn't really need to take advantage of the opportunity to run a second time at the combine but didn't even consider it because of hamstring tightness. He's an intriguing playmaker, but he also had his share of injury concerns in college.
Ross is joined in this week's report by five familiar faces, including ever-present LSU running back Leonard Fournette. All of this week's mock drafters, aside from Dan Kadar for SBNation.com, have Fournette already selected before the Panthers pick at No. 8, with four of the five projecting Fournette to go No. 4 to the Jaguars.
