Jaylen

Twyman

Twyman (6'2"/301) smashed last year’s top defensive lineman bench reps mark by Kenny Willeks, who got the bar up 32 times. His vertical jump of 32.5 was a respectable mark for a player his size, but his 40-times of 5.51/5.39 were terrible. Twyman logged 41 tackles (12.0 for loss) and 10.5 sacks in 2019. A second-round selection is looking like the probable draft range for the interior defender, though it would have probably been helpful to his stock if evaluators could have had another year of film on him.

Twyman (6'2/290) actually made it specifically clear that his decision to opt out was unrelated to the global pandemic, but rather a decision being made in the interest of helping to support his family. Had the pandemic not hit, of course, we would not be seeing wider scale defections and opt outs as has been the case this summer. Last season, Twyman logged 41 tackles (12.0 for loss) and 10.5 sacks. A first-round selection is not out of the question for the interior defender, though it would have probably been helpful to his stock if evaluators could have had another year of film on him.

Donald achieved the feat back in 2013, with Twyman following in his footsteps with a 10.5-sack showing this past season. Donald eventually developed into the best defensive player in the NFL and Rittenberg’s not drawing a 1:1 correlation, more just an interesting statistical observation which links the two Panthers. Writes Rittenberg of the 6-foot-2, 290-pound redshirt junior, “The Panthers’ defense projects very well in 2020, so if Twyman has a strong encore, wins All-America honors again and challenges for national honors, he should get first-round consideration (next spring).”

This is a key signing for the Panthers, who needed a top-shelf defensive tackle in the worst way. “Big, stout interior lineman with deceptive quickness and athleticism,” ESPN noted of Twyman. “Needs to continue adding functional strength to his massive frame but has a boat load of upside.”