The Carolina Panthers dipped into XFL waters for their fifth-round selection (No. 152 overall) with safety Kenny Robinson, the first and perhaps only player from the now-defunct league to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Robinson was draft eligible, unlike other XFL players whose draft eligibility expired the year after their college careers, because he still had NCAA eligibility remaining when he left West Virginia amid academic fraud allegations last year. Robinson played for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL, where he picked off two passes and was a Midseason All-XFL Team selection.
"You see someone who can play in the middle of the field who has outstanding range," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. "(Panthers coach) Matt Rhule values speed and guys who can get their hands on the football. It's an unusual evaluation for sure, but at this point in the draft it's good value."
Robinson was a first-team All-Big 12 pick in 2018 for the Mountaineers, making 77 tackles and recording four of seven career interceptions at WVU.
Later in the draft, the Panthers added one of Rhule's former college players at Baylor in defensive tackle Bravvion Roy. Carolina took Roy, who enjoyed a breakout season in his final year at Baylor, No. 184 overall in the sixth round. Roy recorded 13 tackles for loss among 61 stops for the Bears. The Panthers addressed their defensive line need heavily in the draft with previous selections of Auburn's Derrick Brown (first round) and Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos (second round) along with Roy.
