As the Carolina Panthers continue to plug the hole left behind by Josh Norman, it appears they've found a guy with similar confidence.
The Panthers used their fifth-round pick Saturday to grab Oklahoma's Zack Sanchez, making him the third cornerback they drafted in as many picks.
Sanchez, Samford's James Bradberry and West Virginia's Daryl Worley equal the Panthers' biggest defensive back haul in a draft since they took four with their 11 picks in 2005.
While Bradberry and Worley are both 6-foot-1 with long arms, Sanchez is 5-foot-11 with a slight frame. He talks a big game, though.
"I’m the best defensive playmaker in the draft, hands down," he told Tulsa World this week. "Nobody can create turnovers the way that I can."
Sanchez can back up that talk with a résumé highlighted by 15 interceptions and 28 pass break-ups during his three seasons with the Sooners.
"I was just blessed with my natural instincts, just my ability to make plays and put myself in position to make plays," Sanchez said on a conference call with Carolina media. "There's things I obviously have to work on and fix, but I was born with the ability to make plays and have better instincts than a lot of guys."
The flip side of Sanchez's feast or famine aggressiveness is that he allowed 12 touchdowns during his college career. Draft analysts questioning his tackling ability.
Because he lacks size, Sanchez would be a better fit as a nickel than an outside corner. But if he can't tackle, he'll get run over in the slot by smart NFL offenses.
Before the Panthers went cornerback-heavy this weekend, they had drafted only two guys at the position since 2012. But they've turned out OK.
2014 pick Bené Benwikere heads into the spring as Carolina's No. 1 corner, and Norman, well, we know his story.
"There's been a history of some pretty good fifth-round corners in the league," Sanchez said. "So hopefully I can continue that streak."