The Panthers ended their season surprisingly winning the NFC South. Unfortunately for them, they lost during the divisional round versus the San Francisco 49ers. Although this team played well during the regular season, they just aren’t complete enough to compete for a title. Their defense was a large part of the reason they managed to get a first round bye to reach the divisional round. Where most of their issues lie is on the offensive end. Cam Newton is a stellar QB who has managed to improve even with the lack of help around him. I am mainly referring to his Offensive Line and Wide Receiver corps. Cam Newton’s legs may make it not seem so bad since he can escape out of a collapsed line but the truth is he needs more time to make the accurate throws. On the end of those throws he needs a receiver, although he had Steve Smith on his roster last year it was easy to see how ineffective Smith is now in his career especially as the main option. The next two best receivers were Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. Neither broke out and if it weren’t for how thin the WR corps was in Carolina, they would probably be number 3 or 4 receivers on another team. Finally, this Carolina team did manage to finish first in the NFC South with these huge holes, so imagine how scary they could be if they brought some more talent to those positions and took a little pressure off of Cam Newton.
Draft Needs: WR, OT, CB
Wide Receiver: Losing all of their receivers this free agency wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Carolina. The bad part was missing out on every free agent receiver that was available. The closest they came to getting a solid receiver was Hakeem Nicks but they missed out on him as he decided to go to the Colts. This WR draft class is insanely deep. If Carolina was banking on finding a number one receiver in this draft, they definitely can. Whether it’s Marquise Lee or Odell Beckham, they will find talent in this draft at the receiver position.
Offensive Tackle: Cam Newton has had ankle surgery during this off-season. He is expected to recover 100% and not be affected by it at all. Even if this is the case, the Panthers should look at this as a warning sign that Newton’s time may be shortened in the NFL if they don’t start blocking for him. It’s hard to find a franchise QB these days and since Carolina has one, they need to make sure they preserve him as long as they can.
Cornerback: The front seven of the Panthers defense has been the main reason for Carolina’s success. If they were to add any help to this defense through the draft, it would be at the cornerback position. With Captain Munnerlyn leaving, not only did they lose an awesome name but a good corner as well. I expect the Panthers to cover this issue in the draft although it’s not even close to the urgency level that the have with their offensive line and wide receivers.
