Carolina's biggest need? HEALTH. This is not a bad roster; there were worse in the playoffs.
Linebacker could be a need, but it's hard to say with so many players at that spot injured; however, defensive line is a real need. Teams ran the ball often on the Panthers-- only four teams had more rushing attempts against. Carolina was ranked 21st against the run, giving up an average of 123.8 yards/game, and their 20 rushing touchdowns allowed was second only to the Denver Broncos. They sacked opposing quarterbacks 31 times, good enough for 20th in the league.
Looking into the defensive backfield, the Panthers were 11th in the league with 17 interceptions. This is not a big need for Carolina, especially if management makes a fair offer to corner Richard Marshall.
The best football player available is Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller. Depending what happens with Thomas Davis, Dan Connor, and Jamar Williams, linebacker could be a need for the Panthers. But do they need a 3-4 linebacker or a 4-3 linebacker? New Panthers' head coach Ron Rivera has coached both (right now a 4-3 makes more sense) . If they move to a 3-4, the Panthers would have Everette Brown, Eric Norwood, and Greg Hardy, who are more linebackers in the 3-4 than they are defensive ends in that scheme.
Looking into the defensive backfield, the Panthers were 11th in the league with 17 interceptions. This is not a big need for Carolina, especially if management makes a fair offer to corner Richard Marshall.
The best football player available is Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller. Depending what happens with Thomas Davis, Dan Connor, and Jamar Williams, linebacker could be a need for the Panthers. But do they need a 3-4 linebacker or a 4-3 linebacker? New Panthers' head coach Ron Rivera has coached both (right now a 4-3 makes more sense) . If they move to a 3-4, the Panthers would have Everette Brown, Eric Norwood, and Greg Hardy, who are more linebackers in the 3-4 than they are defensive ends in that scheme.
Turning to the offense, the Panthers certainly need work, but they also need to be more creative on offense and defense. Everyone knew where every run and pass would go. You can't play like that and win in today's NFL.
The Panthers could use another wide receiver, although rookies Brandon LaFell (38 receptions, 468 yards for a 12.3 average, and four touchdowns) and David Gettis (37 receptions, 508 yards for a 13.7 average, and 3 touchdowns) started to come on late, and they have the size to play opposite of Steve Smith.
Given the public knowledge that Andrew Luck would have been the Panthers first choice had he entered the draft, some would say Carolina needs a quarterback. Jimmy Claussen has been through the growth process before and did pretty well with it. It takes time for quarterbacks to feel comfortable in a system, and we're not certain any of the quarterbacks out there would be any better than the former Golden Domer.
The consensus number one pick on offense is Georgia’s AJ Green. He’s the best receiver out there, with a nice combination of size and speed. But Carolina has a speedster in the aging Steve Smith, and Brandon LaFell showed some promise late. Julio Jones might be a better fit for Carolina as a true possession type.
The consensus number one pick on offense is Georgia’s AJ Green. He’s the best receiver out there, with a nice combination of size and speed. But Carolina has a speedster in the aging Steve Smith, and Brandon LaFell showed some promise late. Julio Jones might be a better fit for Carolina as a true possession type.
So it looks like the Panthers should go defense. The consensus number one on defense is Auburn’s Nick Fairley, a 6’4” 298 lb defensive tackle reminiscent of Chicago Bear DT Tommie Harris. Harris is good but not first pick good. Is there enough separation between Fairley and the rest of the DT class to make him worth this pick like Ndamakong Suh or B.J. Raji would have been? We don't think so, though he does fit nicely in Carolina
So who should the Carolina Panthers select? We estimate that Carolina should take D’Quan Bowers , a defensive end out of Clemson.
Bowers has enough size to grow into a job as a 3-4 end. He keeps a stout base and often plays lower than Fairley, and he fills a need. There will be defensive tackle choices available later. Bowers could team with Charles Johnson or step in on that side if Johnson moves on as a free agent. Some experts do view Bowers as the number 1. We agree with them. Others list him as number 2, so he’s not much of a reach, but he’s the right pick for Carolina.
Bowers has enough size to grow into a job as a 3-4 end. He keeps a stout base and often plays lower than Fairley, and he fills a need. There will be defensive tackle choices available later. Bowers could team with Charles Johnson or step in on that side if Johnson moves on as a free agent. Some experts do view Bowers as the number 1. We agree with them. Others list him as number 2, so he’s not much of a reach, but he’s the right pick for Carolina.
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