CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers’ return to the playoffs was a fun run for the franchise and its fans. But three months later, that success has the team in an unenviable spot heading into the draft.
Dave Gettleman could only watch during free agency while a number of his guys got poached by other teams. The second-year general manager, solidly committed to fixing the Panthers’ salary-cap mess, essentially sat out the first wave, finally signing veterans like receiver Jerricho Cotchery and cornerback Antoine Cason when the bargain shopping period began.
And while the Panthers’ receiver makeover has received the most notice this offseason, if quarterback Cam Newton does not have time to throw, it doesn’t matter who his wideouts are. Left tackle Jordan Gross went from the Pro Bowl in January to retirement in February. The number of replacements Carolina signed to replace him: zero.
The Panthers have scared their fan base by claiming Byron Bell could fill Gross’ spot. Bell has been a liability at right tackle, so a shift to an even more important role seems doomed from the start. Essentially, the Panthers could use a couple new tackles, and then there’s potential problems at guard. Former starter Amini Silatolu is coming off a torn ACL and Carolina is putting a decent amount of faith in Edmund Kugbila, who couldn’t get through a single training camp practice before getting hurt his rookie season.
As evidenced by using his top two picks in 2013 on defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, Gettleman is a big believer in building from the inside-out. So while drafting a shiny new wideout may be more exciting, a first-round tackle would be smarter.
“I know a lot of teams are excited about the depth of the draft. I know we are,” center Ryan Kalil said Tuesday. “But, still, I think it’d be nicer if we were a little bit closer to the front for some of those guys.”
And here’s where the issue of making the post-season last year causes problems now. The Panthers have the 28th pick, likely too late to pick up one of the elite tackles. Auburn’s Greg Robinson, Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews and Michigan’s Taylor Lewan should be long gone by the time Carolina’s on the clock. That leaves options like Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandjio, Virginia’s Morgan Moses and Notre Dame’s Zack Martin, who could all be solid, but who also bring many more question marks.
So the Panthers could try to fill the huge vacancy left by Gross at 28, but if they do that, there’s still the matter of receiver and cornerback. Fortunately for Carolina, this year’s draft is stacked at wideout, so they could find some potential gems in the second round and later. Cornerback is not as deep, but former scout Gettleman proved last year he has a keen eye for finding value.
Ultimately, the Panthers need to get Newton weapons and protection, but with such a late pick, it will be a challenge to do both.
“Of course I’m hoping for a receiver; I’m hoping for an offensive player, but at the end of the day, what’s the use of grabbing a guy who can’t really help your team? We just want the right guy,” Newton said, when asked whom he hopes Carolina picks.
“There’s a lot of talented receivers, a lot of talented tackles, a lot of talented players in this draft, but one thing that I have learned in the three years I’ve been in this league is, you can have all the talent in the world, if you’re not willing to work and help the team, and humble yourself first, all that talent can go to waste.”
For Newton’s sake, the Panthers can’t waste their first-round pick on a lemon. Gettleman and Co. have to nail that and at least a few other choices, even if they have to wait awhile to do it.
