Mocking the First 3 Rounds of the NFL Draft for the Carolina Panthers

January 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman watches pre game warm ups before the game against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Panthers are on the verge of being a contender, with their stout defense already playing at that level, but there are holes in the offense that need to be filled.  Along with fixing the offense, there are also still a few smaller holes to fill on the defense.  I liked the fact that Carolina added depth to their offensive line, with the signing of Johnathan Martin, and they also added more wide receiver depth, with the addition of Jarrett Boykin.  Although these signings were not celebrated by Carolina Panther fans, they did add some depth to positions that needed it.

The obvious need that I see almost all Carolina fans mention on social media, is the need for a number two wide receiver with speed.  Obviously a wide receiver with speed is needed to go opposite of Kelvin Benjamin, to allow him to get freed up more.  A lot of times last season Cam Newton was sacked because the coverage was able to blanket the wide receivers, and therefore he had nobody to throw to.

Imagine a NFL offense as a car, and that the car is being put together piece by piece.  That car is going to need an engine (the quarterback), a body (the offensive line), some tires (the running backs and full back), and then the gas to go (wide receivers and tight ends).  You can have all the pieces to the vehicle, but without the energy to go they are useless.  The wide receivers and tight ends make the offense move efficiently in the NFL of today.

Of course people reading this will say there are more parts to a car than that, but that is represented by the depth at each position.  That depth is exactly what Carolina intended to reinforce when they signed Martin and Boykin.  Now the eyes of most Carolina fans are looking toward the draft, which starts Thursday, April 30 and ends Saturday, May 2.  This draft, if done right, could mean a Super Bowl for the Carolina Panthers at the end of next season.

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I do not think that this team is very far from being a contender, but to be one they will have to fill some holes they have with talented players.  I sometimes disagree with Dave Gettleman, the Carolina Panthers general manager, when it comes to his approach to free agency, but his ability to evaluate talent in the draft is amazing.  I trust his approach to the draft, and I was a huge fan of Kelvin Benjamin coming out of Florida State University.

I think that Gettleman will take a wide receiver in one of the first two rounds, to be paired with a young but talented Benjamin, to complete Carolina’s wide receiver core, for many years to come.  I personally am a fan of Justin Hardy, from East Carolina University, but I do not think he fits exactly what Carolina needs.

I do believe in Gettleman though, and his talent evaluation when it comes to who is the best player available at that position.  He gave us arguably the best draft this franchise has ever had last year (still early but it looks that way).  With that being said, I am going to lay out which positions we go with in each of the first three rounds, and why we chose that position to fill.

1^st Round Pick: Offensive Line

Everyone knows that Carolina needs a left tackle, and it is obvious, but this year there are actually quite a few good offensive linemen to fill that need.  I think that Carolina is not going to overlook the position this year like they did last year.  Last year, almost all of the mock drafts had us picking an offensive lineman in the first round, but we chose Kelvin Benjamin instead (he is a wide receiver for those living under a rock).  I think that most of the mock drafts for Carolina’s first round this year are going to be right on the money.

I think Carolina would not be able to pass on what could be a franchise left tackle, available at 25 in the draft, because most years that is not the case, that deep in the draft.  Carolina also needs to protect Newton’s blind side, and it isn’t going to be the guy from The Blind Side who will do that (two movie references in two articles, check that off the bucket list).  This is the draft to replace what Jordan Gross provided, which was protection for Newton.

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2^nd Round Pick: Wide Receiver

                This draft class is stacked with very good wide receivers, who will probably be available even in the 2^nd round for Carolina.  I trust Gettleman will make the right pick, and choose a guy who will be able to win a starting role opposite of Benjamin.  I would look for Carolina to choose a speedy receiver who can blow the top off the defense, and allow Newton to run his more natural vertical offense scheme.  Anybody who has watched Newton play, knows he has an incredible arm.

So, it is only natural that Carolina gives him a wide receiver who allows him, much like Steve Smith did, the ability to chunk the ball down the field for a large gain.  Benjamin is still there, and will be the main threat, but having someone take the top off a defense allows the running game to open up even more.  Just like in basketball with an inside, out game, being able to either throw deep or run the ball keeps defenses off balance.  I think that Carolina will make the right choice here, and it will help get their offense moving next season.

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 3^rd Round Pick: Running Back

                The position that will more than likely be needed next offseason, is running back, if Carolina plans to cut Johnathan Stewart to save some money.  I think that Carolina will fill this need, in this year’s draft.  I think the depth at running back is solid this year, and that a very talented running back could be had toward the end of the 3^rd round.

It seems as though Gettleman is making it a habit to cut the “bad fruit off of the tree” as the saying goes, by letting certain players go that he feels were over paid or underperforming.  Johnathan Stewart is no doubt a great running back, when he is healthy, but the way to look at that is WHEN he is healthy.  Stewart has been plagued by injuries almost every season of his career, so far.

Carolina knows what they have with Fozzy Whittaker as a solid back up, but with Stewart they cannot rely on him being healthy all season.  Therefore, I think that Carolina goes the route of picking a running back in the 3^rd round of this year’s draft, to add some much needed depth to the running back core.  If Gettleman gets it right this could keep the team rolling, even if Stewart goes down with an injury.

 What Could Change

                Remember when I said “there are also still a few smaller holes to fill on the defense” it is because of that I do think that Gettleman could just as easily pick a pass rusher or a safety in the 1^st round.  If he does that it could slide the offensive lineman pick to the 2^nd round and the wide receiver pick to the 3^rd round, which is what I would like to see if they are targeting Justin Hardy of East Carolina University in the 3^rd round.  I know most people think Hardy is just average at wide receiver, but I have a feeling the boy is going to be special.  In any case I trust Gettleman, when it comes to the draft, without any doubting of his ability.  I left a poll for each of the first three rounds to allow those who want to chime in the ability to pick the position that Carolina goes with each round.