The Carolina Panthers will have no choice but address the left tackle position this off season. Not only do they need to upgrade the position anyway, but they are walking away from Byron Bell, who manned the spot this year. The offensive line work last season was hard to watch as a general rule. It did not help to be missing real competence from that ‘blind side.’
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Left tackles in the NFL are hit and miss. You either have one or you don’t. If you don’t, the only way to get one is to draft one. This is because other teams are going to be loathe to part with theirs once they found somebody. Signing a marquee left tackle in free agency is a major investment, and teams usually decide to just find one in the draft and make sure he sticks around.
How valuable are left tackles? The Seattle Seahawks had Hall of Famer Walter Jones for years. After playing through his first deal, Jones wanted a long term extension that would pay him as a Hall of Fame tackle. The Seahawks responded by franchising him, and Jones responded by skipping training camp. This happened several times, but the Seahawks knew what they had and were willing to tolerate the situation.
They finally got a deal done and Jones is now in Canton. It is that important.
Another example would be the recently retired Jordan Gross. Gross manned the position for ten years at a high level. The Panthers did not have to think about the position while he was there, which is one of the reasons they adapted so poorly when he retired. Cam Newton is worth very little if he is flat on his back or fumbling from blind side blitzing.
The free agent market is not normally where you find that anchor left tackle. This year, the biggest name on the market is Michael Oher. Oher is currently more famous for the ‘Blind Side’ movie that his pro exploits. Fans of Oher contend that he just hasn’t found the guy he wants to protect yet. Would Newton be a better fit than Joe Flacco? Who knows.
Betsided
No, it is going to be a trip into the draft. The Panthers are not the only team that will be thinking this way either. Some mock drafts have the team taking the FIFTH tackle in the first round. Yikes. Still, this should be the pick for the Panthers.
The problem is that the Panthers’ preferred targets will likely be gone by the time that they draft. La’el Collins of LSU has the footwork that you would want in a tackle, but he is currently a top ten projected pick. This is despite his unimpressive 21 reps at the bench press in the Combine. Trai Turner’s battery mate will likely remain a former teammate.
Andrus Peat, the big Stanford tackle, would also be right up there on the Panthers’ wish list. He already has plenty of experience in a pro-style system. Yet he also is going to go before the Panthers pick. It might be worthwhile for the Panthers to trade up about ten spots if one of these two guys drops.
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The champion of the bench press at the Combine was Miami’s Ereck Flowers. His 37 reps look pretty good. Despite being the fourth rated tackle in the draft, he too is expected to be gone before the Panthers pick. He would still be there at 15, if the Panthers could find a trade.
The guy who the Panthers may be slotted into is Cameron Erving from Florida State. Erving started off at FSU as an athlete, and became an offensive lineman. That means that he probably has some growing left for the position, but potential is a scary word when we are talking left tackles.
So get ready for first round drama. Now it is time to move to the other side of the ball and look for options over there.