in the 2019 NFL Draft thanks to their 7-9 record and third place finish in the NFC South in 2018. There are a lot of holes on the roster that have to be filled Daryl Williams Jersey 2019 , and because there probably aren’t enough draft picks available to fill them the Panthers will have to be smart with their approach to the draft. Let’s take a look at the five position groups the Panthers need to address, in no particular order.Defensive endThe Panthers have six defensive ends currently on the roster, but four of them will be free agents when the league year starts in March: Julius Peppers, Efe Obada (ERFA), Bryan Cox Jr. (ERFA) and Wes Horton. The two remaining are Marquis Haynes and Mario Addison. That’s not a sufficient group of pass rushers for any team, so the Panthers will definitely have to address this need somehow. Fortunately, there are some really good defensive ends in this year’s draft class. Will any of the good ones be available by the time the No. 16 pick rolls around? We can only hope.Offensive tackleJust like defensive end, the Panthers have six players listed at offensive tackle on their current roster, but again, three of them are set to hit free agency in March: Daryl Williams, Chris Clark and Marshall Newhouse. The only ones left are Taylor Moton, Matt Kalil and Isaiah Battle. Moton is solid, but Kalil’s health is a question (but he hopes to ‘give it another go’ in 2019) and Battle has never played a regular season NFL snap in the four years he’s bounced around various practice squads across the league.To put it lightly, the Panthers’ offensive tackle situation is dire. The Panthers may not be able to afford to re-sign Williams (unless his season-ending injury substantially drives down his market value) and we saw what a left tackle rotation of Chris Clark and Marshall Newhouse can do to a franchise quarterback’s long-term health. I don’t know if the Panthers can fix this problem with a first round draft pick because I don’t know if a cornerstone left tackle will fall to No. 16 overall. This might be a position that has to be addressed in free agency, but if a quality left tackle miraculously falls into the Panthers’ lap during the draft, it should take Marty Hurney approximately 2.7 seconds to hand his card in at the podium.SafetyThe Panthers have eight players listed at safety on their roster right now. There are two problems with that number, though. Four of them are scheduled to hit free agency: Mike Adams, Eric Reid, Colin Jones and Damian Parms (ERFA). Of the four safeties left Blue Daryl Williams Jersey , two of them are not free safeties (Da’Norris Searcy, Rashaan Gaulden) and two of them are virtually unknown quantities (Kai Nacua, Cole Luke). The Panthers could address this problem in the draft. Dan Kadar of Mocking the Draft has the Panthers doing that with their No. 16 overall pick by taking Deionte Thompson from Alabama. Depending on how the draft board looks that might not be the biggest mistake the Panthers could make in the draft, but it might be better to try and find a free safety in free agency instead. (Note: There aren’t a lot of options here, to be honest. It’s a matter of ‘Would you rather have mediocrity at safety or mediocrity at defensive end/offensive tackle?’ and that’s really not a difficult question to answer.)Running backBefore you get mad, hear me out. The Panthers rely on Christian McCaffrey more than they should. Yes, he’s awesome, but you shouldn’t dedicate 95% of your snaps to one player (other than the quarterback because you kinda have to do that). The Panthers need at least one running back to pair with McCaffrey. They fixed this problem last offseason by signing C.J. Anderson to a one-year ‘prove it’ deal, but then decided they didn’t need his services any longer and let him go. As of today, there are six running backs on the roster other than McCaffrey: Kenjon Barner, Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker, Reggie Bonnafon, Travaris Cadet and Elijah Hood. Of those six, five of them are set to hit free agency. Bonnafon is the only one left. (Hood is an ERFA so he could return.) I’m not sure the Panthers will allocate cap space to bring any of those five guys back when they could throw a fourth or fifth round pick at a running back and get the same amount of production, but somehow they need to find someone to spell McCaffrey. Of course, they could always just roll with Bonnafon and Hood if they wanted to save their draft picks for other needs, but I don’t know if that’s the best idea.QuarterbackAgain, let me explain before you bring out the pitchforks. Cam Newton is the franchise quarterback and that’s not changing any time soon. But Mario Addison Jersey 2019 , let’s be honest: His shoulder isn’t right. He hasn’t been the same since T.J. Watt speared him in Week 10. The Panthers must have a backup plan in case Newton’s shoulder isn’t ready for 2019. They went with a rotation of Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen and Garrett Gilbert over the last two weeks of the season, but that’s not going to be good enough for the long term. Allen is currently the only backup quarterback who is a) healthy, and b) on the roster. The Panthers should look for value picks in the draft to find a backup quarterback, or they should sign a quality veteran to run the offense in case Cam isn’t ready to go. I’m sure this will go over like a fart in a spacesuit, but there’s a certain quarterback out there right now who would be a perfect short-term replacement for Cam, but whether or not the Panthers would be willing to make that move is up in the air.If you’re still reading this, congrats. You have dedication! Now that you’ve come this far, do me one more favor—tell me which need you think is the most important, and how the Panthers should address that need. Should they use the No. 16 overall pick to fill the need, or should they sign a free agent? Who should they draft and/or sign? I want to know that you think. The Panthers drafted Greg Little at No. 37 overall and Will Grier at No. 100 overall." Panthers 2019 NFL DraftThe Carolina Panthers improved their roster by drafting Greg Little and Will Grier on Day 2New,9commentsThe Panthers drafted Greg Little at No. 37 overall and Will Grier at No. 100 overall.EDTWith Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2019 NFL Draft over, there’s a lot to reel in from the Carolina Panthers’ latest selections. Marty Hurney addressed additional needs on the offensive line (which came at a steep cost) and found a potential long-term backup for Cam Newton. Were these picks the smartest move the Panthers could’ve made?Assessing Greg LittleCarolina gave people mixed emotions when they decided to trade up to No. 37 to grab offensive tackle Greg Little in exchange for their Nos. 47 and 77 picks. With so much talent in the 2019 class, this could’ve been a costly mistake. Aside from the pass rush, which they implemented in the first round with Brian Burns, the Panthers were in dire need of a true left tackle. While trading away additional picks in the second and third round is risky, the Panthers felt an urge to nab one of the best tackles in the draft. There’s no question that Little has second round talent, if not first. His sloppiness and finesse blocking was an issue in his college career, but these are things that can be cleaned up.He has a build that bulk up and add strength. He has good hand-coordination and arm length. The addition of Little gives Ron Rivera options and stability on the offensive line. With Taylor Moton more confident on the right side and Daryl Williams’ contract set to expire at the end of the season Blue Mario Addison Jersey , the Panthers needed a promising left tackle to protect Newton. Had the Panthers waited, Little, as well as any of the other tackles, could’ve been gone. The Panthers knew they had a need and a filled an immediate roster spot. I think Little will pay off long-term, which makes the trade worth it. Will Grier offers insuranceLast season spiraled when Newton’s throwing shoulder began to give him issues, resulting in him being benched the last two regular season games in 2018. Carolina never had a secure backup in Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, who were often called late in games to throw a hail mary. With the No. 100 overall pick, the Panthers gave themselves that much needed insurance when they selected quarterback Will Grier. Grier was viewed as a bit of a dark horse this draft. Some experts suspected he could’ve been a potential first-rounder, but due to lack of development, he fell. Many question if Grier’s success at West Virginia was a benefit of the simplicity of his offense, but there’s no denying Grier has an arm and is confident. With Newton still in rehab for his right shoulder, having a promising backup is key. This selection could show to pay off sooner than later, if things don’t go smoothly for Newton’s rehabbing. Always prepare for the unpredictable, which is exactly what Hurney did. Overall, Hurney and the Panthers played smart in this year’s draft and went after players who will benefit them long-term.