Carolina Panthers: B+
The offense received a huge boost, both in terms of athletic upside and O-line help. The defense took maybe a tiny step forward. Does that combo work out well enough for the Panthers to get back to Super Bowl contention? RB Christian McCaffrey was worth the No. 8 pick, because he can thrive in the power-run scheme but also burn defenses as a receiver. His addition made that of RB/WR Curtis Samuel (No. 40) unexpected. Samuel is a video-game weapon, but was this at at all repetitive after taking McCaffrey? Will the Panthers regret not going defense there? Taylor Moton (No. 64) should be the starting right tackle—he’s that solid already. DE Daeshon Hall (No. 77) and CB Corn Elder (No. 152) can contribute on defense, but neither is an elite-impact guy.
