Carolina Panthers Post-Draft Needs

There are still some areas where the Panthers need to address

Although the Carolina Panthers hit on many of their team needs in the 2020 NFL Draft, there are still a few holes that GM Marty Hurney needs to address prior to this upcoming season. Today, we take a look at where the team's focus should be centered.

Interior Offensive Line

The Panthers have rebooted their pass protection as they now have two bookend tackles in Russell Okung and Taylor Moton. The big problem is on the inside. Dennis Daley is a late round draft pick from 2019 who showed potential in a limited role, but can he take on an expanded role? And on the left side there is no one behind newly acquired John Miller who was signed away from the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. Adding a body or two at guard will be key for the team's depth and competition for a starting role.

Tight End

Despite the Panthers recently signing free agent Colin Thompson, there is still a huge need here at this position. Seth DeValve is mainly a blocking tight end and Ian Thomas has yet to prove his worth. It was a little shocking that GM Marty Hurney didn't take a tight end even the later rounds, but this may be an area that gets addressed as we approach the summer months.

Running back

Christian McCaffrey is a stud and there is no debating it, but he is going to need some pressure taken off of him if the Panthers want to not only be an efficient offense, but to keep him healthy. There are a ton of veteran backs out there in free agency and I would expect Carolina to look at that option sooner rather than later. Sorry, but I'm not yet sold on Jordan Scarlett or Reggie Bonnafon. 

Linebacker

Carolina has a strong starting unit at linebacker with Brian Burns, Shaq Thompson, and Tahir Whitehead, but they are short for quality talent behind that group. I don't think we will see the Panthers pursue the free agency route hard for this position, but keep an eye on Wisconsin undrafted free agent Chris Orr to be a guy that can make the 53-man roster this season.

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