Panthers would be doing Bryce Young dirty if they don't draft this player

The Carolina Panthers have been ultra-focused on defense this offseason, and understandably so. After all, the Panthers had the worst defense in NFL history this past year.

However, Carolina can't get so deep into the weeds defensively that it forgets it also needs to add some pieces for Bryce Young, which, outside of signing running back Rico Dowdle, the Panthers haven't really done.

Of course, Carolina could be banking on the NFL draft to fill those holes, but even then, rumor has it that the Panthers are leaning defense with the eighth overall pick.

Fortunately, this is a pretty deep draft class for wide receivers, so Carolina should have plenty of opportunities to supply Young with some terrific weapons.

If the Panthers go with a defensive player at No. 8, they should absolutely be aiming to select a wide receiver in Round 2, and there is one wide out that makes perfect sense at No. 57: Stanford Cardinal standout Elic Ayomanor.

Ayomanor is one of the most underrated receivers in this year's draft class, although he has been climbing up draft boards over the last couple of months. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound weapon caught 63 passes for 831 yards and six touchdowns this past season, but in 2023, he hauled in 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six scores.

Remember: Ayomanor dominated Travis Hunter during Stanford's October 2023 win over Colorado, snatching 13 catches for 294 yards while reaching the end zone three times.

Ayomanor does it all from a wide receiver perspective. He is athletic, he wins jump balls, he's physical, he runs crisp routes and he is even a good blocker. He actually reminds me quite a bit of Anquan Boldin, a similarly built receiver who had a very successful NFL career between 2003 and 2016.

Young could absolutely use the 21-year-old at his disposal. The Panthers spent a first-round pick on wide out Xavier Legette last April, but Legette was actually a pretty significant disappointment in Year 1. There is still time for him to grow, but Carolina can't just sit and wait around when it has the chance to add some talented weapons for Young.

Ayomanor is expected by many to be a second-round pick, so for all of the talk about the Panthers potentially trying to trade up for Luther Burden II, they really would just be better off taking Ayomanor with the 57th pick (assuming he is still there).

Elic Ayomanor. — Oct 21, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (13) jogs on the field before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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