Carolina Panthers projected to totally swing and miss in NFL draft

The Carolina Panthers are locked into the 19th spot in the NFL draft, and everything ahead of them has already been locked in for weeks. Mock drafts now have a much better idea about who might be taken when.

That makes it a little easier to predict, since the analysts know each team's needs ahead of Carolina, thereby indicating which prospects might still be on the table. It's not foolproof, but it is usually pretty spot-on.

But in this mock draft from CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson, the Panthers make a confounding choice with their pick, taking a player at maybe the one position they probably

Panthers curiously pick Olaivavega Ioane in latest mock draft

Olaivavega Ioane is a good interior offensive lineman prospect. That doesn't mean he should be on the Carolina Panthers' radar.

In fact, aside from running back and quarterback, the Panthers probably need IOL least of all. They have some key free agents there, like Cade Mays, Austin Corbett, and Brady Christensen, but they're highly likely to bring at least a couple of them back.

They also have Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt under contract, so the interior is as beefed up as it should be. Still, Wilson thinks Ioane should be the pick for the Panthers.

"Ioane is one of the cleanest prospects in this class, excelling as an earth mover in the run game and showing the athleticism to be effective in both gap and zone schemes. In pass protection, he plays with a strong base, using a well-timed, powerful punch to neutralize the bull rush," the insider wrote.

Ironically, the very next prospect off the board, linebacker Sonny Styles, would be so much better for the Panthers. So would Denzel Boston, C.J. Allen, Kenyon Sadiq, T.J. Parker, Caleb Lomu, and others still on the board.

If the Panthers do not re-sign any of those interior offensive linemen (which is almost impossible to conceive), then sure, Ioane could be the pick, but if they're aiming for a center, they probably ought to consider a true center and not a guard/center hybrid.

Because if that's the case, then re-signing Mays or even Corbett is probably wiser than selecting Ioane with their first-round pick. There are too many holes on this roster to take a depth piece on the interior of the offensive line.

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