Panthers Urged to Sign 49ers Star, Draft USC Prospect to Fill Biggest Hole

Despite the Carolina Panthers investing heavily in the wide receiver position in recent years, it's still a need. At least, it's the biggest need the team has left after free agency, according to CBS Sports analyst Zachary Pereles.

It's hard to disagree with the idea that they need a wide receiver, even if it might not truly be the most pressing need. Safety and tight end might be bigger, but we can all agree that the wide receiver room is not exactly brimming with talent.

Tetairoa McMillan is great. So is Jalen Coker. Two wide receivers do not a room make, though. Beyond them, there's a lot of hope that Xavier Legette and John Metchie III will do things they've not yet done in their NFL careers, so it remains a need.

To fix that need, Pereles sees two viable options: one in free agency and another in the draft.

Panthers urged to sign Jauan Jennings or draft Makai Lemon

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) takes the field before the game | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Remarkably, there are still quite a few good wide receivers in free agency, all of whom the Panthers would benefit from signing. They've been linked to Deebo Samuel more than a few times.

Other than him, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, and a few other veterans are left on the market, which is a bit surprising since free agency began weeks ago. The Panthers could still sign one.

To fix the biggest need they apparently have, Zachary Pereles implored them to consider signing Jennings. He's not the first to consider Jennings a fit for the Carolina offense, though the price may be too steep.

As for the overarching problem, Pereles wrote, "The Panthers did strong work to upgrade their roster over the past two years. Could the defense have one more interior disruptor? Sure. Could the tight end group use an upgrade? Sure."

"But," he went on, "Wide receiver after Tetairoa McMillan is a major question. Can it be Jalen Coker, the former undrafted rookie free agent who has impressed at times? Xavier Legette has been a big disappointment."

Therein lies the problem. There's no depth, but Jauan Jennings would immediately fix that. His $15 million expected price tag is an issue since the Panthers have $5.2 million in cap space remaining, though.

Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates after catching a 32-yard touchdown | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Enter Makai Lemon, the alternative option in Pereles' mind. The USC wide receiver has been mocked in a variety of places in the first round, but in some mock drafts, he's available at 19. If he is, Pereles believes he'd be a good pick.

In fact, according to the logic presented in the above blurb, Pereles seems to believe Lemon would be a better pick than Kenyon Sadiq or anyone on defense. Whether or not that's true, picking the USC star would give Bryce Young an excellent trio of young wide receivers to work with.