A Worrying Trend is Beginning to Emerge for the Carolina Panthers' NFL Draft

The Panthers are adding talent, but they're not helping themselves in the most important spots.

Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling (OL24) during the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers said before the NFL draft that they weren't going to draft for depth. They also said they'd employ a "best player available" strategy, and through three rounds, they definitely have done that.

However, it's perhaps swung a little too far in that direction. The Panthers are consistently taking players that are good but are perhaps not the most helpful as they continue rebuilding. It seems to imply a tiny bit of overconfidence about their standing as a playoff team.

The Panthers are drafting far too much on talent alone and not considering positions of need

Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter (DL15) during the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Monroe Freeling is a good player, and he's likely to be a good player for the Panthers for a while. However, he was taken at a position that already has an incumbent and a pretty solid starter.

He can play left and right tackle, but Rasheed Walker and Taylor Moton are both pretty good. Walker was a free agent signing that many hailed as a genuine steal, but he's now made slightly less relevant.

The same thing happened in the second round. Lee Hunter is also a good player, and he will help replace A'Shawn Robinson. However, Bobby Brown III was already replacing Robinson, and now Hunter will replace him.

Again, the Panthers could use Hunter like they can use Freeling now and in the future. But they upgraded two positions that already were in moderately decent shape.

And while we are particularly pleased at adding another weapon for Bryce Young, the same logic applies here. Adding Chris Brazzell II in the third round is fine, but the Panthers are slotting him in at WR3 at best.

Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (17) yells in celebration after scoring a touchdown | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meanwhile, a tight end like Justin Joly there would've been TE1 with ease, so the Panthers missed an opportunity to get a pass-catcher while addressing the bigger position of need.

Drafting the best player available is almost always a good idea. However, are the Panthers overall in the best shape they could be? What if they'd taken Dillon Thieneman, Eli Stowers, and Keionte Scott?

That would've upgraded three major holes at safety, tight end, and slot corner. The Panthers opted to take players they perceived to be better as prospects at positions that weren't as vital. In some ways, that's the right strategy, but it might not work for Carolina.

It's a better draft strategy when you are a playoff contender without a ton of weaknesses. Instead, the Panthers still have holes in their starting lineups on both sides of the ball. Time will tell if the players they took are good enough to help offset the remaining weak spots.