Denis Daley, LG (#65)
Daley and Little were the only second teamers to play throughout the game at the same positions, and given that both are rookies and that the Panthers will see both their starting LT and LG hitting free agency next offseason, there is a very real chance that the Panthers are looking to develop the pair together with a view to them being the left side of the offensive line for 2020 and beyond. Given that Daley is transitioning from playing tackle in college, he is likely to face something of a greater learning curve, but there were definitely some positives from the Bills game as well as some areas he needs to work on. In the run game, he showed the upside needed to make this worthwhile, with the power to move defenders:
As well as having the movement skills to get out ahead on outside runs, even if he could play with a little more control on such occasions:
And when working to the second level he moved well enough, though he could have generated a little more push to enlarge the hole for the running back:
He also showed some really nice hand usage and balance, locating his hands well inside the frame of the defender and using his feet well to keep the defender in front of him with his weight distributed evenly – he was actually called for a hold on the first play, but that seems somewhat questionable on review:
He could do with bending his knees a little more in order to lower his center of mass and generate more usable power, but this combination of balance and good hand usage allows him to be highly effective in zone schemes as is.
This good hand usage showed up in pass protection as well, though here as well, he could do with improving his knee bend – by playing as high as he does he makes himself somewhat vulnerable to power rushers:
Along with the rest of the second string offensive line, he found himself facing a high number of stunts and twists; Daley generally showed both a good awareness of what was around him as well as the technique to keep the first defender away from his frame, allowing him to disengage effectively when appropriate:
However, there were a couple of plays where he could do with a little more work, but this was less to do with his technique and more to do with the communication with Little. On neither play is this communication imperfection some huge error, but rather a matter of the handover of the defender being slightly mistimed, either leading to the edge defender getting onto Daley before he was ready:
Or the interior defender being passed onto Little before he was ready:
This is something that should improve in a matter of time as the two players spend more reps playing together, but this just goes to show the potential value of having these two players play together frequently now, which should make it easier for them both to transition should they be asked to take on starting roles in 2020. The one other thing that Daley needs to watch out for is that on the touchdown pass to Ross, an RPO, he got quite a long way downfield before the ball came out, and with the NFL OPI rule being less lenient than the college one, he needs to make sure he doesn’t risk getting big plays like this one called back for a senseless penalty:
All told, Daley had a strong performance against the Bills – while he and Little need some more snaps together in games to improve the way in which they handle stunts as a pair, as well as some work on his pad level in both facets of the offense, for a rookie who was always going to be a developmental project, his hand usage is really quite impressive and in combination with his natural athleticism this puts him well on the way to being a genuine contributor at the NFL level.
The Panthers looked to have gotten a true value pick in the sixth round.
Coming In Part Two: Can Greg Little Really Be The Left Tackle Of The Future?
