While every first-round pick is incredibly important for the Panthers, the 16th pick in 2019 has a chance to make a huge impact early and often for the team – Ron Rivera has never been afraid to use rookies as early as Week 1 and the Panthers have holes that will need to be filled – with Ryan Kalil retiring and the futures of Matt Kalil and Daryl Williams in flux at tackle, as many as three starting spots on the line could be up for grabs.
Luckily, there are some options early that can help the Panthers fill those spots.
“Offensive line-wise, while there’s not a premier guy, somebody that’s a top five lock that we’ve seen in some previous years, I think it’s a really, really good group, especially once you get to the middle of the first round,” said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, although Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor is projected to go in the top five – and Ron Rivera agrees that the best part of the draft is going to be the players closest to the ball.
“I do agree with that based on what I’ve seen already,” said Rivera this week in Indianapolis. “I’ve had an opportunity to watch a lot of the offensive linemen and a few of the defensive linemen already and I do agree that part of the strength of this draft will be the fronts – offensive and defensive line.”
The opportunity to find a starting offensive lineman on a rookie contract is helpful as well – the top ten free agent offensive linemen signed in 2018 had an average cap hit of $7.57m in the first year of their deal – the $2.3m cap hit of the 16th pick in the draft would be the 109th highest among offensive linemen – 51st among tackles.
Here are some options for the Panthers to consider should they look to draft an offensive lineman early.
Jonah Williams, Alabama
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Williams, who some think projects as a guard in the NFL due to his short arms, certainly looks the part and showed off the cerebral attitude that the Panthers like in their offensive linemen at the podium during his media session at the scouting combine – he’s likely to be a first-round tackle and proved that he can be a beast in both pass protection and run blocking.
“I think my greatest strength is athleticism, preparation and technique. Those are kind of the cornerstones of what I base my game off of. I think I’m an extremely athletic player. I try to out-prepare everyone. I want to watch more film than everyone on the defense combined. I want to know what each player does before they do it. I want to know what their best moves are and what percentage they win on those moves, how I can combat those moves. If I don’t know how, I’ll reach out to resources. I’ve had great coaches that I’ve encountered in college and some current NFL players, guys I’m trying to emulate. I’ll study Joe Thomas, see how he handles a type of rush. Weakness? I would say the double-edge sword of that is I over analyze things sometimes, kind of over-think things, play a little hesitantly. So that’s something I’ve really been working on this past season – make your reads, read the defensive coverages, safety movement, defensive alignment, weight placement, and as soon as the ball snaps, cut it loose and try to take someone’s head off.”
Stats Via NFL.com
Garrett Bradbury, NC State
Bradbury set the combine ablaze with his 40-yard dash, vertical jump and high bench press numbers, backing up his tape in which he showed quick feet and inordinate strength as he captained the NC State offensive line – obviously, the Panthers have a need at center with Ryan Kalil retiring, and if they don’t make a move for a high-priced free agent like Matt Paradis, Bradbury could be an option in the first round. Before his performance in Indianapolis, he may have been an option in the second, but he certainly will not make it back to the Panthers at the 47th pick. The Panthers had Frank Ragnow, who went 20th overall to the Lions last year, high on their board so they’re not afraid to use a high pick on an interior lineman; Bradbury has drawn comparisons to Ryan Kalil and would be viewed as the center of the future.
“I love the game within the game, and the pre-snap mental processing. All of that comes from preparation. I like to be as calm as possible before games, because half of my game is played before the snap. IDs, protections, MIKE calls, stuff like that. So that’s your Sunday to Saturday preparation – watching film, going over the game plan with the coaches. I was really fortunate to have an awesome offensive line and running backs coach who I’d go over protections with. A lot of football experience between those two guys to help teach me what I should be looking for on Saturdays.”
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