Some folks consider the NFC South to be the best division in the NFL heading into 2017. We’ll be taking a look at each position group for each team in the division and ranking them leading up to the season, hoping to give you a better feel for the teams the Panthers will be facing twice on the schedule, as well as the hometown team itself. Check out our previous editions in which we rank the head coaches and defensive line units. Up next in our series of positional groups are the pass catchers; while the quarterbacks are the stars of the show for the most part, the pass catching group are the players who make those quarterbacks look good. The NFC South has seen it’s fair share of wide receivers and tight ends during it’s history, from fan favorites like Steve Smith and Joe Horn to future hall of famers Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez – there has been plenty of talent recently in the NFC South. Let’s take a look at how the current units stack up.
4) New Orleans Saints
Top Weapon: Michael Thomas
Photo: Chuck Cook/USA Today
The Saints traded away their best weapon in the receiving corp, Brandin Cooks, to the Patriots this offseason, and replaced their top ten wide receiver with Ted Ginn Jr, who has only truly shined during his journeyman career while he was with the Panthers, and even then – still showed his inconsistency with his hands. Alongside Ginn is Willie Snead, who was once cut by the Panthers and is coming off two consecutive 100 target campaigns and should be a solid red zone option. The team’s top option looks to be second year receiver Michael Thomas, who is coming off an incredible 92 catch, 1,137 yard rookie year in which he established himself as a true #1 option. Coby Fleener was supposed to be their breakout weapon when they signed him in 2016, but he failed to produce good numbers last season. The Saints have a young receiver in Thomas who is ready to join the upper echelon of the league, but his supporting cast is lacking in the Big Easy.
3) Carolina Panthers
Top Weapon: Greg Olsen
Photo: David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer
The Panthers have one of the better young wide receivers in the game in Kelvin Benjamin, along with, in my opinion, the best, most consistent tight end in the NFL in Greg Olsen. Along with this, the Panthers have added Devin Funchess, who despite having a sophomore slump, can produce good numbers as a number two or three option, all while drafting a speedier, better hands version of Ted Ginn in Curtis Samuel. The signing of the underrated Russell Shephard has fans salivating about the 2017 receiving group, and if we truly wanted to add some more power to this group by throwing in the versatile slot receiver/backfield matchup nightmare Christian Mccaffrey, we could, but it’s not necessary. The Panthers have a unique thing going for them when it comes to throwing the football: a thousand yard WR Kelvin Benjamin who is still waiting to truly emerge into his prime alongside the only tight end in the history of the game to have three consecutive thousand yard seasons. True, last year was a down year for the Panthers and it’s offense, but don’t forget to take into account the defenses they had to go against. Denver, Oakland, Kansas City, Seattle, Atlanta twice, Minnesota – just to name a few. With a much easier strength of schedule and defenses this upcoming season, I see the Panthers putting up many more points and Cam Newton throwing well over 30 touchdowns this season to this dynamic group.
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Top Weapon: Mike Evans
Photo: Associated Press
Tampa Bay made some great moves this offseason, starting with signing Desean Jackson to line up across from Mike Evan. The speedy duo could be quite the nasty combo, however Jackson is in the tail end of his prime, and while it may look like a great move on paper – it doesn’t assure greatness on the field. Am I saying Jackson will be a bust? Absolutely not, but I don’t believe it will be as epic as some make it out to be. Mike Evans had a breakout season last year, ranking right up with the elite wideouts. His 12 TD’s and 1,321 yards were both inside the top five, while his 96 catches were sixth best in the league. Evans will continue to grow and produce numbers, and if he can stay consistent, Evans, Benjamin and Jones could all be holding down the South as one of the best wide receiver divisions for years to come. Jackson should help to take the top off the offense as he has been running the go route for almost a decade, and drafting OJ Howard from Alabama was also huge for Tampa Bay; if used right, the Buccaneers and Jameis Winston will have plenty of choices and targets to throw at this upcoming season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Jameis throw at least 32 touchdowns this season with all of his weapons.
1) Atlanta Falcons
Top Weapon: Julio Jones
Photo: John Bazemore/Associated Press
The Falcons were just in the Super Bowl thanks to it’s weapons through the air in Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and their new speedy weapon in Taylor Gabriel, who broke out in the slot position last year. All three of those weapons combined for over 2,500 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Julio Jones alone is a game changer and is the best wide receiver in the league; despite splitting the load with many other wide outs, Jones still produced the second most yards in the NFL with over 1,400 and the most yards on a per game basis. The only negative thing I can find within the Falcons air attack is at their tight end position, and it’s not even that bad. Atlanta doesn’t have just a single tight end that works well in their system , they have multiple that split the load. Austin Hooper had a decent performance in the Super Bowl and finished the season with almost 300 yards and three touchdowns. Not good numbers if he was their main weapon, but when you combine all five of their tight ends, they totaled nearly 1,000 yards receiving and ten touchdowns by the end of 2016. The Falcons were able to keep most of their products from last season, and Matt Ryan should still put up big numbers (almost 5,000 yards, 38 scores and a 117.1 QB ranking) like last year in 2017.
So far the position rankings have been split pretty evenly:
- Defensive Line: Carolina Panthers
- Head Coach: New Orleans Saints
- Pass Catchers: Atlanta Falcons
- Linebackers: ?????
- Offensive Line: ?????
- Running Backs: ??????
- Secondary: ??????
- Quarterbacks: ??????
Be sure to check back soon for the next set of rankings, featuring everyone’s favorite defensive group: The linebackers!
