Each week this offseason, we’ll be focusing on one position and how the Panthers may choose to address their needs; whether they’re in the market for an upgrade at starter or just a reliable backup, every player on the 53-man roster is going to be important in 2018.
This is Defensive Line Week.
While Julius Peppers and Mario Addison both performed at a high level this past season and Wes Horton appeared to take a significant step towards the upper tiers of NFL defensive ends, with Charles Johnson gone and uncertainty about whether Peppers will return (and the near certainty that if he does return it won’t be for much longer) the Panthers need at defensive end is greater than last season’s numbers indicate. While they will get Daeshon Hall back from an injury that kept him out of all of last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Panthers look to target a defensive end as early as the first round. Luckily for them, this looks to be one of the strongest position groupings in the draft.
The Big Board
Bradley Chubb is in the conversation to be the first overall pick for a reason, to put it plainly: he’s really good. He might not be quite at the level as Myles Garrett, who went first overall a year ago, but he is at least in the conversation; there are some things he’ll need to work on at the NFL level, but he should be expected to come in an be a high-level starter from day one. Davenport and Key are at that next level down, both have freakish athletic traits and both will need to develop in order to play as the 4-3 ends that their tape suggests they should be; while Key’s absolute upside is possibly higher, there are probably more questions about his ability to contribute early on in his career and while not taken into account here, a number of off-the-field concerns could see him drop as far as the second round.
Turay and Ejiofor are both technically solid pass rushers but both have issues that will likely take them out of the first round conversation; Turay needs to bulk up in order to move to a 4-3 system and while athletic, he is not going to put up Jadaveon Clowney-type numbers. Ejiofor has some of the best hands of any pass rusher in recent years, but his absolute ceiling is probably going to limited by his athleticism and there are also some nagging concerns about his play height. In terms of the Panthers, both of these players should be seen more as options towards the end of the second than at 24.
Where this draft group is extremely deep is in the middle rounds. While many of the more rotational pieces have limited application to the Panthers, athletic development projects such as Chad Thomas, Hercules Mata’afa and Jalyn Holmes would be intriguing choices either towards the end of the third or earlier on day three of the draft. There are also a couple of players who could attract some interest in the latter rounds if the Panthers believe that Hall is going to develop into a good starter, with Joe Ostman possibly being a guy who can contribute at a decent level early on, even if he is unlikely to develop into a starting player at any point.
Josh Sweat. Photo Credit: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
A player like Josh Sweat, who was the toast of the Indianapolis Combine, has raised his stock this week by showing off his high-level athleticism; even though his tape still leaves a lot to desire, Sweat could make for an intriguing early Day 3 target, although he likely will be gone before then.
Given the depth of talent at the top of this class and the need at this position, it would be surprising if the Panthers didn’t emerge from the first couple of days with the draft with a defensive end prospect. If they managed to get that far without one, however, there are still a number of promising prospects that should make it as far as the late-middle rounds. This is a good draft class to need a pass rusher.
