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.
With the acquisition of Dontari Poe, the Panthers have all but removed defensive tackle as a need for this offseason, certainly in terms of the first few rounds of the draft. However, as with any position, the Panthers would find it hard to pass on an elite player were there one who might fall to 24; the team could also use a late-round pick in order to add some competition at the position, especially given that Kyle Love is towards the end of his underappreciated career. With that in mind, what does the 2018 draft class have to offer in terms of more prototypical 4-3 defensive tackles?
The Big Board
Da’Ron Payne and Maurice Hurst are comfortably the best two defensive tackles in this class, with both showing good athletic traits and enough technique to make them immediate contributors in the NFL. Both have some things they will likely want to improve on though; Payne needs to play with a more consistent pad level and Hurst could do with adding some weight and improving his hand usage as a pass rusher. With that being said, both should go early on day two at the latest with the ability to be effective 3-techs from day one; Hurst was sent from the Combine with a heart condition which will need to be addressed.
Khalil McKenzie is more of a natural 1-tech, with the ability to clog lanes in the running game and to stack and shed in the passing game. He is not as quick as either Payne or Hurst but is possibly more powerful and should he fall below his value could be of interest to the Panthers as somebody who could come in and compete with Love for the fourth tackle spot. The other options in this regard would be one of the more developmental prospects in the 2018 class.
BJ Hill. Photo Credit: Grant Halvorson/Getty Images
While there aren’t many tackles who are likely to be significant contributors early on, there are a number who flash good athletic traits and should be of interest to teams looking to develop somebody behind a pair of established starters. Hall showed flashes of the kind of ability that might allow them to be above average starters but will need work and a bit of luck to maximise on that talent. The remaining players are also richer in talent than they are in technique and will also likely need time to develop once they get to the NFL, either at the bottom of a roster or on a practice squad.
The Panthers are probably more likely not to draft a defensive tackle than they are to pull the trigger, with Short-Poe-Butler-Love all but established as the 2018 group, but if they do, it will likely be right towards the end of the draft. While Payne and Hurst will certainly be gone by that point, estimations of the draft stock for the rest of the class vary and should any of the better remaining prospects fall to the later rounds, the Panthers could try and bring them in to compete for the fourth defensive tackle spot currently occupied by Love.
