ESPN reports Panthers among teams looking to draft OL in Round 1
TL;DR
The Carolina Panthers are reportedly focusing on drafting an offensive lineman in Round 1 of the NFL draft, according to ESPN. This comes after a successful season where they clinched the NFC South title.
Key points
- Carolina Panthers targeting offensive line in Round 1
- Panthers clinched NFC South title last season
- Multiple teams interested in drafting offensive linemen
The actual, in-real-life NFL draft is never quite as thrilling as your favorite mock draft. Nobody may know this better than Carolina Panthers fans, whose most exciting event of the yearâthanks to a long playoff droughtâmay have been the selection process.
But that's no longer the case for these Panthers, who snapped their seven-year funk this past season with an NFC South title and a near-upset of the Los Angeles Rams in a thrilling wild-card round appearance. So, consider it a good thing if Carolina's front office ignores the thrill of taking skill players early on and goes a different direction entirely.
The latest Intel from ESPN suggests that might be the caseâeven with some signs pointing towards the likes of safety Dillon Thienemen, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wideouts KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr. Insider Dan Graziano, instead, suggests that they're actually targeting the offensive line in Round 1:
I'm predicting at least seven and as many as 10 offensive linemen get picked in the first round. There's a late-round zone loaded with teams that would love to come out of Thursday night with a new offensive lineman, including the Lions, Panthers, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Browns, Bears, 49ers, Chiefs and Patriots...
It's really not difficult to figure out why the Panthers would take this route. With Ikem Ekwonu working back from a torn patellar tendon and Taylor Moton turning 32 years old before Week 1, the simple fact is that Carolina might have long-terms needs at both tackle positions.
Prioritizing one of those two spots would indicate that the team is thinking more towards the future with the No. 19 pick, which is probably the right thing to do. If the Panthers neglect this potentially devastating problem, it could seriously come back to bite them in the fall and beyond.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: ESPN reports Panthers among teams looking to draft OL in Round 1
Q&A
Which teams are looking to draft offensive linemen in Round 1 of the NFL draft?
Teams including the Lions, Panthers, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Browns, Bears, 49ers, Chiefs, and Patriots are targeting offensive linemen in Round 1.
What position are the Carolina Panthers expected to draft in the first round?
The Carolina Panthers are expected to draft an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL draft.
How did the Carolina Panthers perform in the previous NFL season?
The Carolina Panthers snapped a seven-year playoff drought by clinching the NFC South title and making a wild-card round appearance.
