Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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The Panthers have been there before.
Former GM Dave Gettleman got caught in that trap a few times. In 2013, there was a hole in the middle of the defense, leading to defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short with the first two picks. It didn't work out nearly as well for him in 2016, when the shortage of corners caused by rescinding the franchise tag on Josh Norman led him to use three straight picks at the position (after the regrettable defensive tackle Vernon Butler in the first round) on James Bradberry, Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez.
Last year, the Panthers spent the entire draft on defense, refreshing the side of the ball that needed young players. But even that was spread among all three levels.
This year, they've checked off enough boxes to justify picking nearly any position, as long as they're convinced that player will be good for them years from now.
"I think the job that was done in free agency allows us, there's no one position where we feel like 'Hey we need to take someone here,'" Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said. "What we want to do is look back five or six years and say 'Hey, we have a couple of great players that came out of this draft,' and if we look at it from that perspective, it's not about filling a need for this season, it's about building the team that can compete year in and year out.
"We'll try to take the best players and know we have a roster that allows us to do that."