The Carolina Panthers 2017 NFL Draft class was especially injury prone and expectations remain high, but let’s see what could have been…
An impressive 11-5 record for the Carolina Panthers culminated with a playoff berth and unfortunate loss at divisional rival New Orleans on wild card weekend. Overall, Carolina lost six games and all but one came against teams making the playoffs but many of their rookies didn’t contribute.
Other than running back Christian McCaffrey and offensive lineman Taylor Moton, no other Panthers draftee from 2017 played in every game. Both Corn Elder and Daeshon Hall were injured so early in the year that neither was given much opportunity to prove they can even help the team in the future. Kicker Harrison Butker was plucked from the Panthers practice squad three weeks into the season and set an NFL record for field goals made by a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs.
With so many veterans nearing the end of their current contracts and careers, ensuring the Panthers land draft picks who can meaningfully contribute needs to be a priority. Unfortunately, with such a small sample size the jury remains out on a number of picks from last year.
Keeping the same positional focus and seeing the rookie production from around the league, imagine if former general manager Dave Gettleman would have drafted the following Panthers last year.
Original Pick: Christian McCaffrey, RB – Stanford
While Christian McCaffrey was obviously the highest producing rookie for the Panthers last season, other running backs of a similar fashion were available in the later rounds. In hindsight, the Panthers could have added a premier cornerback to operate opposite of James Bradberry.
Both Daryl Worley and Kevon Seymour split time through the middle of the year with Worley eventually earning back his full time position. Having Lattimore, who was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year with five interceptions would have bolstered the defensive secondary for years to come.
Original Pick: Curtis Samuel, WR – Ohio State
Taking two dynamic offensive playmakers was thought to have bolstered the arsenal for franchise quarterback Cam Newton. Unfortunately, Curtis Samuel battled injuries throughout the year and eventually was permanently sidelined with an ankle injury after just 15 catches and no touchdowns.
A more productive player this season would have been USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. After deciding to leave early, Smith-Schuster registered seven touchdowns and 917 receiving yards while recording the longest pass reception in Pittsburgh Steelers history, making headlines both on and off the field.
Original Pick: Taylor Moton, OT – Western Michigan
The Panthers already had their counter attack from veteran running back Jonathan Stewart when this pick rolled around but looking back Carolina would have had the option of Alvin Kamara or Kareem Hunt. While Kamara took a little longer to adjust, he eventually outpaced the field of rookies and shared Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with Hunt.
Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly had high praise for the rookie after being subjected to his abilities for making defenders miss tackles. In three games against the Panthers, Kamara earned 201 total yards and four touchdowns. Including his two playoff games, the Saints running back finished with 1,692 total yards and 15 touchdowns.
Original Pick: Daeshon Hall, DE – Texas A&M
Daeshon Hall played opposite number one overall selection Myles Garrett in college but after one game in the NFL was placed on injured reserve for the season. The Panthers need him or another pick to soon contribute with defensive ends Charles Johnson and Julius Peppers nearing retirement.
Carl Lawson had an extremely productive season for the Bengals coming off the edge. The former Tigers defensive lineman notched eight sacks and 15 tackles, appearing in each regular season game with one start.
Original Pick: Corn Elder, CB – Miami
After selecting three cornerbacks in 2016, Gettleman went there again last year with a late round selection of Corn Elder. Expected to be a high value pick, Elder suffered a knee injury early in training camp and never recovered.
With only an offensive tackle, full back and kicker remaining to fill every position from the actual draft, the Panthers would select Will Holden from Vanderbilt. Likely between he or Los Angeles Chargers tackle Sam Tevi, the more reliable protection and playing time came from Holden as he started the Cardinals final three games at left tackle.
Original Pick: Alex Armah, FB – West Georgia
The only player to repeat in this NFL Draft remake, Carolina actually selects Harrison Butker one-round earlier than in the original. Butker proved his worth setting an NFL record for field goals made by a rookie after being claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs off the Panthers practice squad.
With eventual position winner Graham Gano set to become a free agent, Carolina missed out on an opportunity to secure a kicker for the foreseeable future. Gano rebounded from a sporadic season in 2016 but a miss in the Panthers playoff game wasn’t the best way to end his season.
Original Pick: Harrison Butker, K – Georgia Tech
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Finally, the Panthers addressed their fullback vacancy with a sixth round pick of Alex Armah. The West Georgia utility player saw snaps with Carolina on special teams and in the backfield with various amounts of playing time.
A similar player emerged for the Baltimore Ravens as Patrick Ricard played both nose tackle and fullback during the season. He added two receiving touchdowns and would have been another weapon for Newton out of the backfield.
Arguably, the Panthers could have retained their final two picks as Armah may see more playing time in new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s system. His utilization of a second tight end or quality fullback should make for an interesting positional battle throughout training camp next season.
Next: 2018 Preview - Away Games
As the 2018 NFL Draft approaches Carolina has a variety of positions to target and will need to do their homework in order to secure a more productive draft class this year.