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Taylor Moton: Carolina Panthers backup now one of the best

By Brandon Scott

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 08: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers rushes the passer against Taylor Moton #72 of the Carolina Panthers during the first half in the game at Heinz Field on November 8, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 08: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers rushes the passer against Taylor Moton #72 of the Carolina Panthers during the first half in the game at Heinz Field on November 8, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Carolina Panthers Taylor Moton ranks as one of the top-25 lineman currently in the league.

Taylor Moton was drafted in the second round last year by a Carolina Panthers team looking for depth along their offensive line. The former Western Michigan standout easily played his way onto the roster but never found consistent playing time during his rookie season. Used sparingly in jumbo packages near the goal line and as a specialist, Moton appeared in every game but never earned a start.

Expected to possibly compete for the starting guard role after Andrew Norwell left via free agency, Moton again began the season as a backup. Amini Silatolu was penciled in to start in Norwell’s absence with Moton still receiving opportunities at both the guard and tackle positions.

However, injuries decimated the Panthers offensive line and as a result Moton was thrust into action. Filling in for injured starter Daryl Williams at the right tackle position, the former second-round pick hasn’t missed a beat. Starting every game this season, Moton has emerged as an obvious talent and needs to be on the field, now and into the future.

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According to Pro Football Focus, the Panthers lineman ranks No. 17 out of the top-25 lineman currently in the league. Given there are 32 teams with five positions each, he’s essentially seventeenth out of 160 potential candidates. His overall grade of 78.4 is impressive as Moton is one of the best right tackles in all of football.

"Not a bad ranking for a guy that was a backup in training camp. Moton has been the biggest reason why the wheels didn’t completely fall off after both starting tackles went down before the year in Carolina."

Protecting quarterback Cam Newton, Moton and his offensive line counterparts have formed a cohesive unit that many believed would be the weakest positional group for Carolina following the early season injuries. In opposite fashion, Newton was well protected early and the group has helped pave the way for running back Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield.

Carolina has the No. 2 ranked rushing attack with 1,786 yards and leads all others averaging over five yards per attempt.

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For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.

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