Potential compensatory pick could be beneficial for Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers could make good use of a potential compensatory pick.

In what was considered a lost season by many for the Carolina Panthers, they received some good news on Monday. According to a report from Steve Taranto of 247Sports, the Carolina Panthers are projected to receive a compensatory third-round pick in exchange for losing left guard Andrew Norwell in free agency.

The Panthers will join the Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens and receiving compensatory draft picks.

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Losing Norwell was certainly a difficult situation. With the amount of money he was asking, there was no way the Panthers would have been able to keep him. The offensive line looked great in some games, and miserable in others. There was no doubt that Norwell could have helped the Panthers. However, he got the payday he wanted and for that I applaud him.

This year perhaps more than any other year, the Panthers could certainly use an extra draft pick. They need to get younger defensively, and in some spots on offense, youth could certainly be a good thing. The Panthers currently have six picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, with the 16th overall pick being the highest one they possess. The 16th pick at face value is not the most ideal one for an organization looking to rebuild in some spots. If anything, they could find the most value by moving up in the draft.

They need to make the offensive line a top priority. Although statistically they did not give up a ton of sacks, (32 on the year), games like the one against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the contest against the New Orleans Saints left both Cam Newton and Kyle Allen vulnerable to defenses. They definitely need some help at the position.

The only position where I would say the Panthers are set at is wide receiver. Other than that, no draft pick at any position would be a bad one. The Panthers as we saw this year have a bunch of needs throughout the team. This is a year where general manager Marty Hurney needs to draft wisely. He did a good job in 2018, and now he needs to do an even better job in 2019.

The Panthers are in a bit of an interesting state right now. They have veterans that can help the team win right now, rookies who will be building blocks for the future, and veterans who are almost too old to help the team. As result, this makes life complicated for the Panthers front office as they try to project what their team will look like in the future. They need to construct a roster that can contend with all of this in mind. That of course is easier said than done.

A compensatory pick is certainly a step in the right direction. We will see what the Panthers can do with it.