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Carolina Panthers: Rashan Gary would be beneficial playmaker to team

By Danny Jaillet

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 17: Rashan Gary #3 of the Michigan Wolverines looks on while playing the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 31-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 17: Rashan Gary #3 of the Michigan Wolverines looks on while playing the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 31-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The Carolina Panthers would be silly to pass on Rashan Gary if he is still available.

With the 2019 NFL Draft nearing closer  every day, more mocks from the experts are coming to light. Tuesday, Dan Kadar of SBNation put together his own mock draft, and it was certainly packed with surprises. Many of them made the logical sense, and for their needs, the pick Kadar made for the Carolina Panthers made sense as well. However, it is moreso a question of if the player will still be on the board when the Panthers pick 16th overall.

Kadar had Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary going to Charlotte 16th overall. Gary would certainly fill a need for the Panthers, and if he is still on the board, he would not be a bad pick it all. He would give them a disruptive playmaker on defense. That is certainly something they need, especially with the retirements of Julius Peppers and Thomas Davis. If he is still on the board, Carolina should certainly grab him. He can definitely make an impact. As Kadar notes, Gary is versatile as well.

"Gary had himself a fine combine with testing numbers similar to Bradley Chubb, the fifth pick in last year’s draft. But his draft placement is varied because he didn’t put up big sack numbers at Michigan. He fits Carolina’s biggest need for an edge player, and on some plays he could move inside."

The problem is that there are many teams who can use Gary’s services as well. In some mock drafts, I have seen Gary going to the Oakland Raiders or Detroit Lions. Both those teams certainly need to beef up on the pass rush. Oakland ranked last in the league last season with 13 sacks on the year. Detroit’s pass rush was a bit more respectable, and they managed to accumulate 43 sacks on the season. Both those teams could definitely improve on those numbers in 2019, and the addition of Gary would certainly help.

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For their part, the Carolina Panthers did not sack the quarterback much at all. They recorded 35 quarterback takedowns on the season, ranking them 27th in the entire National Football League. Putting a player like Gary, one who possesses both impact playmaking ability and youth, on the defense would undoubtedly help the Carolina Panthers. If there is any silver lining to this, it is that the 2019 NFL Draft is deep with defensive talent. Should Gary not be there with the 16th overall pick, the team certainly has options to choose from.

It is certainly fun to imagine Gary as a member of the Carolina Panthers. If he is still on the board when the team makes their pick, they should definitely grab him.

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