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Carolina Panthers: Kaleb McGary firmly on team’s radar

By Danny Jaillet

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Offensive lineman Kaleb McGary of Washington speaks to the media during day one of interviews at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Offensive lineman Kaleb McGary of Washington speaks to the media during day one of interviews at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Carolina Panthers visited with McGary on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers are continuing to evaluate talent ahead of the draft and Tuesday was no different. Washington offensive lineman Kaleb McGary visited the Carolina Panthers. McGary took to Instagram  to thank the Carolina Panthers for hosting him.Apparently, he did not fly first class.

McGary would certainly be a tremendous asset to the Carolina Panthers. Although their offensive line performed well last year, they definitely need youth at the position. They did a nice job this offseason of addressing some of the line by acquiring Matt Paradis but they still need to do a little bit more.

Adding youth to the position would be ideal. With the release of Matt Kalil and the retirement of Ryan Kalil, those are two veteran offensive lineman that you are missing right off the bat. Although it will be difficult to replace their veteran status, adding youth to the discussion is not necessarily a bad thing.

Gary is a tank as he measures in at six-foot-eight, 324 pounds. When I say tank, I mean that in the most endearing manner possible. He would help Carolina immediately as he is very quick on his feet. Not only can he pancake a defensive end, he would be able to move with quarterback Cam Newton. If Newton decided to roll out on a play, McGary would be there to block for him. It’s a very important trait to have, especially with the National Football League becoming more quarterback-friendly. Not only that, his aggressiveness would certainly help if he was blocking for Newton in the passing game. Too many times last year, it seemed as though Cam Newton was running for his life. With the addition of McGary to the roster, that would not be the case.

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I could see the Carolina Panthers drafting him in the later rounds. The Panthers would definitely not take them with the 16th overall pick as they have more pressing needs to use that draft slot for. They need a pass rusher in order to offset the loss of Julius Peppers. Per rankings from WalterFootball.com, McGary is ranked as the 12th overall offensive tackle in this draft. He is projected to be selected in rounds 3-5. The Carolina Panthers could certainly get him in the later rounds if he is still available. That way,  they could take care of their need at defensive end and get an impact lineman in McGary.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the NFL Draft. They certainly have a lot of needs, and McGary could fill one of them. He would certainly be an asset for any team he goes to.

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