Carolina Panthers NFL Draft day three targets

What positions will the Carolina Panthers target on Day 3 of the NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft concludes today from Nashville, Tennessee with rounds four through seven set to begin shortly. Teams have been hard at work adding prospects in areas of need and these late-round picks often end up being where depth is picked up, with a few surprises as individual’s NFL careers unfold.

General manager Marty Hurney has been patiently reconstructing the roster after offseason retirements and losses of some veteran players signaled a “changing of the guard” of sorts for Carolina. Entering 2019, expectations are the Panthers will rely on serious contributions from many of their younger players in order to be successful.

Hurney added defensive end Brian Burns with the Panthers first pick, getting a hybrid type pass rusher who can play both on the line and from the linebacker position. Getting someone who can pressure the quarterback was a goal for Carolina and Burns has the potential to be an answer.

Yesterday, the Panthers added a tackle and to the surprise of some – a quarterback. The first drafted since Cam Newton was taken No. 1 overall in 2011, getting a long-term backup who can either take over when Newton is finished or contribute in his absence was thought to be a possibility.

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Entering the final day of the draft, the Panthers still have a few areas of need for Hurney to consider. Rolling the dice on Will Grier early and trading up to get a tackle, Carolina currently has three picks remaining to finish up before adding any undrafted free agents.

Safety, linebacker and running back are all likely targets for these three selections. Losing veterans Mike Adams and Thomas Davis on defense, opened the door for potential replacements and while Hurney and coach Ron Rivera may be comfortable with the options currently on the roster – adding a rookie prospect to compete for playing time would be a welcome addition.

At running back, the Panthers brought back Cameron Artis-Payne but still could use someone to backup Christian McCaffrey. Each of these are areas of need and if not targeted with the final three picks are definite possibilities for post draft pickups.

Tune in as the NFL Draft concludes, beginning at noon.