Carolina Panthers: Dennis Daley could be vital to offensive line
Daley could help the Carolina Panthers in the long-term.
In what was an intriguing draft for the Carolina Panthers overall, the selection of offensive tackle Dennis Daley from South Carolina certainly added to it.
The Panthers needed to beef up the offensive line, and they did that with the selection of Daley . With so many important positions being taken care of in the draft last weekend, he kind of got lost in the shuffle. However, I think he is an important draft pick especially for the future of the quarterbacks. In today’s pass-happy National Football League, protecting the quarterback is key.
The Carolina Panthers may have gotten a bargain pick, as he lasted until the sixth round. However, he has a ton of potential. Bill Voth took note of that in his Grill Bill column he published on Friday.
"Still, if he can refine his technique, Daley has some intriguing potential. There’s some really impressive tape of him from this past season’s matchup with Clemson where time and time again he stonewalled Clelin Ferrell, the draft’s fourth overall pick."
One of the things that stands out to me per his draft profile on NFL.com, is note that he “gets out in front of screen passes with good athletic ability in open field.” That is huge for this Carolina Panthers offense. The way they utilize their running backs, they need to have blockers who can do so in the open field. If the Panthers have someone that can give Christian McCaffrey even more space in the open field, that would be ideal. In particular, McCaffrey thrives on the screen pass. With the way he can cut and his acceleration once he receives the ball, he is off to the races in no time.
At the very least, Daley will provide protection for Cam Newton on the offensive line. That is perhaps the biggest thing for Carolina. Although he may be a bit of a project, he does have the potential to become a key component of the offense.
Measuring in at six-foot-five, 317 pounds, Daley certainly should provide enough protection up front for the Panthers. He certainly has the potential to be a steal for the Carolina Panthers, he just needs to refine his skills a little bit more. One of the biggest issues last year was no protection for Newton, and at the very least, they have addressed it with Daley here. It’ll be interesting to see how he does come training camp in July.