Carolina Panthers must bolster offensive line to develop Greg Little
The Carolina Panthers have a potential future stud of an offensive lineman in Greg Little but they must add more depth. He’s being thrown to the wolves too soon.
When it comes to winning, it’s all about the battle of the trenches. This is where games are won or lost based on the battles between offensive linemen and an opposing team’s defense. You can never draft enough quality defensive linemen since depth is incredibly important throughout what usually are long seasons of pro football. The Carolina Panthers still need some help when it comes to their offensive line as Greg Little can’t do it all.
Little has shown promise to be the next anchor on the Panthers’ offensive line but he still needs time to develop the right way. Ideally, most teams will add a good amount of veterans to an offensive line and slowly develop young players behind them. It’s a system that tends to work since you can build a good rotational role between veteran players who can hold it down when needed and mix in younger players to get experience at any given notice.
Last season, due to injuries and inconsistency on the Panthers’ offensive line, Little was thrown to the wolves much sooner than expected. He did all right in the few games he played in considering it was his rookie season and all but prematurely starting rookies can have negative effects. The kind of bad habits that can take a season or two to correct them. Luckily, Little didn’t lack any confidence or mess up his overall techniques as he should continue to improve as he enters his sophomore year this upcoming season.
The Carolina Panthers need to add more talent to their offensive line
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The Panthers knew this couldn’t continue as it was a great sight to see them land offensive lineman Russell Okung via trade this offseason. Not only does Okung bring a plethora of experience to the table but his overall leadership will only help develop Little to be ready for what awaits over the course of his career.
Now with Okung in the mix, it’s imperative the Panthers continue to infuse their offensive line with more talent. With the 2020 NFL Draft on the horizon, it’s a golden opportunity to use one of their eight draft picks on a new offensive lineman, especially one that can play any position well.
It might even make sense for them to use their first overall pick on one if a situation presents itself to land the best of the best in the positional group.
It can’t just all be Okung and Little as the Panthers would be wise to at least draft one and maybe even one more on top of that to bolster their offensive line with younger talent. They need to start rebuilding it now so hopefully, in two to three years, everything will come together to where the offensive line won’t be an issue anymore for the Panthers.
light. Hot. Isaiah Simmons in Round 1 would be a mistake
Overall, considering that Okung does have a history with injuries, the Panthers need to either add another veteran offensive lineman or simply select another one in this year’s draft. A solid offensive line is key for any team to be competitive as it’s a worthy investment for the future.