4 best late round gems the Carolina Panthers didn’t do enough with

Daryl Williams – Former Carolina Panthers OT

• 4th round (2015)

Fighting against injuries and other players for a starting role may have marked much of Daryl Williams’s time with the Carolina Panthers. But don’t let that take away from what the offensive lineman was able to accomplish when he became a starter.

Once given the opportunity to be the full-time right tackle in 2017, Williams cashed in on the potential everyone saw during the previous season when he started just 10 games. A surefire upgrade over Mike Remmers and finally a stable piece along an offensive line that has been a consistent thorn in the side of whatever quarterback was behind them.

Just imagine how Super Bowl 50 would have turned out had they slotted in Williams instead of the revolving door that was Remmers during that game.

While Williams may have only had one full season in Carolina, his production while healthy warrants praise. Protecting a mobile quarterback like Cam Newton is no easy job and he did that rather well in 2017.

But after only playing a single game in 2018 and a 2019 season where he was juggled around the line at every position but center, the Panthers let Williams walk in free agency. The Buffalo Bills – aptly coined “Panthers North” – were all too happy to sign the former fourth-rounder.

That move is yet another black mark on the record of the Panthers handling of homegrown players in recent memory as Williams was a vital part of a solid offensive line in Buffalo that helped the Bills make it farther than a lot of people expected. All while giving rising star Josh Allen all the time in the world to make the right read.

Once again Carolina is looking for an answer along the offensive line and they just might have let that answer walk away.