4 players the Panthers could have drafted instead of Terrace Marshall Jr.
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers could have drafted Nick Bolton
- No. 58 overall selection – Kansas City Chiefs
Taken just a pick before Terrace Marshall Jr. and the only defensive player in this piece, former Missouri Tiger Nick Bolton made an immediate impact with the Kansas City Chiefs, finishing the season with a mammoth 112 tackles on his way to an All-Rookie team selection.
With the versatility to play either inside or outside linebacker, Bolton would have been a shrewd acquisition for Scott Fitterer and his team. However, it’s worth noting at the time of the draft the Carolina Panthers already had two middle linebackers on the books in Denzel Perryman and Jermaine Carter Jr.
After Perryman was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders and later reached the Pro Bowl, the subpar production of Carter didn’t help matters and he is unlikely to return. So not selecting Bolton has left Carolina still with a need at the position.
Since the surprise retirement of future Pro Football Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly, Carolina has struggled to replace the former Boston College star. Tahir Whitehead and the aforementioned Carter unsurprisingly failed to fill the boots of the seven-time All-Pro selection, which was a body blow even if it was anticipated to a certain degree.
Bolton has been noted as someone who has some exceptional open-field tackling ability. This is something Panthers fans were so used to seeing during Kuechly’s time wearing No. 59, so it seems Carolina may have missed out on a potential replacement.