The Carolina Panthers spent lavish sums in free agency to (hopefully) fix their historically bad defense. That should not prevent Dan Morgan from selecting the best defensive lineman emerging from the college ranks this spring.
Carolina acquired Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III to give their defensive trenches a major boost. Whether they overpaid or not is irrelevant — the Panthers had to do something drastic after Ejiro Evero's unit gave up more than 3,000 rushing yards throughout the campaign.
With Derrick Brown coming back from injury coupled with A'Shawn Robinson, LaBryan Ray, and Shy Tuttle sticking around, the front looks better. But Joe Person from The Athletic recently revealed that the Panthers might have a hard time passing on Mason Graham if he fell into their laps.
Graham is arguably the most talented player in this class. One could make a strong case for Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, but it's between the three. And yet, some mock drafts have him slipping through the cracks and into the bottom end of the top 10.
Carolina Panthers cannot ignore Mason Graham after positive pro day development
That would be a dream come true for most Panthers fans. Graham is a genuine game-wrecker with Pro Bowl or better potential with a smooth transition. And one only has to look at the Philadelphia Eagles as an example of how no team can ever have enough good linemen on both sides of the football.
The interior force looks more appealing after weighing in at 306 pounds at Michigan's pro day, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. This is a 10-pound rise from his weight at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was followed by Graham catching the eye during positional drills in front of NFL scouts and front-office personnel.
This is positive for Graham. There's a growing belief that the Panthers will take one of the Georgia edge rushers — Jalon Walker or Mykel Williams — but if the Wolverines' national championship winner was available, a serious discussion must be had.
Players like Graham don't come along every day. He's the consensus best defensive lineman in an extremely deep group, which speaks volumes. He might not make it down to Carolina. But this is the draft, where anything and everything can happen in the blink of an eye.
Morgan will be ready for anything. He's a respected evaluator working towards a long-term plan to get the Panthers out of obscurity and into contention. Carolina's defensive front is better, but it's unlikely Robinson and Tuttle will be around beyond the 2025 campaign.
Perhaps Morgan will conclude he can find more value a little further down the pecking order. He'll have a plan in place for every eventuality. He'll also know what a special player Graham is and how much he'd benefit the Panthers in the short and long term.
Evaluations are ongoing with less than a month remaining until the marquee selection event arrives. If Morgan can maximize the assets at his disposal by finding instant-impact players and development projects to boost depth, the better Carolina's chances will be.
If that includes Graham, nobody will be complaining too much.