What critical offseason needs could the Carolina Panthers address during the 2024 NFL Draft despite not having a first-round pick?
With a new general manager and head coach in the mix, the Carolina Panthers can get this new operation on the right track by addressing some needs in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 2023 season should be erased from memory. It doesn't exist anymore. General manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales have some work to do, but optimism has returned.
The roster mess and lack of draft capital left by Scott Fitterer are going to take some serious leg work to get right. The poor coaching job by Frank Reich and his staff has effectively set this franchise back at least a year. Morgan and Canales might have the hardest jobs in the NFL right now. There isn't a more dysfunctional team than the Panthers.
The team doesn't have their first-round pick in 2024 but will have the top selection in the second round. The most urgent needs on the roster seem abundantly clear. Which are the most urgent needs as it pertains to the NFL Draft?
Carolina Panthers need help at WR
To the surprise of no one with eyes, the Carolina Panthers need some more talent at wide receiver. You know it was bad when the top receiver was 33-year-old Adam Theilen. No disrespect, but he would be best suited as the third or fourth option in a functional NFL passing game.
I do think he could have a very nice season for the team in 2024 if Carolina can get some younger and more explosive help at the position. With the No. 33 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, wide receivers who could be available include Xavier Legette from South Carolina, Ladd McConkey from Georgia, Xavier Worthy from Texas, and Troy Franklin from Oregon.
If all four are available when the Panthers get their first chance on the clock, they couldn't go wrong with any of them. Fortunately, this draft class is stacked at wide receiver, so addressing this need as a priority would be wise whether the Panthers land a free agent or not.
Could the Carolina Panthers find a new LT?
Fortunately (again), this draft class is stacked at offensive tackle. For a team like the Carolina Panthers, this is a dream come true.
Even though the top tackle prospects will be gone by the time Carolina picks at No. 33, there are still some very good prospects to choose from. The Panthers could potentially trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft for an edge protector if someone high on their board falls.
Personally, with how deep this class is at their most urgent positions, staying put is the way to go. At No. 33, the Panthers might have offensive tackle prospects like Kingsley Suamataia from BYU, Jordan Morgan from Arizona, and Patrick Paul from Houston available. Tyler Guyton from Oklahoma and Amarius Mims from Georgia are two other prospects who could be in the early second-round vicinity.
In many instances, unless they are truly elite prospects, rookie tackles typically need some time to develop. For the Panthers, I don't think it'd be wise to go into the 2024 season with Ikem Ekwonu continuing to play on the blindside. I think a more viable solution would be to sign someone like Trent Brown in free agency and throw a prospect behind him.
Wouldn't a left tackle plan of Trent Brown and Morgan/Paul seem like a competent solution? I think so.
I guess you'd also have to consider a potential trade. Perhaps for someone like Garett Bolles of the Denver Broncos, who might end up being the odd man out with the team's salary-cap crunch.
Carolina Panthers need multiple new pass rushers in 2024
The 2024 NFL Draft is also deeper with edge rushers, which is a huge need for the Carolina Panthers. Along the defensive front, the team has a whopping nine free agents. Most notably, both Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos are set to hit the open market.
Back in September, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had this to say about Burns and what was then contract negotiations with the team:
"They’ve been talkin’ for months. They are not at all close on a deal. He’s gonna play games. But, yeah, frustration could boil over a little bit here eventually. This is an elite player."Jeremy Fowler via USA Today Sports
From the start, the Carolina Panthers have mishandled the situation with Burns, one of the 10-best pass rushers in the NFL. Even with a new regime in town, he might jump on the first bus out of Carolina. A notion that seems out of the question, even if that means using the franchise tag.
Burns will stay in some capacity unless he's tagged and traded. But getting better up front is a must. One of the best things that happened during this brief offseason period for Carolina is defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero returning for 2024.
Evero is a defensive mastermind. That doesn't mean the Panthers can just rely on the scheme alone. The team needs to prioritize adding a body or two to bolster their pass rush.
Edge rusher is one of the positions in the NFL that can't consistently be filled in free agency. It's a cornerstone, foundational piece, so teams that have elite pass rushers typically always re-sign them.
The Panthers should embrace this with Burns, but again, he needs help. Players who could realistically be there for Carolina at any point in the draft include Brandon Dorlus from Oregon, Chris Braswell from Alabama, Bralen Trice from Washington, and Darius Robinson from Missouri, among a few others.
I don't think the Panthers need to overthink this. Their needs are clear as day, and the NFL Draft is where teams become elite. For Dan Morgan and Dave Canales, there is no use in trying to get cute or reinventing the wheel with roster-building.