Dan Morgan’s rankings of Panthers defensive needs are on-point
The Carolina Panthers have a laundry list of items to take care of this offseason. The work has of course been ongoing since the end of the regular season, but it hit the next gear this week with the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. That’s where every team is currently getting a look at the top college prospects from around the country in preparation for the draft.
Speaking of the draft, the first class under new general manager Dan Morgan didn’t look so hot at season’s end. Aside from a few promising sparks from Trevin Wallace, JT Sanders and Chau Smith-Wade, the early returns from the 2024 class have been relatively weak. Still, it was only a first effort and at the very least Morgan understands where his team needs the most help right now.
Asked by Panthers play-by-play man Anish Shroff how he would rank Carolina’s defense needs, here’s how Morgan responded, per NFL.com.
“I think you go interior D-line, you go outside linebacker, you go safety. And then, obviously, we need another corner… So there is a lot of holes to fill. It’s not gonna happen overnight. But I think as we move through free agency and we move through the draft, I think things will start to kind of come together and the puzzle will start coming together a little clearer.”
For those counting at home, that pretty much matches exactly what we projected at the end of the season, going iDL, EDGE, safety then corner/linebacker depth.
Knowing your needs is just a small part of the battle, though. Morgan and his team have to play the right notes at almost all of those spots if their defense is going to be even top-20 next season.
Even if Mogan plays the defensive picks perfectly, Carolina still has one of the worst tight end units in the NFL and Bryce Young could very much use multiple upgrades at wide receiver. It’s not an easy balancing act and it will require some genuine talent to dig this Panthers roster out of the hole it was in when Morgan inherited the team.
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