8 picks
#48, 78, 112, 175oak, 202comp, 204comp, 223, 249comp
Quarterback
I joked about them having to pay Jake Delhomme whether he was playing for them or joined the circus, which I thought meant he was sticking around this season. Financially it was a bitter pill cutting him loose. On the field it absolutely made sense. Matt Moore, who just signed the highest tender, gave them a better chance to win when he took the field after Delhomme's injury. In the five games he appeared in down the stretch he had just 1 turnover period. The only two times he fumbled, both against Minnesota during a 26-7 win, the Vikings failed to fall on it. Now he gets his chance, but with Feeley also gone (Rams) and McCown lingering in unrestricted free agency there is no doubt the Panthers are looking for competition. It might come from another team cutting a veteran (Bulger?) drafting a rookie or both. John Fox is a lame duck (final year of deal) head coach and will do whatever it takes to earn another contract. He needs to explore all options at the game's most important position.
Wide Receiver
I liked the move when Muhammad came "home" two seasons ago, but at 37 in May he is mostly a threat as a blocker and is free to sign elsewhere. I doubt he would and either way the draft is about planning 2-3 years down the road in most cases when he will be comfortably retired. This has been a one receiver (Steve Smith) offense for years now. In the past six drafts, four have ignored the position altogether. The other two drafts (2004, 2007) they took two stabs and came up empty unless you could Dwayne Jarrett who has one foot out the door. Martin and Moore were exclusive rights free agents, with Moore drawing a tender. Considering their short stack of picks, and recent history it looks like another season facing double teams for Steve Smith who is dying for a little help.
Tight End
Remember Wesley Walls? In the late 90's he filled up the stat sheet for the Panthers. Maybe the turn to Y2K can be blamed for his production dropping off starting in 2000, and they have not had an impact receiving tight end since. Maybe they don't want one. King has been given a second round tender as a restricted free agent. He can block, which is what the run-first offense needs, but provides very little at receiver with just 92 catches for 801 yards total the past three seasons. Anyone who can catch would help this offense and be a bonus for whoever starts at quarterback.
Defensive End
It was tough losing Julius Peppers, who signed a monster deal with the Bears. How do you fill his spot? Six of the past seven seasons he had double digit sacks, but I'm sure they questioned if he would play at such a high level without the motivation of a huge contract. Now it falls on Charles Johnson to step up his game, or possibly Hilee Taylor who has shown some promise. Veteran Tyler Brayton is in line to finish his career a Panther after signing for three years. They made a bold move going after Florida State's Everette Brown in the draft, no doubt with an eye on losing Peppers. Early returns are good. The concern is counting on these young players taking on increased roles. It is possible their entire starting defensive line will be new.
Outside Linebacker
They should be okay on the weak side assuming Thomas Davis can recover from torn knee ligaments. He was given the highest tender, so it looks like he will be. Anderson drew a third round tender and was a nice injury replacement. They have cut Johnson and Diggs, which paves the way for some new recruits on the strong side. It is a safe bet someone is added in the draft even with a short stack of picks, although there is a good chance Dan Connor assumes the starting role.
Defensive Tackle
Quite a few moves have shaken up the depth chart here. They cut Lewis and Kemoeatu, getting younger in the process. Thomas is probably gone too at 36 as an unrestricted free agent, but was a nice one year addition. They put a second round tender on Leonard who is recovering from a broken ankle that landed him on injured reserve early in the season. Tyler, an ex-Chief, also got tendered (third round) as did exclusive rights free agent Hayden who might not have a spot open for him. They gave a one-year deal to Ed Johnson (Colts) which is low risk for a guy with unrealized potential. The need is for one player with "pop" and the ability to penetrate, disrupting the quarterback.
Offensive Guard
They are solid at starting tackle with Gross and Otah entrenched. Schwartz is the primary backup. At guard, however, Vincent is currently an unrestricted free agent. This might not be a problem either with Bernadeau and Robinson ready to battle it out for his starting job on the right side should he depart. As with pretty much every team, an addition for depth on the offensive line is a possibility.
Special Teams
It is not too often a team loses a kickoff specialist in free agency, but Lloyd signed with the Vikings. I said "someone will be sought to fill his position because after 500 career field goal attempts Kasay can't be kicking off at 40 years old" and sure enough they picked up Todd Carter who played collegiately at Grand Valley State, but did not play during what would have been his rookie season last year. The bigger problem is poor coverage and perhaps a better kickoff returner. Goodson, Moore and Sutton split time in the role with less than average results. Coach Danny Crossman was fired, and Jeff Rodgers takes over the special teams unit.
Running Back
Nothing to be alarmed about here, it is simply worth noting Stewart and Williams are both coming off surgery. Williams will also be a free agent next year. They did just draft Mike Goodson plus a fullback of the future (Fiammetta) though, so it looks like their bread and butter running game is in good shape if one of their stud "starters" should get hit with the injury bug again.
Secondary
Again just a bit of housekeeping here. There is a slight chance someone is brought in for a little depth and perhaps more than just bargain signing Marcus Hudson (49ers) who inked a one-year deal, likely to contribute on special teams. Marshall was given a second round tender as a restricted free agent and is a solid starter opposite of Gamble. With rookie Munnerlyn winning the nickel spot over Wilson, given a seventh round tender, there is a shot the latter comes back at safety. Speaking of which, Teal was not tendered having been a major special teams contributor the past three seasons. Wesley is another factor in that department, and is also free to sign with another team. He has even helped at times at linebacker. There are more pressing needs to be sure, and safety Aaron Francisco (Colts) was added although he will mostly be a factor on special teams.
