Carolina Panthers Biggest Needs Heading Into the 2020 NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers have certainly struggled the past few seasons, despite having arguably the best running back in the league. However, quarterback play has been lacking and they allowed the most sacks in the whole league last season. Needless to say, there are plenty of needs the Panthers must address in the draft.

Christian McCaffrey had another amazing season in 2019, but just one player isn’t enough. Carolina fired their head coach Ron Rivera, now with the Washington Redskins, after Week 14 and now have hired Matt Rhule as the new head coach. They addressed a few gaps in free agency, including their quarterback position by signing Teddy Bridgewater. There’s some obvious needs that Carolina will need to address in the draft, but luckily they have eight picks to work with.

Panthers 2020 Draft Picks

Round 1, Pick 7
Round 2, Pick 38
Round 3, Pick 69
Round 4, Pick 113
Round 5, Pick 148 (from WAS)
Round 5, Pick 152
Round 6, Pick 184
Round 7, Pick 221

Panthers Biggest Draft Needs

Defensive Lineman (DL)

Carolina has always brought the heat defensively, but they have also lost many names to free agency this offseason, including Mario Addison, Gerald McCoy and Vernon Butler. The depth at defensive line is lacking and, if they want to stop the run and bring pressure to their opponents, they’ll have to attack many options in the draft. They ranked dead last in rush defense in 2019, so this is an obvious need to address.

Dream Pick: Alton Robinson, DE, Syracuse (No. 113 overall)

Cornerback (CB)

Carolina has a solid secondary, as they ranked 13th in passing yards allowed in 2019, but their cast is young and inexperienced. Drafting another young stud talent in this year’s draft bodes well for the future in their secondary. Matt Rhule is going to be a first-year NFL coach, so we’ll see how he attacks the gaps, defensively.

Dream Pick: Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia (No. 38 overall)

Linebacker (LB)

Losing Luke Keuchly to retirement is surely going to affect the defense in a big way because of the intensity and smart football he brought to the field. There are plenty of other gaps in the defense and the team overall, but finding a top talent to fill that void will help the success of the defense. They have a top-10 pick and there’s other linebackers projected to go in the first-round, so they should consider pulling the trigger early, if the opportunity presents itself.

Dream Pick: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson (No. 7 overall)