Offense
After the NFL draft this the first thing I said about the Carolina Panthers was "Are they trying get Cam Newton killed?" and I was serious. I don't have a problem with the actual players Carolina drafted, but what are they doing for their left tackle? Michael Oher is not going to be a smart option there. He doesn't have the foot speed to keep up with fast edge rushers, and it's going to cause a lot of problems for Super Cam. The rest of their O-line isn't awful, it's not good but it's not the worst. Ryan Kalil is a very good center, but every other position is average at best. Left guard is Andrew Norwell, right guard is Trai Turner, and right tackle is Mike Remmers. Trai Turner might be solid next season, but the other two players are replacement level. The biggest issue I have with this O-line comes back to left tackle. I would have expected them to make a hard play for La'el Collins after the draft, but nothing happened. The other position group that worried me was wide receiver, but Carolina has done a solid job over the past couple of years to fix that. Kelvin Benjamin had a terrific rookie season, and he could firmly establish himself as a solid number one wide receiver this season. The Panthers also drafted wide receiver Devin Funchess in the second round. He doesn't have elite athleticism, but he is a huge WR (6'4/232 lbs) and is another good option for Newton. The Panthers have a lot of big and tall pass catchers for Newton, who has been known to overthrow some of his targets throughout his career. Benjamin is 6'5, Funchess is 6'4, and Greg Olsen is 6'6. They are drafting to fit their QB, but they still lack a real speed wideout to stretch the field. Ted Ginn could fill that void, but he doesn't have the route running skills to do so. Philly Brown might be able to develop into that role, but he's still a question mark at this point in time. Also, keep an eye on Jarrett Boykin who had a rough season with the Packers in 2014, but he has talent and could make an impact on this team. At tight end, the Panthers have Greg Olsen, who as I mentioned earlier is a big strong target for Newton. He is one of the most consistent tight ends in football, and is a great pass catcher and blocker too. I am a huge fan of Cam Newton. I think he constantly bears the brunt for Carolina's struggles, but he has had very little to work with in his career. He is the best short yardage QB in the NFL and it's really not close, he's built like a truck, and he has developed exponentially as a passer. In the backfield, Cam has Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert. Stewart was terrific when he was healthy last season, and he made the most out of a struggling O-line. He's very shifty, and surprisingly great at breaking tackles. Tolbert is used as a fullback a lot of the time, which he's great at, but as a runner he's very solid too and can be a great change of pace back from Stewart. This offense is carried by Cam Newton and Greg Olsen. They were just inside the top 20 offenses in the NFL in 2014, and I expect a similar year in 2015 too. Carolina needs to invest in some protection for Newton, because even though he is an enormous, athletic, adonis of a human being, he can't play offensive tackle and quarterback. Wait can he? I'll talk to Ron Rivera and check, but I don't think he can.
Defense
The first round of the 2015 NFL draft wasn't all that shocking to me, except for the Carolina Panthers pick. I knew they like Shaq Thompson, as they had him in for pre-draft visits, but with a linebacker core of Kuechly and Davis, I didn't think they needed to spend another first round pick there. I'm a big fan of Thompson, especially in this defense, he could be a great weak side linebacker. In the middle, the Panthers have a player who I think is the second best defensive player in the NFL, Luke Kuechly (Although the gap from number 1 and 2 is pretty big). Luke is so fun to watch, he has ridiculous lateral quickness, and terrific instincts to go along with great coverage skills and run stuffing skills. Alongside Kuechly and Thompson, Carolina also has Thomas Davis. He might be overshadowed by Luke, but he is elite in his own right. He is a terrific all around player, and is a leader of this defense. Talk to any Panthers fan, they love them some Thomas Davis in Carolina, and rightfully so. On the defensive line, the Panthers linebackers rely on their two star defensive tackles to take on blockers and create interior pressure. Star Lotulelei and Kawaan Short both complement each other so well, as Star is the better run stuffer, and Short is the better pass rusher. Bothe players have well rounded games though, and are big difference makers in this defense. Alongside the defensive tackles, Carolina has a terrific defensive end in Charles Johnson. He has spent his entire career with Carolina, and is one of the most consistent pass rushers in football. Expect roughly 10 sacks out of him in 2015, to go along with a constant motor and a ton of pressures. Opposite Johnson, Kony Ealy will have his chance to take the starting job, and while he is talented, he struggled last season and needs to play better this coming year. The Panthers secondary is the weakest part of their defense, but it's not horrible. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere were both good cornerbacks last season, and are solid starters to have going into the season. The Panthers also signed Charles Tillman, and if he is healthy, he could be a huge game changer for a team that should be looking to force more turnovers this coming season. At safety, Carolina needs to look for eventual upgrades as Roman Harper and Tre Boston are both solid but unspectacular players. Boston could end up being an above average starter as he's still young, but Harper is on the downswing of his career and needs to be replaced. This defense will be better in 2015. Bank on it. There is too much talent for it not to be a top 16 defense, which it wasn't last season. I am very excited to watch the deadly linebacker trio put in work, and along with their stout defensive line, Panthers fans should feel good about their defense. They should look more like their 2013 defense (2nd best in the NFL) than last years defense.
My quick analysis about the 2015 Carolina Panthers: There is a lot to love about this team, and a lot to hate. In the love column, linebackers, defensive line, and Cam Newton. In the hate column, offensive line, safeties, and the lack of a field stretching wide receiver. With that being said, they still have a very good chance to represent the NFC South in the playoffs. This division is the weakest in football, and they have the best defense out of all four teams. I predict them to just miss the playoffs, as I think they will get beat out by the Atlanta Falcons. They play the Falcons twice in their last 4 weeks, and 4 of their last 5 games are divisional games. Based off of that, the Panthers season will come down to the last five weeks, and if they have a good run to end the season, they will be in a good position to win their division for the third consecutive year.
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