7. Any help for Cam?
There’s been some talk of Carolina attempting to move up to two in order to select former LSU running back Leonard Fournette. That would surely provide Cam Newton the balance he desperately needs on offense. After all, Carolina seems to be banking on an old Jonathan Stewart to hold down the fort in the backfield. That’s not necessarily what we’d call a recipe for success.
While running back itself might be a major need here, Carolina must also find the 2015 NFL MVP even more help along the offensive line. Sure signing Matt Kalil to play left tackle give the team a body, but he’s been among the worst pass protecting tackles in the NFL over the past few seasons. Kalil also missed the entire 2016 campaign with a hip injury.
Add in the fact that Michael Oher has not yet been cleared from the concussion protocol after missing all but three games of last season, and that’s magnified even further.
Simply put, Carolina has been unwilling to exhaust the draft capital on offensive linemen to help protect their franchise quarterback. Now that Newton himself is sidelined for the entire off-season program after undergoing shoulder surgery, it seems to be common sense to get him some help there.
This is where picking at eight overall is rather interesting. Carolina could stand pat and hope Fournette falls onto its lap there. It could then decide to trade up from the top of the second round to pick up one of the better offensive tackles later on Thursday. By moving up to the final pick in the second round in the Kony Ealy trade, Carolina has given its self some flexibility here. It’s now up to the team to actually use it in order to get Newton some help.