There are now just nine days to go before the 2020 NFL draft begins. The Panthers hold the No. 7 overall pick, which puts them in good position to land a special kind of prospect. Messing up a top-10 pick is certainly possible, but if nothing else general manager Marty Hurney has done well with his first-round selections historically.
Hurney will need to hit more than just one pick, though. Carolina has a ton of roster holes to fill, especially on defense – where they’re currently projected to start Donte Jackson and a tackling dummy at cornerback. They also don’t have nearly enough interior defensive linemen or safeties to field a complete team.
Turning this group around from a disappointing 5-11 finish last year will require hitting on multiple mid and late-round picks.
Other teams are in significantly better shape (especially the Dolphins). However, Hurney does have a decent amount of ammunition going into this draft. According to Graham Barfield, the Panthers rank No. 9 in draft capital this year. Here’s how all 32 teams stack up.
The Panthers picked up some more capital by trading Kyle Allen to Washington for a fifth-round pick.
Another player who might get dealt before or during the draft is Taylor Moton, who is entering the last year of his rookie contract and was picked by former GM Dave Gettleman. Moton has been the team’s best lineman the last few years, though and unless the plan is pick a top OT prospect early they absolutely can’t afford to lose him.
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