Largely due to salary-cap limitations, the Carolina Panthers haven’t made huge changes this offseason. They’ll have a starting lineup similar to what they opened last season with. But the good news is they’ll be getting multiple players back that missed all or much of last season with injuries. Here’s how I see Carolina’s starting lineup headed into the draft.
OFFENSE
WR Steve Smith
LT Jordan Gross
RT Byron Bell
TE Greg Olsen
QB Cam Newton
RB DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart
FB Mike Tolbert
DEFENSE
DT Dwan Edwards
DT Sione Fua
DE Greg Hardy
OLB Jon Beason
MLB Luke Kuechly
OLB Thomas Davis
CB Drayton Florence or Josh Norman
CB D.J. Moore or Josh Thomas
SS Mike Mitchell or Haruki Nakamura
Notes: Carolina needs to come out of this draft with at least two instant starters, probably in the secondary or at defensive tackle. Not a single job in the secondary is completely safe. The Panthers could look to upgrade from Bell in the draft.
