Could Taylor Moton become the Panthers' left tackle permanently?

[SBBlue]

2 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

It's why I just laugh at the poster here who only posts to tell people how dumb they are for having an opinion and that the coaches know infinitely more than us so we should just trust their judgements and not discuss anything else.

To be fair, this board's opinions are all over the place and a big part of the time when we are in sync, we turn out to be wrong. 

 

[kungfoodude]

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I hope he is our LT and plays well. Having that roster hole plugged after so many years would be amazing.

[panthers55]

27 minutes ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

I don’t really see why we wouldn’t start him at LT other than he just doesn’t want to. But that would also be odd because he’s done well there before and could make himself more money.

I am sure he plays where they tell him to.play. I think Moton can play left tackle given his athleticism and talent. Gross made the transition well and as much as I love him, I don't think he was as athletic as Moton is. Time will tell though. 

[MHS831]

In the limited time I saw him play LT, he was lost---it could be that he did not practice there, and the defensive coordinator went after him, but that is all I can say.

[KatsAzz]

 

https://247sports.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/Article/Taylor-Moton-left-tackle-permanent-121087176/

 

Could Taylor Moton become the Panthers' left tackle permanently?

 

{ STEVEN TARANTO Aug 27, 2018 }

 

Ever since the retirement of longtime offensive tackle Jordan Gross, the Carolina Panthers have spent the past several seasons searching for a truly dominant force at left tackle. They have been aggressive in this pursuit to the point where they paid free agent left tackle Matt Kalil $55 million to don black and blue in 2017.

 

Friday night against the New England Patriots, it looked as though they may have finally found a left tackle worth that price tag, and maybe more.

 

After Kalil underwent a surgical procedure on his knee following a poor performance against the Miami Dolphins where he gave up two sacks, second year player Taylor Moton earned the nod to play left tackle for the Panthers, moving over from the right side where he had played the first two games of the preseason at a high level. The results were outstanding: Moton's play at left tackle was the highlight of a Panthers offensive line performance that allowed zero sacks, allowed only a single pressure on Cam Newton, and helped the running backs run for 99 total yards. Pro Football Focus gave Moton a grade of 74.5 for his performance, the fourth highest on the team in Friday night's preseason victory.

 

On his very best snaps, Taylor Moton almost looked like Jonathan Ogden - So I'd say, if that weren't a hyperbole. The point is, he was damn good.

 

Based on his excellent preseason, Moton almost certainly gives the Panthers a certain level of confidence that things are going to be okay with their offensive line, a unit that has seen four of its players banged up one month into the preseason. Though Friday night's half of football is a small sample size, the Panthers may end up being faced with a tough question should Moton continue to play at left tackle and perform at the level that he did: Could Moton take over the starting left tackle job permanently, even when Matt Kalil is ready to play again?

 

Speaking Monday on WFNZ, Panthers play-by-play announcer Mick Mixon didn't rule out the possibility.

 

"I think (the Panthers) are beyond impressed with Taylor Moton," said Mixon in conversation with Nick Wilson and Josh Parcell. "He may not give up that left tackle position. ... I mean, he turns to the left, blocks somebody. Turns to the right, blocks somebody. Go straight ahead, block somebody. He's incredible!"

 

Granted, Kalil is still bound to return, and the Panthers could end up needing Moton to hold the right side of the line down again if Blaine Clausell does not prove to be able to perform adequately at right tackle (Though his first action with the first team Friday night in relief of Sirles was encouraging). However, there are a couple of things playing into the favor of Moton potentially being able to hold onto the left tackle job down the road.

 

For one, last year's right tackle, Daryl Williams, will eventually return to the team once he recovers from a torn MCL suffered early in training camp - most likely at or just past the midseason point. Williams is no slouch at right tackle: He was a Second-Team All-Pro last year at the position, but there's no foreseeable way that the Panthers simply put Moton back on the bench or back into their "extra" offensive lineman role if he continues to perform like he has throughout the preseason.

 

Compare that to Kalil's circumstances: Not only has Kalil not performed to the Pro Bowl level the billing of his rookie season suggests, but Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was not the one responsible for bringing him to Carolina. That honor goes to former general manager Dave Gettleman, who grossly overpaid for Kalil in free agency prior to the 2017 season.

 

The circumstances of the Panthers' offensive line late in the preseason carry with them several truths that are self-evident. We know that Matt Kalil has not performed at the level that his pay grade would suggest, we know that Taylor Moton has been excellent no matter where on the offensive line he has played, and we know that the Panthers will get Daryl Williams back at some point. Naturally, the Panthers' run to NFC South glory and beyond in 2018 will depend on the play of the offensive line, and so far, the unit as a whole has appeared to be firing on all cylinders.

 

Even if the Panthers have proven that they have a deep offensive line with multiple players capable of starting when and if needed, the team will still roll with its five best players upfront week-in and week-out. And so far, Moton has performed well enough to suggest that he could be "that" guy instead of Kalil. Plus the fact that the idea of having Moton and Williams occupy both tackle positions is just an enticing prospect in general. Can you imagine how satisfying it would be to see Moton go up against Cameron Jordan and completely shut him down after Jordan spent all of last year frontrunning and trash-talking about how Kalil couldn't block him?

 

In the span of a single month, Taylor Moton has gone from "next man up" on the Panthers' offensive line to being "the man". There is still a lot that can happen this season for the Carolina Panthers, and there hasn't been any reason yet to suggest that the upheaval on their offensive line has reached its end. But based on what has happened in three preseason games to date, Moton has made a strong case for himself to earn a full-time opportunity to protect Cam Newton's blindside and make the Panthers' O-Line exactly the sort of unit that coaches and fans alike have been seeking.

 

 

 

247SPORTS.COM

Could Taylor Moton become the Panthers' left tackle permanently?

Panthers' second

[BlitzMonster]

I looked over Moton's Combine numbers and wasn't too impressed.  But then I remembered he was an OT, who have some of the worst performances of all.  

When looking at his RAS ranking, it's actually pretty good.   

https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=14965

Moton was 12th in his OT draft class for his RAS score.  And most of the 11 players above him were never even drafted.  Moton was in the top 4 OT RAS scores for those who actually made it to the NFL.

[SBBlue]

22 minutes ago, BlitzMonster said:

I looked over Moton's Combine numbers and wasn't too impressed.  But then I remembered he was an OT, who have some of the worst performances of all.  

When looking at his RAS ranking, it's actually pretty good.   

https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=14965

Moton was 12th in his OT draft class for his RAS score.  And most of the 11 players above him were never even drafted.  Moton was in the top 4 OT RAS scores for those who actually made it to the NFL.

This is actually interesting to look at Moton's draft

Moton was drafted  64th from Western Michigan U with a RAS of 8.46

and BC was drafted 70th from         BYU                   with a RAS of 9.84

So many people just assume that BC must suck because we drafted him soo late from non p5 school.  Just give the guy a chance.

[Rubi]

Moton needs to be the LT…

end of story 

[SBBlue]

On 7/2/2021 at 10:30 PM, BlitzMonster said:

When looking at his RAS ranking, it's actually pretty good.   

 

On 7/2/2021 at 11:00 PM, SBBlue said:

This is actually interesting to look at Moton's draft

Moton was drafted  64th from Western Michigan U with a RAS of 8.46

and BC was drafted 70th from         BYU                   with a RAS of 9.84

So many people just assume that BC must suck because we drafted him soo late from non p5 school.  Just give the guy a chance.

One more thing, when we drafted Moton, he was listed as a Guard.