Carolina Panthers can't afford to draft a WR at No. 8 in the 2025 NFL Draft

[jayboogieman]

Lea and Cox give reasons for going defense in the first.

[Khyber53]

The best wide receiver on any team is a fully active participant in about 55% of a team's offensive plays. 

A tackle, a guard, a QB, a running back, DT or DE, LB, pure edge... they are often times involved in 100 percent of the snaps on defense or offense. When you've got a high draft pick, take one of those positions where they can have access to and the chance to affect more plays.

Later in the first round, I personally believe that wide receivers come back into play in a cost effective way around pick 20 or thereabouts. 

And tight ends, really depends on how you use them. A really great one can be involved dynamically in 80 - 95 percent of an offense's plays, from blocking to receiving, especially in the modern NFL. The right one(s) I think can be a cost effective choice from picks 5 - 15, but that's really a maximum of one player like that every couple of seasons.

 

[Waldo]

They already took their first round WR. Taking them back to back with the 32/32 D would be incompetent given the talent teir 1 ending after 4 players while tier 2 runs into the 3rd.

It would be very questionable given the options and needs.

 

[TD alt]

I mean we likely won't, but it depends on the dynamics of the evening. We'll find out the night of the draft whether or not we want to take Tet or Tyler. I don't think you can go in there taking things off the table. You let the draft come to you. Moreover, what we do is going to be affected by possible trades and free agency, so making declarations right now is simply yapping.

[mrcompletely11]

1 minute ago, TD alt said:

You let the draft come to you.

I say this every draft season.  This is how you draft, but the Panthers seem completely incapable with a moronic level of lack of patience for this to happen

 

Even knowing that they %1000 were going to get XL at 33 they couldnt fuging stand it and had to move up.  poo like that just makes you scratch your head and wonder how much Tepper is involved

[Icege]

Gotta see what the team does in free agency first!

Though looking at this upcoming free agency class does give us some info on what might happen. For example, the TE market is so thin that Tremble is under consideration to be brought back depending on what other teams offer him. Safety, on the other hand, has some really good players out there. There are a bunch of former Pro Bowl WRs also available, though once the top guys are gone the class gets MUCH thinner.

I cannot WAIT for all of the activity starting next Monday when the legal tampering period starts.

[SazmoRanger]

They lost me when they started talking about CMC. “IMAGINE if CMC  ran behind this line!” Well, we can’t because in order to get CMC you have to use a premium pick to get him. 
 

They also didn’t talk about the star talent the Eagles have on offense, we don’t have anyone on offense anywhere close to what the Eagles have. 
 

At the end of the day we need high end offensive weapons AND D-line. Our roster is talent deficient on BOTH sides of the ball. If Graham/Hunter aren’t there and it’s between Walker who has some question marks and TMc and you feel TMc is a WR1, you draft TMc. 

[Bear Hands]

19 minutes ago, Icege said:

Gotta see what the team does in free agency first!

Though looking at this upcoming free agency class does give us some info on what might happen. For example, the TE market is so thin that Tremble is under consideration to be brought back depending on what other teams offer him. Safety, on the other hand, has some really good players out there. There are a bunch of former Pro Bowl WRs also available, though once the top guys are gone the class gets MUCH thinner.

I cannot WAIT for all of the activity starting next Monday when the legal tampering period starts.

FA will predicate everything and change every mock projection (usually why I don't like waisting my time on mocks too hard quite yet).  

I think the top-3 is near lock (Ward, Carter, Hunter) regardless of FA, but then it's wide open. 

For example, NE has a ton of money to spend.  If they land, let's say Ronnie Stanley/an LT and a DL, their selection and entire draft gets reshaped.  Maybe a sneaky Jeanty landing spot.

 

 

    

 

 

[LinvilleGorge]

We have plenty of roster holes and opportunity for rookie contributions. Given that reality I don't think that we can afford to do anything but draft the guy who we think is the best talent on the board from our first pick to our last.

Contenders with good overall rosters with a few weak spots can afford to go position hunting. Teams with Swiss cheese rosters just need to try to get the best possible talent infusion they can.

[Davidson Deac II]

I would hate to see us take a WR.  Its not our worst position, not even close.  DE or LB should be the pick.  

[Mage]

2 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Even knowing that they %1000 were going to get XL at 33 they couldnt fuging stand it and had to move up.  poo like that just makes you scratch your head and wonder how much Tepper is involved

They did it for the 5th year option.  

[grimesgoat]

I don't think defense is a must-have at 8.  There are other ways to help a defense besides adding a rotational edge.

Panthers want to run.  They want to burn clock and sustain drives.  Keep the defense fresh.  One way to do this is to run 2 TE sets.  Adding a guy like Warren could be the key.  We could run more.  He's a great pass-catcher and safety valve to keep drives going. And he can run wildcat near the goal line.

If Graham is gone (and he is not likely to get past Jacksonville at 5), then my dream scenario would be to move back a few spots to 11 (SF) and swap 2nds with them and pick up an extra 5th.  SF (11), Chi (10), and MIA (13) all need OTs and we will be in prime position for a move back for the best offer.  Take the SF 2nd (#43) and grab Ezeiruaku.  Then go DT in the third and S in the 4th. Grab Stuttsmann with the 5th you just picked up and all of a sudden your defense is vastly improved (on paper).

[thunderraiden]

3 hours ago, Khyber53 said:

The best wide receiver on any team is a fully active participant in about 55% of a team's offensive plays. 

A tackle, a guard, a QB, a running back, DT or DE, LB, pure edge... they are often times involved in 100 percent of the snaps on defense or offense. When you've got a high draft pick, take one of those positions where they can have access to and the chance to affect more plays.

Later in the first round, I personally believe that wide receivers come back into play in a cost effective way around pick 20 or thereabouts. 

And tight ends, really depends on how you use them. A really great one can be involved dynamically in 80 - 95 percent of an offense's plays, from blocking to receiving, especially in the modern NFL. The right one(s) I think can be a cost effective choice from picks 5 - 15, but that's really a maximum of one player like that every couple of seasons.

 

LMAO, WRs are geting 30 to 40M a year, thats what matters. You have to draft an WR1, you can't get one in Free agency, and if you want to trade for one its going to cost you a first rounder AND 30-40M a year anyways. Thats why Tet is on the board at 8. The rest of what you're talking about is 100% irrelevant to the reason you draft Tet at 8.

Also your example of tier 2 talent lasting to the end of round 3 after picks 6-7 (2-3 QBs and 4-5 Blue chips) gives even more fuel to getting the only WR1 in the draft if he is available. We can easily give up our 2 4ths to get an additional 3rd as well.

Edited March 6 by thunderraiden

[CPF4LIFE]

No poo. The fact this even has to be stated out loud tells you everything you need to know about folks.