By Bradley Smith @bdubsmitty Apr 28, 2019, 9:00am EDT
The Panthers made some solid team-building decisions in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 2019 draft has come and gone, and the Carolina Panthers leave the weekend with seven new players who they hope will be positive contributors in 2019 and beyond.
Below are my personal grades for each individual pick with an overall grade at the bottom. I graded on an A-F scale with no plus or minus grades (i.e. – no B+ or A- grades) and took several factors into consideration when making my grades: team needs, positional value and round drafted.
With that being said, here are my grades for the Panthers’ 2019 draft class.
Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State
Selected: First round, No. 16 overall
The Panthers had a definite need for a pass rusher when the entered the draft on Thursday night, and they addressed that need with their first pick of the weekend. Adding a versatile rusher like Burns allows the Panthers to attack the opposing offense from multiple looks, and gives Ron Rivera a player who can fit both a 4-3 and a 3-4 scheme. Grade: A
Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
Selected: Second round, No. 37 overall
(Carolina traded pick Nos. 47 and 77 to Seattle for pick No. 37.)
Offensive tackle was the Panthers’ second biggest need after edge rusher (and arguably their biggest need), so getting one of the top left tackles in this year’s draft class in the second round is certainly a fantastic value in a vacuum. The one issue I have is the price required to acquire Little at No. 37 overall. The Panthers had to trade their second rounder (No. 47) and their first third rounder (No. 77) to move up 10 spots in order to get the player they wanted. While trading up isn’t always the best idea, if Little develops into a franchise left tackle like the Panthers hope, this trade will be well worth it. Grade: B
Will Grier, QB, West Virginia
Selected: Third round, No. 100 overall
Opinions vary on whether or not the Panthers should have used a draft pick on a backup quarterback, but adding an insurance policy in case Cam Newton has a setback while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery is a solid strategy that shouldn’t hurt the Panthers too much, especially if Grier develops into a solid backup quarterback. It works out even better if Grier develops into a starting caliber player who can either be the future starter for Carolina or an enticing trade option for another team in need of a quarterback. Grade: B
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/2019/4/28/18520738/2019-nfl-draft-carolina-panthers-brian-burns-greg-little-will-grier-christian-miller-dennis-daley
