Carolina Panthers musings

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com As Greg Little watched the first night of the draft at home with family, he waited for his name to be called. And he waited. And then, he waited some more. Little, an Ole Miss product who many draft experts had projected as a first-round pick, waited as four tackles flew off the board in the first round-- Alabama's Jonah Williams, Andre Dillard from Washington State, Alabama State's Tytus Howard and Kaleb McGary from Washington. So, Little, a big man at about 6-6, 320 pounds, extended his small, family draft party into night two of the draft. Meanwhile, the Panthers, who have started the regular season with five different starting left tackles since Jordan Gross last suited up in 2013, were still searching for help on the line after taking a pass rusher in the first round. The Jaguars scooped up Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor at 35 overall but with Buffalo set to pick at No. 38, Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney didn't thin

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com The Panthers didn't select a safety in the 2019 draft, leading many to question what comes next for a position that has been one to watch after the team parted ways with veteran Mike Adams, who started all 32 of the team's regular season games over the past two seasons. With Adams gone, Carolina has little starting experience left at safety. Eric Reid, who inked a fresh three-year extension this offseason, is the highlight of the position. Beyond Reid, the Panthers also carry former Tar Heel Da'Norris Searcy, who was limited to just two games with the team last season after an early-season concussion derailed his trajectory. Rashan Gaulden, a second-year man out of Tennessee, also saw some time at safety for the team last season and is set to be back in the mix for a starting spot. Still, it's tough to project exactly what the Panthers have in Gaulden at this time. Cole Luke, Colin Jones, Kai Nacua and Damian Parms are the