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 think his man would make it past former Assistant Panthers General Manager-turned Bills General Manager, Brandon Beane.
So, they traded up 10 slots by sending Seattle the 47th and 77th overall picks.
And they got their man.
His name? Greg Little.
Little, who said he was still watching at home with friends and family on night two, added he's never been one for fanfare.
"I'm a laid back, calm guy," he told reporters at his introductory press conference. "I'm not a big event type of guy."
But his addition is a very big event. At least, to Hurney it's a big event.
Hurney gushed about Little's potential and pass protection at a joint press conference with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera after the draft.
"He's young," Hurney said. "He's just gonna get better."
Since Gross retired after 11 solid seasons with the team, the Panthers have tried unsuccessfully to find their franchise left tackle.
In 2014, it was Byron Bell, who is currently 30 and on no one's roster.
Then, it was Michael Oher, who turned out OK protecting Cam Newton's blindside but fell off the map a season after helping the team reach Super Bowl 50. He suffered a concussion that limited him to just three games in 2016 and after a failed physical in July 2017, was released by Carolina.
Carolina tried Mike Remmers at left tackle, they tried Matt Kalil. Neither exactly panned out and neither are still with the team.
The Panthers turned to Taylor Moton in Week 1 of last season. He held his own but was moved back to his natural right tackle position once veteran Chris Clark was added in Week 2.
Now, about that franchise left tackle?
Little hopes he can be it. And, obviously, so does Hurney.
"I've been cheesin' ever since," Little said about being selected. "I'm just ready to get to work and earn my respect from the team."
And there will be plenty of work for Little to do.
It's no secret Carolina's offensive line has been a mess in recent memory.
Little, who played tight end as a freshman at Allen High School (Texas) before transitioning to tackle as a sophomore, cited his athleticism and pass protection as his strongest suits.
That will likely work out just fine for Newton, who Little said had not reached out to him yet as of his introductory conference.
"I haven't heard from Cam yet," Little said. "I did hear from Christian McCaffrey. He texted me this morning and was fired up."
Newton, who has been known to get fired up himself, will probably be plenty fired up if Little pans out as a stalwart left tackle and keeps the blindside hits to a minimum.
Hurney thinks Little can do it.
Hurney cited Little's strong work in the hard-hitting, competitive Southeastern Conference as a key factor in his evaluation.
Little garnered second-team All-SEC honors after 12 starts at left tackle in 2017 and was a first-team All-SEC selection after again starting all 12 games at left tackle again as a junior in 2018.
"He's had a lot of experience," Hurney said. "He's shown he can protect the passer."
No prospect is perfect, however, and Hurney said Little could stand to work on his run blocking, which he said will come with time and coaching.
Little, who was asked to self-scout his own weaknesses, admitted he could stand to be "edgier at times."
Whether it was Little's run blocking or "lack of snarl" that caused him to drop, something worked against him in the eyes of the teams who skipped him over, but Hurney said he believes whatever "it" is can be overcome.
"There's some reason that a guy drops," Hurney said. "The key to getting value is to identify if that's accurate or not. We thought Greg probably shouldn't have been labeled that way but we think he's got great upside."
Little will get his chance. He'll likely compete for the starting left tackle spot in training camp this summer.
And with the way Carolina's left tackle position has do-si-do'd since Gross, he could make a strong case for the spot. With any luck, he'll also bring longterm stability to the position.
That's what Little wants. And like his humble plans for celebrating the draft, he'll likely take the quiet, calculated approach to get there.
"He really wants to be good," Hurney said. "That's really important. I think if you ask Greg, there's no reason to say that he's not the best tackle on the draft board."
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 think his man would make it past former Assistant Panthers General Manager-turned Bills General Manager, Brandon Beane.
So, they traded up 10 slots by sending Seattle the 47th and 77th overall picks.
And they got their man.
His name? Greg Little.
Little, who said he was still watching at home with friends and family on night two, added he's never been one for fanfare.
"I'm a laid back, calm guy," he told reporters at his introductory press conference. "I'm not a big event type of guy."
But his addition is a very big event. At least, to Hurney it's a big event.
Hurney gushed about Little's potential and pass protection at a joint press conference with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera after the draft.
"He's young," Hurney said. "He's just gonna get better."
Since Gross retired after 11 solid seasons with the team, the Panthers have tried unsuccessfully to find their franchise left tackle.
In 2014, it was Byron Bell, who is currently 30 and on no one's roster.
Then, it was Michael Oher, who turned out OK protecting Cam Newton's blindside but fell off the map a season after helping the team reach Super Bowl 50. He suffered a concussion that limited him to just three games in 2016 and after a failed physical in July 2017, was released by Carolina.
Carolina tried Mike Remmers at left tackle, they tried Matt Kalil. Neither exactly panned out and neither are still with the team.
The Panthers turned to Taylor Moton in Week 1 of last season. He held his own but was moved back to his natural right tackle position once veteran Chris Clark was added in Week 2.
Now, about that franchise left tackle?
Little hopes he can be it. And, obviously, so does Hurney.
"I've been cheesin' ever since," Little said about being selected. "I'm just ready to get to work and earn my respect from the team."
And there will be plenty of work for Little to do.
It's no secret Carolina's offensive line has been a mess in recent memory.
Little, who played tight end as a freshman at Allen High School (Texas) before transitioning to tackle as a sophomore, cited his athleticism and pass protection as his strongest suits.
That will likely work out just fine for Newton, who Little said had not reached out to him yet as of his introductory conference.
"I haven't heard from Cam yet," Little said. "I did hear from Christian McCaffrey. He texted me this morning and was fired up."
Newton, who has been known to get fired up himself, will probably be plenty fired up if Little pans out as a stalwart left tackle and keeps the blindside hits to a minimum.
Hurney thinks Little can do it.
Hurney cited Little's strong work in the hard-hitting, competitive Southeastern Conference as a key factor in his evaluation.
Little garnered second-team All-SEC honors after 12 starts at left tackle in 2017 and was a first-team All-SEC selection after again starting all 12 games at left tackle again as a junior in 2018.
"He's had a lot of experience," Hurney said. "He's shown he can protect the passer."
No prospect is perfect, however, and Hurney said Little could stand to work on his run blocking, which he said will come with time and coaching.
Little, who was asked to self-scout his own weaknesses, admitted he could stand to be "edgier at times."
Whether it was Little's run blocking or "lack of snarl" that caused him to drop, something worked against him in the eyes of the teams who skipped him over, but Hurney said he believes whatever "it" is can be overcome.
"There's some reason that a guy drops," Hurney said. "The key to getting value is to identify if that's accurate or not. We thought Greg probably shouldn't have been labeled that way but we think he's got great upside."
Little will get his chance. He'll likely compete for the starting left tackle spot in training camp this summer.
And with the way Carolina's left tackle position has do-si-do'd since Gross, he could make a strong case for the spot. With any luck, he'll also bring longterm stability to the position.
That's what Little wants. And like his humble plans for celebrating the draft, he'll likely take the quiet, calculated approach to get there.
"He really wants to be good," Hurney said. "That's really important. I think if you ask Greg, there's no reason to say that he's not the best tackle on the draft board."
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