ERST LESEN! » The Carolina Panthers need to solidify their pass rush.

The front four struggled to get consistent pressure without help from blitzes Will Grier Carolina Panthers Jersey , and there’s no one on the roster to turn to for extra help in the coming season. Future Hall of Famer Julius Peppers announced his retirement last week. Remarkably, his five sacks at age 38 were the second most on the team behind Mario Addison, who will be a spry 32 years old when next season starts. Marquis Haynes and Efe Obada are the only other two defensive ends under contract next season, and neither have proven anything at the NFL level. It would make sense for the Panthers to spend an early pick on a defensive end. Unfortunately, that position is one of the most difficult positions at which to find a starter in the draft. The below chart shows how how often defensive ends turn into regular starters compared to the average at or after the Panthers’ picks in each round. These numbers are from the 2008 to 2017 drafts. AV/Year is Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value divided by the number of years since the player was drafted. Defensive ends perform below the average in every metric I calculated. Only 39% of defensive ends drafted at or after the Panthers pick in the first round have started at least half their team’s games and only 13% have started at least 75% of their team’s games. They’ve also had a lower Approximate Value (which is PFR’s attempt to measure the impact of a player with a single number) than the average. On the bright side, the sixteenth spot has seen its fair share of good names get selected. Ryan Kerrigan Blue Will Grier Jersey , Derrick Morgan, and former CSR draft day favorite Quinton Coples were all taken with the No. 16 pick, and two have those have gone on to have solid to great careers. This draft is supposedly deep with edge rushers. The Panthers may elect to take a chance on one, but history says there’s a good chance that pick won’t pan out the way the Panthers hope. The Panthers need help on the defensive line. Will they address that need with the No. 16 overall pick?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftThe Panthers add former Michigan pass rusher Rashan Gary in Dan Kadar’s latest mock draftNew,68commentsThe Panthers need help on the defensive line. Will they address that need with the No. 16 overall pick?ESTShareTweetShareShareThe Panthers add former Michigan pass rusher Rashan Gary in Dan Kadar’s latest mock draftThe Carolina Panthers will have just two defensive ends on the active roster when the league year begins in March—Mario Addison and Marquis Haynes—so it’s no secret that they must find players to fill out the depth chart before training camp begins this summer. As we’ve discussed several times already, there are two ways to accomplish this: Free agency and the NFL Draft.Just like last week Wes Horton Jersey 2019 , Dan Kadar from Mocking the Draft has given the Panthers a pass rusher in his latest mock draft. Last week he mocked former Florida Gators defensive end Jachai Polite to the Panthers, but this week it’s former Michigan Wolverine Rashan Gary who ends up in Carolina.My main concern with this pick for the Panthers is that I’m not sure that Gary will fall all the way to No. 16. I think he will be a good player in the NFL, and I think he’s definitely worth a first rounder, but I’m not sure he lasts until it’s Carolina’s turn to pick. WalterFootball lists Gary as the No. 2 defensive end in this year’s class after Nick Bosa, and believes that he could play defensive end in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense.If WalterFootball’s analysis is correct, Gary’s versatility could make him an attractive option for the Panthers. But at the same time Blue Wes Horton Jersey , if Gary is that versatile how would he fall all the way down to No. 16 overall? If he truly is the second best defensive end in this year’s draft class (a notion that I disagree with, mind you) I don’t see many scenarios where he is even available for the Panthers to draft without trading up to get him. At that point, I’d rather just pick the best player on the board at No. 16. I don’t think the Panthers can afford to trade away draft picks to move up in this year’s draft—there are simply too many holes in the roster to do that.What do you think, Panthers fans? Would you be okay with drafting Gary in the first round? Let’s hear what you have to say!