It’s been a week since the first round of the draft, but there are still plenty of tidbits flowing from the various NFL franchises.
In Carolina, for example, the Panthers gave consideration to a couple of other players with the 14th pick in round one, which ultimately went to defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.
According to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, Panther G.M. Dave Gettleman considered cornerback Xavier Rhodes at pick No. 17. The team also discussed taking tight end Tyler Eifert in that spot.
Ultimately, Rhodes went to Minnesota at pick No. 25, and Eifert was selected by the Bengals with the 21st overall choice.
The Panthers opted for Lotulelei, and chased that decision with another defensive tackle in round two, apparently because Gettleman realizes from his time with the Giants that it’s very important to have a strong pass rush.
“I’ve seen what a feeding frenzy looks like,” Gettleman has said. “We had a game against Philadelphia a few years back where we had 12 sacks, and we had a game against Chicago where we sacked Cutler 10 times. I really believe in it. Can it mask issues in the secondary? Of course it does.”
The problem for the Panthers is that issues exist on both sides of the ball, and the team had only five picks in the draft to fill all of them.