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Carolina Panthers – Left tackle
Key competitors: Taylor Moton vs. Greg Little
When you see your rocket-arm quarterback throw wobblers down the field and look like a completely different guy, ultimately ending up in surgery, you would think that team would be eager to keep him protected. That’s why I was really surprised when the Panthers passed up on Washington State tackle Andre Dillard with that 16th overall pick in the draft. However, after selecting Florida State edge rusher Brian Burns, who I had rated higher myself, they came back in the second round and traded up for Ole Miss’ Greg Little.
Now, this kid has all the athleticism and talent in the world, but I need to see him show more aggressiveness and pure fire for the game. I think he might need a year with an NFL offensive line coach to get his mindset right and in the weight room to work on his core strength. That’s why I think Taylor Moton is slightly ahead in this race for now. I had him rated as a third-round prospect with a future at right tackle or inside at guard.
However, with Daryll Williams better on the right side himself, Carolina has a bit of a personnel question here. I think this competition should also include Greg Van Roten, who looks to be starting at left guard if Dorian Johnson doesn’t emerge during training camp. Because in the end the Panthers should put out their best five and if that means having Moton go back inside and putting Little out there early, that’s what they will do.
Chicago Bears – Kicker
Key competitors: Eddy Pineiro vs. Elliott Fry vs. Everybody
People are starting to come back around with this scary Bears defense and Mitchell Trubisky being one of the most pivotal quarterbacks when it comes to the team’s championship aspirations, but for quite some time after the season ended, all people were talking about was the “Double Doink”. The front office released kicker Cody Parkey after missing a game-winning 43-year field goal versus the Eagles in the Wildcard Round and appeared on TV, talking about it shortly after.
Since then the Bears have invited pretty much everybody with a pair of cleats to try out for them and there have been instances where they had six guys go 1-for-6 from that same distance they were at in the playoffs. It got so bad that they had a guy called Chris Blewitt kicking for them – seriously. Eddy Pineiro was traded from Oakland for a conditional seventh-round pick and Elliott Fry came over from the AAF.
About a month ago this became a two-man race when the kicker with the unfortunate surname was released following an 0-3 showing from a good 40 yards away by the trio. However, with how things have gone I wouldn’t rule out that they sign some kid from the street, who they see kicking around a bottle. This could easily be what keeps the Bears from going on a deep playoff run if they don’t have anybody they can trust to make that big kick.
Cincinnati Bengals – Offensive guards
Key competitors: John Miller vs. John Jerry vs. Christian Westerman vs. Michael Jordan
With Clint Boling retiring this offseason after being a full-time starter for the Bengals in all but his rookie season of his eight-year career, there is even less certainty surrounding their O-line, especially those guard spots. While Cincy re-signed right tackle Bobby Hart for way too much money and were expected to move Cordy Glenn inside to left guard with the arrival of 11th overall pick Jonah Williams, having lost the rookie out of Alabama for the entire season already ruined their plans.
While they seem to be happy with last year’s first-round pick Billy Price at center, they need to put two guys around him that make running those zone-based schemes under new head coach Zay Taylor easier on the second-year man. To me, none of the guys on the Cincinnati roster at this moment have shown anything to be handed a starting spot.
My top guy, for now, would be John Miller, who was a third-round pick for the Bills back in 2015 and started 47 games for them since. He was solid last season, but Buffalo with some problems up front themselves would have retained him if the Bengals didn’t jump to pay him 5.5 million annually.
Then there’s John Jerry, who is the most experienced of the bunch as a six-year starter, but sat out last season and had already believed his career was over. Christian Westerman was a fifth-round pick back in 2016 and then the Bengals grabbed center Michael Jordan from Ohio State in the fourth this year, whose toughness I think is on the exact opposite spectrum of the original MJ’s.
Cleveland Browns – Z receiver
Key competitors: Rashard Higgins vs. Antonio Callaway
Man, these Browns just have so much young talent. I love what they have done on the defensive line, they could have an excellent cornerback duo and they are loaded at the offensive skill positions to go with their main guy Baker Mayfield, who just set a new rookie QB record for touchdown passes. While they already had plenty of weapons in the passing game, acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. obviously puts them at a completely different level.
Having OBJ at X to go with Jarvis Landry in the slot and David Njoku as that move tight end is already special, but there’s one spot still up for grabs – that second wideout. To me, there are champagne problems in Cleveland because you can never have too many threats, but winning this position battle could determine a big difference in targets when you look at all the guys who already require the touches. I thought there was a really strong connection between Baker and Rashard Higgins, who put up 455 receiving yards in ten games with the young signal-caller. They hooked up on several comeback routes and back-shoulder throws.
With that being said, second-year man Antonio Callaway might just be too talented to keep off the field. A fourth-round pick a year ago, the former Florida standout was suspended from his school on several occasions but his talent was undeniable. As a rookie, he went for 586 yards and five touchdowns on 13.6 yards per grab. His speed to go over the top or take a slant the distance is the difference. I could see both guys play a role, but that extra vertical threat in Callaway could be more of an asset.
