n the early rounds of the draft."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomThe Panthers will have a hard time drafting a starting caliber defensive endNew Youth Rashaan Gaulden Jersey ,10commentsStarters have been hard to come by in the early rounds of the draft. ESTShareTweetShareShareThe Panthers will have a hard time drafting a starting caliber defensive endJeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsThe Carolina Panthers need to solidify their pass rush. The front four struggled to get consistent pressure without help from blitzes, 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 Stitched Rashaan Gaulden Jersey , the sixteenth spot has seen its fair share of good names get selected. Ryan Kerrigan, 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. We finally made it, y’all! We are 1 day away from the beginning of the Carolina Panthers 2018 season. That means today we take a closer look at quarterback Cam Newton.Cam Newton Youth Donte Jackson Jersey , QuarterbackBioHeight: 6’5”Weight: 245 lbsAge: 29College: AuburnNFL Experience: 8 yearsCam Newton was drafted No. 1 overall by the Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact on the field, throwing for over 400 yards in each of his first two games. He finished the 2011 season with 4051 yards—becoming the first rookie quarterback to throw for over 4000 yards—and was became the first Panther to be named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2015 Newton became the first Panther to be named league MVPNewton currently owns the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, with 54. The closest active quarterback to his total is Aaron Rodgers, with 25.Let’s look at some of Newton’s career accomplishments, courtesy of the Panthers’ website:tl;dr - He’s pretty good. It’s safe to say at this point that Newton’s spot as the starting quarterback is 100% guaranteed, and Panthers fans are hopeful that the team’s revamped offense under Norv Turner will bring 2015’s CAMVP back to us in 2018. If everything goes according to plan Stitched Donte Jackson Jersey , I think we could see Newton’s best season yet. To close this out, here’s a highlight video from Cam’s MVP season for you to enjoy:The season starts tomorrow, Panthers fans! Are you ready?!