CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Biggest post-draft questions still to be answered by Carolina Panthers:
What about Cam? The Panthers sent a strong message with their first two picks, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Ohio State wide receiver Curtis Samuel, that they will be more dynamic offensively. You already can envision mismatches and short catches turning into big plays with those two. The question is how will quarterback Cam Newton adjust? He’s coming off surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, so he won’t start implementing himself into this offense until training camp. He also doesn’t have a history of being accurate with a career 58.4 completion percentage. He’s been a dual threat as a runner out of the read option his entire career. His new toys should make him better, but how long will the adjustment period last?
What about Oher? As long as offensive tackle Michael Oher remains in the concussion protocol, there will be questions about whether he will play. Indications are he’ll be ready in that he’s been doing football-centric workouts. Drafting Western Michigan's Taylor Moton was good insurance and will create competition. But a healthy Oher, along with free-agent acquisition Matt Kalil, would go a long way toward turning this offensive line from the catastrophe it was last season into a strength.
Why not a safety? The Panthers passed on a chance to draft Ohio State’s Malik Hooker with the eighth overall pick to select McCaffrey. That, by the way, was the right move. They saw a few other safeties they had their eye on -- NC State’s Josh Jones among them -- go in rounds ahead of them. That they didn’t use any of their seven picks on a safety seems like a mistake. They signed 36-year-old Mike Adams in free agency to play strong safety but still lack a young player to take over that role long term. Quality depth remains an issue.
What if something happens to Olsen? Carolina looked at the top three or four tight ends in the draft, presumably looking for a player who could complement Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen. Or even take over should the 32-year-old get hurt. Backup Ed Dickson hasn’t proven he’s ready for the full-time spotlight in terms of all Olsen can do. Chris Manhertz and those behind him are projects. This really seemed like the year to get a tight end to develop, and the Panthers didn’t select one.
Thomas Davis isn’t getting younger: The 34-year-old outside linebacker, who introduced Carolina’s first-round pick, jokingly said he would change it if it was a linebacker. He still changed it, calling McCaffrey a wide receiver. But the Panthers didn’t get one of the outside linebackers projected for the second to third rounds that they had in for official visits. After losing A.J. Klein in free agency, they are asking a lot of young, not highly touted players to step up if something happens to Davis or if he retires after this season.