I'm told Fletcher Cox just got finished meeting with the Carolina Panthers. They pick ninth overall in the NFL Draft (Apr. 26-28).

— bradlocke (@bradlocke) March 14, 2012

Brad Locke, a writer who covers Mississippi State said that yesterday the Carolina Panthers met with Fletcher Cox, the Bulldogs' standout defensive tackle, and consensus 1st round pick. Cox happens to be my favorite DT in the draft, and while not many pundits have him pegged as a top-10 pick, he's a player who has that Jon Beason quality to him where he'll get overlooked.

If you're keeping score at home that makes two defensive ends, and two under-tackles that the Panthers have visited with so far. It's clear they have an onus on upgrading the pass rush, one way or another. Unless they start bringing in nose tackles soon I think it's safe to say they're willing to roll the dice on a combination of Edwards/Fua/Shirley in 2012.

As always, we'll keep you updated as more information gets out.