The NFL Draft causes us to get caught up in the minutia. We're quick to look at a team from every single angle and critique why one position wasn't upgraded, or how a single player was left on the board that could make an impact. Instead of looking too closely at one thing it's important to pull back and look at the Panthers as a whole. Something funny happens when you break away from this thinking -- you realize how much better the team is than a year ago.
Let's break this down position by position and you'll see why there's a ton to be excited about for this year.
Quarterback
2014: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb
2015: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb
The cast remains the same, but circumstance is everything. Cam Newton was recovering from surgery a year ago, and it was unclear if he'd be ready in time for the regular season. Having Derek Anderson as a backup was a luxury few teams had, as it allowed the Panthers to feel confident whether Cam could go or not, but there's no doubting that there was concern.
There's no reason for a team to shuffle quarterbacks if things aren't broken. That's the case for Carolina. Newton is past the point of being limited by his surgery from last year, and we saw as the season progressed that he became more and more like the player we knew. Anderson is still there if things go bad, and Joe Webb has been a surprisingly welcome safety valve, and a guy who can bring something to the table on trick players.
Verdict: Improved
Running Back
2014: DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, Chris Ogbonnaya, Darren Reaves
2015: Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, Jordan Todman, Cameron Artis-Payne, Brandon Wegher
Parting ways with DeAngelo Williams was an unfortunate necessity. He absolutely has something left in the tank and will be a great change of pace back for the Steelers, but in Carolina his presence created a problem. There was simply no way to develop future backs, or give them the touches they deserved behind Double Trouble as it was constructed.
Fozzy Whittaker was a revelation in 2014, which made parting ways easier. He only carried the ball 32 times, but averaged an impressive 4.5 yards-per-carry, which was almost as good as Stewart and superior to Williams. That performance could have been an aberration, but there's plenty of reason to believe he's just a guy who needed a shot.
Jordan Todman will be a nice third-option, while Cameron Artis-Payne could become a poor man's Williams in time.
Brandon Wegher could be a diamond in the rough. I know we say this kind of stuff every year, but this kid was a legitimate running back who seemed destined for early-round selection back in 2009 based on his on-field talent. However, he made a lot of poor decisions off the gridiron. A series of events pushed him from Iowa to the small Morningside College, where he expectedly dominated the competition -- rushing for 3,815 yards and 48 touchdowns in two years. This will be the guy to watch in preseason if you're a fan of predicting UDFAs who will make the final 53.
Verdict: Improved
Tight End
2014: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Brandon Williams, Richie Brockel
2015: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Brandon Williams, Richie Brockel, Jamie Childers
If it's not broken, don't fix it. There's very little to dislike about the unit the Panthers have right now. Eventually they'll need to start planning for a player who can take the reigns from Greg Olsen, but it's too early for that yet.
Jamie Childers is an interesting player. While he only has a very slim chance of making the roster he's got that 6-4, 250 pound size that the Panthers grave at the position.
Verdict: Unchanged
Wide Receiver
2014: Jerricho Cotchery, Kelvin Benjamin, Jason Avant, Philly Brown, Brenton Bersin, Stephen Hill, De'Andre Presley
2015: Jerricho Cotchery, Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Philly Brown, Ted Ginn, Brenton Bersin, Stephen Hill, De'Andre Presley, Jarrett Boykin, Damiere Byrd, Marcus Lucas, Mike Brown
Simply put: This is the best I've felt about the Panthers group of receivers in over 5 years. Yes, there's still a little lacking in top end and relying on Kelvin Benjamin to repeat his rookie performance will be tough, but this group is deep -- deeper than they've been in a long time.
Bringing Ted Ginn back into the fold is a huge boon, especially for special teams. Devin Funchess gives the Panthers another mismatch opportunity, particularly in the red zone -- while Philly Brown will only be better with a full year of experience under his belt.
In the past you could easily slot every player into their role and dust off your hands. Now you can see the wide receiver position as a living, breathing entity with any number of different looks or packages that can be used effectively. The only hard part will be paring this group down in training camp.
Verdict: Improved
Offensive Line
2014: Byron Bell, Nate Chandler, Trai Turner, Amini Silatolu, Chris Scott, Mike Remmers, Edmund Kugbila, Andrew Norwell, David Foucalt, Ryan Kalil, Brian Folkerts
2015: Michael Oher, Jonathan Martin, Daryl Williams, Trai Turner, Amini Silatolu, Chris Scott, Mike Remmers, Edmund Kugbila, Andrew Norwell, David Foucalt, Jordan McCray, Ryan Kalil, Brian Folkerts, Patrick Ronald
Did the offensive line make leaps and bounds like we hoped it would? No.
Is it better than it was last year? Absolutely.
The tackle position has been revitalized with Oher and Martin arriving via free agency, and Williams being selecting in the draft. This is not a perfect group by any stretch, but they are better than last year's iteration.
At offensive guard the Panthers will have Trai Turner with a full year under his belt, and the oft-maligned Amini Silatolu returning from injury. Silatolu gets a really bad rap from fans, but when he's on the field he's a lot better than people give him credit for. If he can return to form the guard spot could be quite good.
I fully expect Oher to be the starting left tackle, with Williams winning the job on the right.
Verdict: Improved
That's it for part one. Next up: Defense. How are you feeling about the team roster right now? Have they really improved in every area on offense? Sound off in the comments.