Spoiler alert https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com , but they’d better be willing to invest a first round pick." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesCat Scratch Reader homepageHorizontal - WhiteCat Scratch Readera Carolina Panthers communityFollow Cat Scratch Reader online:Follow Cat Scratch Reader on TwitterFollow Cat Scratch Reader on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchCat Scratch Reader main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsAboutPanthersOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 Training CampCSR Film RoomWhat are the odds the Panthers land a late-round sleeper at offensive tackle? New,11commentsSpoiler alert, but they’d better be willing to invest a first round pick. ESTAs we continue exploring how the Panthers will address positions of need and how the draft may factor into their plans, offensive tackle is going to be a critical one. CSR’s Walker Clement recently noted the following about the pressing need to upgrade at tackle:So as we did with the defensive end position, let’s explore how realistic it is for the Panthers to find a sleeper at tackle in the late rounds of the draft. If you haven’t read the DE piece, here’s the overview of the methodology: I pulled a query from Football Reference showing the Top 35 tackles in 2018 as determined by Approximate Value (AV) and looked at the rounds in which they were drafted. I then cross-referenced Football Reference’s list with Pro Football Focus’ publicly available player rankings (nerdy spreadsheet here) and am comfortable the list of the Top 35 is pretty solid while also fully acknowledging no player rating system is perfect. Here’s where the Top 35 tackles in 2018 were drafted:Wow. It doesn’t take a genius to look at the graph and realize that if you want a stud OT you’d better be willing to invest a first round pick. Hoping to find a sleeper from Rounds 4 through 7 just probably isn’t going to happen. Only seven of the Top 35 tackles were drafted in the later rounds: David Bakhtiari (4th), Bobby Massie (4th) Carolina Panthers Customized Jerseys , Julie’n Davenport (4th), Ricky Wagner (5th), Sam Tevi (6th), Bobby Hart (7th), and Charles Leno (7th). Interestingly, Bakhtiari was selected as an All-Pro in 2018 while Leno made the Pro Bowl. Let’s now look at the “hit rate” of finding a top tackle in Rounds 4 through 7. While this is an arbitrary number on my part, a solid NFL career can last eight years if not longer so let’s look at that timeframe. Between 2011 and 2018 a total of 66 tackles were drafted between Rounds 4 and 7 Carolina Panthers T-Shirts , per Football Reference. This makes the probability of finding a quality tackle in the late rounds somewhere around a 10.6 percent (seven of 66). It is interesting to note that the next highest cohort after first rounders are undrafted free agents. But to put this in context, around 500 UDFA’s flood the league every year and I’d assume teams take lots of fliers on young, cheap, promising tackles. While I have no idea how many UDFAs have been signed over the last 12 years, my gut tells me it is probably significantly more than the number drafted between Rounds 4 and 7. There’s no doubt the Panthers are going to need to find a quality left tackle for both the present and the future. If they try landing a sleeper in the late rounds, history tells us that strategy is more like a pipe dream. No matter what the plan on the offensive line is, acquiring young talent to bolster the tackle position has to still be a top priority."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers free agency 2019Re-signing Daryl Williams should not affect the Carolina Panthers draft plans at allNew https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/hats ,89commentsNo matter what the plan on the offensive line is, acquiring young talent to bolster the tackle position has to still be a top priority.EDTShareTweetShareShareRe-signing Daryl Williams should not affect the Carolina Panthers draft plans at allJeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsThe Carolina Panthers made a surprising announcement yesterday that they had come to terms on a one year prove-it deal worth somewhere between six and seven million dollars with offensive tackle Daryl Williams. Many, including myself, thought for sure that Williams was going to sign a longer term deal somewhere else, and apparently those discussions were had, but ultimately Daryl wanted to attempt to increase his value by playing just one more year here.The debate about what this means for the offensive line is surely going to be a hot topic as we march through this offseason unless Ron Rivera addresses it directly in one way or another. Does this signal a move of Taylor Moton to left tackle? Does Moton stay put and Williams try to make it as a left guard? Are they thinking of trying Williams, unadvisably Carolina Panthers Hoodie , at left tackle? Is Matt Kalil still going to play there? The questions and speculation are pretty much endless at this point, and though I have strong opinions on what they should do, I wont go into detail about that in this particular article.What I will say is this... this should change NOTHING about the Panthers current draft strategy. The need for youth and talent with left tackle potential is still extremely great at this point, and the smart thing to do would be to acquire it while you are temporarily deep at the position. Looking down the road a year from now, you are going to face the same situation as far as need for a tackle.A year from now, there is basically no question at this point that Matt Kalil will be released, if not sooner than that. You’ll also be looking once again at Daryl Williams Ryan Kalil Color Rush Jersey , and how his performance this year affects his value. In my estimation, we should be looking at Williams with totally fresh eyes at this point after two leg injuries, a year out of football, and a new offensive coordinator. This is the perfect example of a prove-it deal, because he has both everything to prove and everything to potentially lose. Even in the grand event that the Panthers do move Taylor Moton to left tackle and he achieves wild success, and Daryl Williams manages equal success on the right side, you still probably need that extra card to give yourself some leverage. You need one more hopeful talent on a rookie level deal Luke Kuechly Color Rush Jersey , because you’ll be potentially looking at a large contract for Williams and then in a couple years, a large contract for Moton. It would be hard to retain both, and having options at one of the most difficult positions to find them in football is extremely valuable.To conclude, the last thing I want to see is another situation down the road where we have to rely on free agency to attempt to bring in some talent at tackle. That is why we ended up with the arguably the worst contract in franchise history with Matt Kalil, and we would do well to learn from our mistakes. This is going to be an important year for the future of this team, with the leadership vacancies that we suddenly have and the very very hot seats that our coach and general manager are sitting on. We need to nail these decisions for long term success, and that starts with prudent action right now.