Panthers signed DE Kony Ealy to a four-year contract

The Carolina Panthers drafted former Missouri defensive end and pass rusher Kony Ealy in the second-round of the 2014 NFL draft. In his final season at Mizzou, Ealy had 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.

The Panthers were able to ink Ealy, who was the 60th player taken in the draft, to a four-year contract on Thursday.

The Panthers are loaded at defensive end, but they were still thrilled to get him.

“We had a first-round value on Kony Ealy. He’s got a lot of potential,” general manager Dave Gettleman said, via the team’s statement on the signing. “You cannot have too many pass rushers. You can’t. It’s impossible.”

Because of the depth at the position Ealy will likely be No. 3 on the depth chart. He could be used in certain passages and maybe moved inside on occasion to help get after the passer.

There were reports that Ealy could be moved to the inside on a more permanent basis than say third-down pass-rushing situations. Ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that he heard some teams were considering bulking him up by about 15 pounds to make him a defensive tackle.

Ealy came into the draft round 275 pounds so an additional 15 pounds on Ealy would put him at 290 lbs. Given their strengths on the outside that route seems to make sense for the Panthers, unless they’re considering letting Greg Hardy walk after his season under the franchise tag.