With new receiving weapons, Cam Newton might be Draft Day’s biggest winner

The Panthers did a lot to help Cam Newton in the first round of the NFL Draft.

You can read tons of articles on what teams won and lost the first day of the NFL Draft. What you can’t find everywhere is analysis about what individual players might have benefitted the most. If you ranked players based on who got the most help from their teams on Thursday, you’d find Cam Newton at the top of the list.

It’s no secret the Panthers signal caller needs more weapons at his disposal next season. The team made the bold choice to ship Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo last year and have been searching for an adequate replacement ever since. The team did bring Torrey Smith in this offseason, but he isn’t what anyone would call a Pro-Bowl wide receiver.

Panthers fans have also had to sweat out Greg Olsen’s status for the upcoming season. The talented tight end conducted a very public flirtation with ESPN about working as a Monday Night Football analyst last month. His retirement would have crippled Newton’s abilities to make plays down the field on any sort of consistent basis.

Luckily for Newton, his Thursday began with the news that Olsen had signed a two-year extension with the team. The deal could make Olsen the highest paid tight end in football if he reaches certain incentives. That is probably an overpay for the Panthers, but Newton is certainly ecstatic to have his safety blanket firmly back into the fold.

Bringing Olsen back was vital for Carolina, but it really didn’t serve to add anything to the team’s offensive attack. Fortunately, the Panthers were able to do just that on Thursday night when the team selected Maryland wide receiver, DJ Moore, with the No. 24 pick in the first round.

Local Charlotte media outlets have been quick to compare Moore to Panthers legend Steve Smith. The similarities between the two players are pretty obvious. Neither is blessed with great size for the position, but each receiver makes up for that with their exceptional ability to hurt defenses after the catch. When Moore secures the ball it’s almost as if he magically transforms into a running back to punish opposing defenders.

Now the Panthers have an above-average wide receiver trio with Moore and number one wideout Devin Funchess. It’s probably the strongest group Newton’s had to work with during his NFL career. Add Olsen and Christian McCaffrey to the mix and there’s quite a lot to be excited about in Carolina.

Next: Five best picks of the first round

Curiously, Newton didn’t have a lot to say to Coach Ron Rivera after he saw the Moore selection come through. Less is more in this case though. Newton simply texted his coach “thank you.”