Fansided

2019 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams

By Conor Dorney

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 25: Daniel Jones of Duke reacts after being chosen #6 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 25: Daniel Jones of Duke reacts after being chosen #6 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 26: Quarterback Will Grier #7 from West Virginia of the South Team on a pass play during the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 26: Quarterback Will Grier #7 from West Virginia of the South Team on a pass play during the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Carolina Panthers

Grade: A

Best pick: Brian Burns (EDGE, Florida State)

Questionable pick: Greg Little (OT, Ole Miss)

Sleeper pick: Will Grier (QB, West Virginia)

To put it simply, the Carolina Panthers crushed the 2019 NFL Draft. They began it with one of my favorite edge prospects in the class in Brian Burns, and continued to load up with value pick after value pick for the remaining six rounds. There are questions about how the slightly undersized Burns will hold up against the run at the NFL level, but his quickness and savvy as a pass rusher could make him an easy candidate for 10+ sacks early on in his career. An argument could have been made for an offensive lineman at sixteen, but instead the Panthers snatched up the best player available with the selection of Burns.

While the team did address the offensive line with the addition of Ole Miss’ Greg Little, it paid a steep price as part of a move up the board with Seattle. Little has remarkable size and strength, and has been a coveted prospect since coming out of high school as a five-star rated player, but he will need to work on his technique in the run game and reaching in pass pro sets in order to be a long-term left tackle at the NFL level.

When it comes to quarterback sleepers, West Virginia’s Will Grier is a steal of all steals for the Panthers in the third round. Grier throws one of the best deep balls in the entire class and possesses better arm strength than people give him credit for. His leadership and starting experience will make him one of the most pro-ready quarterbacks from day one of his NFL career, and should perform admirably if Cam Newton continues to suffer from the injury bug going forward.

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