The NFC South is one of the most competitive divisions in the entire league from top to bottom, year after year. Even in a year where the New Orleans Saints clinched the division, the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers saw a storybook streak in the playoffs to eventually win the Superbowl. The struggling Atlanta Falcons are looking to revamp their defense and the Carolina Panthers are attempting to create a complete identity. As the NFL offseason comes to a close, each team has to evaluate their drafted personnel to see if they were winners or losers in drafting. We will look into this year's NFL Draft and see how each team graded out and ranked them from best to worst. 

Carolina Panthers: A+

The Carolina Panthers have absolutely dominated the 2021 draft. Despite getting a cornerback in the top 10, the Panthers tightened up their entire team with this pick. Jaycee Horn is the essential defensive piece they needed to add to a very good Panthers secondary. By handling the key defensive piece, the rest of the Panthers draft went to adding value in nearly every position group. Terrace Marshall Jr. is a good receiver with very good experience that can play day one. Chubba Hubbard’s explosiveness and physicality will help for developing quarterback Sam Darnold by adding an extra security blanket in the run game. With Christian Mccaffrey battling with injury, the team will be smart to lean more on Hubbard in the run game. The Panthers even added an OT to protect Darnold with LT Brady Christensen. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers biggest hurdle will be to avoid a Superbowl hangover. With one of the most complete rosters in the NFL, they looked to fill their minor voids in this draft. By drafting Kyle Trask, they are preparing for the future with Tom Brady as a great model. With Linebacker Joe Tryon, the Buccaneers will have a competitive linebacker that can vie for the starting job and add another presence to the already young and explosive Buccaneers defense.

New Orleans Saints: B-

The New Orleans Saints are at a crossroads in their organization with Drew Brees’ retirement.  Jameis Winston’s ability to not turn the ball over will be the biggest offensive concern. For the first time in 3 years, the Saints drafted a receiver with their final pick. Although it was not a superstar pick, adding receiver depth will be good for the offense to take some load off of Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Defensively, the top two picks for the Saints came on the defensive line and linebacking core. The 6’6’’ 270 pound DE Peyton Tucker from Houston is a force and sure to bring depth to the experienced rotation. Linebacker Pete Werner and Defensive Back Paulson Adebo from Stanford are standout players that will be able to play immediately and add to the physical Saints defense. 

Atlanta Falcons: C

The main point for this grade is that the Atlanta Falcons are NOT a tight end away from playoff contention. Although they addressed other positions in the draft their priority in drafting was a new offensive weapon, which does not heal their defensive woes. The Falcons defense ranked near the lowest in several major defensive categories including rushing defense. The defense allowed nearly 100 yards or more in 10 games during the 2020 season. This stat contributed to their 5 late-game collapses in which they could not hold on to their double-digit leads late in the game. Despite Kyle Pitts being the best available, the Atlanta Falcons desperately needed defensive star power and did not get it out of this draft. 

Writer

-By: LeMarkus D. Bailey

Ever since drafting him third overall out of USC in 2018, the New York Jets and QB Sam Darnold have been a mess that never got cleaned up for three seasons. Whether it was injuries, bad coaching, or just lack of talent around him, Darnold never really got his chance to shine in New York because of the situations around him. Because of this and the likelihood that the Jets take a QB with the second overall pick, New York decided to trade Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a series of picks. Let us look at the details of this trade and who comes out of this trade on the better end.

Trade Details

Regarding the details of this trade, they are quite simple. The New York Jets will receive three picks from Carolina: a sixth-rounder in this year’s draft, while also getting a second and fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft. As for Carolina, they will just be receiving Darnold with no conditions or incentives reported. It was also reported that the Panthers will discuss picking up Darnold’s fifth-year option as he enters his fourth season.

Carolina Panthers

Ever since QB Cam Newton lost his MVP ability because of injury, the Panthers have struggled to replace that talent at quarterback. Newton stuck it out for a few years, but never regained his form. Since Newton’s departure from the starting job and eventually, to New England, the Panthers have employed Kyle Allen and Teddy Bridgewater, who is still on the team, at the position. In other words, they do not have their franchise QB yet, making the Darnold trade a good one on their end. Darnold has shown the raw ability to play quarterback but has not translated it to the field for various reasons. Now, with a fresh start in Carolina with a quality coaching staff, quality receivers, and an all-pro running back, Darnold will be able to do more with less instead of running for his life with a bad play-caller. Carolina did not have to give up a first-round pick either, helping them draft even more help for Darnold and build a team around him. Despite this, Darnold still needs to prove himself, but he is in the perfect position to do so in Carolina.

New York Jets

On the Jets end of this trade, the move was inevitable. Darnold and the Jets organization had a broken relationship with no trust and no clear direction. Trading Darnold gives both sides a clear direction while making it almost a lock that New York takes a quarterback. New York was able to get some draft capital, the best being a second-round pick in 2022 but were not able to cash in and get a first-rounder. Regardless of this, New York needed to make this move and wipe the slate clean. Now, it is a matter of the Jets drafting the correct quarterback and getting pieces to build around him. Gang Green will have more than enough draft stock to do that and will look to stay active in an already busy offseason.

Who Won the Deal?

Like the Carson Wentz trade, the winner of this deal truly cannot be decided until we see results from not only Darnold but the Jets quarterback as well. If Darnold plays well and gets the Panthers to relevance, this trade is easily a win for Carolina no matter what the Jets do. As for the Jets, they need to draft the right quarterback and start winning games fast with him. If not, they will be in the same position they are in right now a few years down the road. While you cannot truly pick a winner, Carolina has the better chance of being successful over the next couple of seasons, making them the “winner” of this trade.

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

Offseason Outlook: The Panthers Top 5 Needs/Wants

TThe Panthers for the second season in a row went on a losing streak to end out the year and it not only hurt the team, but lost Ron Riveria his job and Cam Newton’s career with the Panthers is now up in the air. They did have a bright spot in all this though, Christian McCaffery. He was named to two 1st team All-Pro positions, he had both a 1,000 yards rushing and receiving on the year, he was a Pro Bowl selection, he recorded over 100 receptions in back to back seasons, and lead the league in all-purpose yards on the season with 2,392 total yards. If the new management and new head coach Matt Rhule can start to build this team, they need to start around their superstar running back. While also looking for their next Luke Kuechly after losing him to retirement this past season.

Carolina Panthers

Wants

1. Offensive Line

2. Cornerback

3. Safety

4. Tight end

5. Quarterback

Needs

1. Figure out what their plan is for Cam Newton

2. Figure out their heir for Luke Kuechly

3. Get secondary help to Eric Reid and Donte Jackson

4. Add more pass rush either for the interior or edge

5. Find a good lineup for the offensive line

Cornerback

The cornerback room in Carolina has been starting to come together the last two years. They had an established guy in James Bradberry and then went out and got Donte Jackson to man the other side. They even added in veterans like Ross Cockrell and Captain Munnerlyn the past two seasons. The Munnerlyn pickup didn’t work as well, but the Panthers have been trying to address the need and understand that in a division with great wide receivers like Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and the great Julio Jones, you need to have multiple great corners to throw at them. Now, this offseason might once again be like in 2015 when the Panthers cornerback room had to revamp the whole thing. Cockrell can be cut, Bradberry is a free agent and the only solid cornerback that is guaranteed to come back is Jackson. 

The Panthers need to make some moves in this department. The first can be to decide whether or not to keep Bradberry. Next, they can add a solid veteran in free agency or via trade. If they go the free agency, I suggest them to go after a younger guy like Trae Waynes or grab a battle-tested experienced vet like Jimmy Smith. Waynes gives you upside for the future while solidifying one side for the corner spot. Smith gives you a proven veteran and a good mentor for a rookie and Jackson to learn from. Speaking of rookies, this rookie cornerback class is one of the deepest in recent years and can have many great guys fall from the first round due to the abundance at the position. The Panthers can possibly get a guy like Jaylon Johnson or Trevon Diggs in the second round. Both guys can play on the outside and inside and allow the cornerbacks with a good setup to move the guys they have around. This will give them versatile pieces to throw at the best of the best in the NFC south.  

Quarterback

If they decide to do what most people are thinking they will in trading or releasing Cam Newton, then the quarterback spot jumps up to number one of the wishlist for the Panthers. If they pull the trigger on such a deal, you would have to assume they get either a late first-rounder or early second-rounder at the least for the former NFL MVP. Now with two seconds in the first or second, they can go after guys like Herbert or Love as their heir apparent to the throne. Yet, if some rumors are to be believed and Tua Tagovailoa drops into the mid-teens then the Panthers shouldn’t wait to scoop him up and team him up with McCaffrey and their young core of offensive pieces. In the event that it doesn’t happen like that, Herbert is most likely the best choice for the team. Herbert has an excellent mix of power and accuracy arm strength, plus a rushing ability that can be used in a somewhat similar style as Newton. He can come in right away and take this team over. 

Figure out their heir to Luke Kuechly

Everyone in the league was surprised when Luke Kuechly announced his retirement from the NFL at age 28. Whether it was a combination of injuries the last few years or just a concerted effort to prevent any long-term damage to his brain, Kuechly retired earlier than anyone in this league expected. He was a perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro. He had seven Pro Bowl nods and five 1st team All-Pro nods to his resume. Yet, he also got two 2nd team All-Pro nods as well to go along with DROY and DPOY awards in 2012 and 2013. He led the NFL in tackles twice and was always among the top 5 in tackles every year. He ended his magical career with 1,092 tackles (most in an eight-year span), 12.5 sacks, 18 interceptions (most by an ILB since he entered the league), 67 pass deflections, seven forced fumbles, nine fumbles recovered and two defensive touchdowns. He retired a first-ballot Hall of Famer after only eight seasons.

 The biggest question now is, who will the Panthers get to try to replace him? They can try to have Shaq Thompson do it. He is a former first-round pick but doesn’t have the same football IQ as Kuechly. He is as athletic as Kuechly or possibly more, but this task is not suited for just one person to replace him. It will be a group effort and the Panthers will need to draft a great choice this upcoming draft. In the last two offseason, they lost Kuechly and Davis, two of their most iconic linebackers since the last decade. If they can get a guy like Kenneth Murray in the second round and pair him with Thompson, they can form a great tandem on the inside. The only question will be can they replace what Kuechly and Davis did for the Panthers? 

-By: Darren Braxton

Writer/Interviewer