2-15 team has long list of needs to fill

Alas, there is big problem: It doesn’t have a 1st-round pick.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers had the worst record in the league last season, so they have a long laundry list of draft needs.

The problem? They don’t have a first-round pick.

The Panthers traded away that selection — which turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick — to the Chicago Bears a year ago, when they got desperate for some stability at the quarterback position and moved up from the ninth spot to get Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at No. 1 overall.

Young struggled in his rookie season, and the Panthers stumbled to a 2-15 record. Now Carolina doesn’t have anything to show for its struggles after what looks like a lopsided trade in favor of the Bears, who got three other draft picks and productive wide receiver D.J. Moore.

Panthers owner David Tepper, not particularly known for his patience, ousted general manager Scott Fitterer and first-year coach Frank Reich, so Carolina enters the draft with a new brain trust in place.

Former Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan is the GM, and Dave Canales, who had spent one season as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, is coach.

The Panthers have two picks early in the second round (Nos. 33 and 39), so there is always the chance they package those and move back into the first round. But Morgan repeatedly has downplayed the notion of wanting to trade up and appears to be content to wait until the second round to make a move.

Carolina also has a thirdand fourth-round pick, two fifths and a seventh.

The direction the team goes with those two second-round picks largely will depend on what’s still left on the draft board. Then again, there are a lot of needs, so chances are someone still available potentially could provide an immediate impact.

Needs

Edge rusher, wide receiver, cornerback and tight end.

The Panthers traded star outside linebacker Brian Burns to the New York Giants after being unable to agree to a long-term contract. They also lost playmaking outside linebacker Frankie Luvu and primary backup Yetur-Gross Matos in free agency. Carolina added replacements in D.J. Wonnum, Jadeveon Clowney and K’Lavon Chaisson, but this team could use a young pass rusher.

Upgrading at wide receiver is a must, too. Carolina needs more speed and depth, and it wouldn’t come as a shock if they use one of their two second-round picks on a receiver to help Young. A tight end seems a likely pick at some point, too.

Cornerback is another big area of need with Donte Jackson and C.J. Henderson moving on, leaving injury-prone Jaycee Horn as the only proven player at that position outside of Troy Hill. The team added Dane Jackson in free agency, but it’s unclear if they view him as a starter. He received a twoyear, $14.5 million deal.

Don’t need

Guard, quarterback, safety The Panthers invested more than $150 million in guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency, hoping to give Young some better protection after he was sacked 62 times last season. Austin Corbett will move inside to center. The Panthers seem content with Ickey Ekwonu and Taylor Moton at offensive tackle, although Ekwonu had a rough second season.

Pick ’em

The Panthers have selected just one running back in the past four drafts; that was Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard in the fifth round in 2021.