The NFL Draft is looming, and the rumors are flying. St. Louis Rams general manager Les Snead said it best earlier today when he told NFL Network “Right now, everybody’s just flirting.”
The Carolina Panthers are one of seven teams picking in the top 14 with a rookie general manager this year.
Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman came to Carolina from the Giants, so much of the pre-draft speculation surrounding Carolina focused on them taking an offensive or defensive linemen with their first-round pick at 14.
However, according to the Charlotte Observer, the Panthers may be looking to give Cam Newton another target in the passing game by drafting Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert is generally considered to be the best tight end prospect in this class.
While many Panthers fans may want Carolina to draft a wide receiver if they decide to go offense at 14, a tight end combination of Tyler Eifert and Greg Olsen would make Carolina a much more difficult team to defend because of the mismatches that Eifert and Olson could create.
The Panthers showed that they aren’t far away from contending in the NFC by finishing strong in 2012, so it behooves them to make the best use of their five draft picks. In a quarterback’s league, Eifert may be the way to go at 14 if he’s there.