New England Patriots receive high grades in 2018 NFL Draft first round
Carolina Panthers No. 24: Maryland WR, D.J. Moore
The Carolina Panthers had a strong 2017 season, as they were able to make the playoffs after a disappointing year in 2016. In the draft last season, the Panthers were able to add a dynamic talent in Christian McCaffery to start the improvement of their offense.
While McCaffery might not have had as big of a rookie year as some might have hoped, he played very well for Panthers and was certainly a big part of their offense turning around last season. The addition of McCaffery was a good start for the Panthers to improve their offense, but help was still needed for Cam Newton at wide receiver, especially after they decided to trade Kelvin Benjamin last season.
With the 24th overall pick, the Panthers ended up taking the first wide receiver in the draft, as they took D.J. Moore from Maryland. The addition of Moore helps give the Panthers a legitimate threat on the outside to go with Devin Funchess while McCaffery works the slot underneath. Add in Greg Olsen at tight end, and the Panthers have some good weapons for Newton on paper heading into next season. While it did take a while for the first receiver to go, this was a nice pick by the Panthers to address a need with a talented player at the position.