3 offensive tackles the Carolina Panthers could draft – under the right circumstances

It’s no secret that the Carolina Panthers need offensive tackles.

After what head coach Ron Rivera described as a “position catastrophe” last season, the Panthers have to make moves – and fast. Free agency opens next week, and the logical step for general manager Dave Gettleman is to spend some of his approximately $35 million in cap room on an experienced offensive tackle.

Tha seems even more more logical when this particular draft class of tackles is considered. Panned by analysts and GMs alike as a weak group overall, it becomes increasingly unlikely that the Panthers use their No. 8 pick on a player who can’t be a game-changing factor on day one of the 2017 season.

Yet that may not stop Gettleman from taking one in later rounds – and there are some solid options for late-round pickups who could adjust well to the NFL learning curve.

Garett Bolles, Utah

Bolles, at 25, is older than the average NFL prospect and one of the few who is both a husband and a father, but his delayed entry to the league is because he went on a church mission earlier in his career.

His stock as one of the top offensive linemen in the class rose after he displayed his athleticism this week at the NFL scouting combine. At 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, Bolles ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash, second-fastest of all the linemen.

His attitude on the field seems to be a nasty one – a great trait in an offensive tackle, and one Carolina could certainly use.

“When I’m on the field, I want to put people in the dirt,” he said during his podium session with media. “And that’s what I’m here for. ... Whoever’s in front of me, I want to drive them and put them in the dirt. So I’m just going to try to be that every single day. And when I come off the field, I love my family.”

Cam Robinson, Alabama

Robinson, a 6-foot-6, 326-pound left tackle and former All-American at Alabama, was in early projections as the top pickup in the tackle class. His stock drops sharply when his off-the-field issues are considered, however. Robinson and a teammate were arrested last summer after police found marijuana and a stolen handgun in his car, but the charges were dropped.

Robinson was up-front about the incident at the combine.

“First and foremost I want (teams) to understand I didn’t want to let that incident define me as a person,” he said. “I respect myself and my family and university at the time, and my teammates. I put that past me.”

Gettleman does not usually bring in players with off-the-field issues such as Robinson’s. But it’s important to note that one of last year’s Panthers picks, cornerback Daryl Worley, also had misdemeanor battery charges against him that were dropped and the team did a thorough in-house investigation of the incident.

Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin

At 6-foot-6 and 314 pounds, Ramczyk would have been the top prospect in the class were it not for a nagging hip injury and just one year of Division I football under his belt.

Ramczyk said he’s confident he’ll be “completely clear” by the time training camp rolls around, but many teams might not be willing to roll the dice on the injury, and especially not in the first round. But Wisconsin is similar in style to the ground-and-pound run game the Panthers prefer, and Ramczyk might be a valuable addition if enough teams pass early.

This story was originally published March 3, 2017 at 7:06 PM with the headline "3 offensive tackles the Carolina Panthers could draft – under the right circumstances."