Ideal NFL landing spots for Alabama football’s Patrick Surtain
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina is looking to get tougher on defense, and it is easy to see why. Matt Rhule is a gritty coach, and he wants to win with defense in the NFL. Surtain could help with this goal as an outside corner.
The NFC South has some of the best receivers in the NFL. Atlanta has Alabama football‘s Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. The Saints have Michael Thomas. The Buccaneers have Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. With six games a year against these players, you have to improve the secondary if you want to make it to the playoffs.
Carolina also has a chance to take over this division in a few years. They have a great coaching staff and a strong young nucleus. All other teams in the NFC South have aging quarterbacks, and the Panthers are trending upward. If they can fix a few key issues, they could compete in the NFC South for a while.
Now, this isn’t the biggest need for the Panthers. They need to bolster the offensive line and find a new quarterback. They might trade this pick to get a franchise QB. Still, this is a great fit at a position of need early in the first round. This is Surtain’s ceiling, and he will be lucky if he goes to the Panthers.