So I actually wrote this fanpost as a comment on a Fanshot earlier, but I wanted to see what some of y'all thought about the holes on this team and how they can be fixed.

I examined the holes I see on this team and potential fixes for next year.  Please comment and let me know where you stand and what you would like to see the panthers do.

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Figured I'd put a thread up in a fanshot if anyone on CSR was trying to talk football during the game tonight.

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So I was commenting on another fanpost and it got me going so I figured I'd make a FP for the draft.  So, lets talk prospects people!

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This is probably the least agreed upon draft ever yielded by the Panthers.  I have never seen so many people gush about a draft, and at the same time have so many people lose faith in a draft.  While I want to be the first, I find myself one of the latter.  However, allow me to explain myself after the jump.

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Charles Grant was released from the Saints last week and has expressed a desire to play for the Carolina Panthers.  I think we can all agree we need help at the DE position, and he has been somewhat productive in his tenure with the Saints.  I myself am I fan of bringing him in.  He is pretty solid against the run, but isn't a particularly good pass rusher.  In my opinion, Brown and Johnson would create a formidable pass rush on the edges, and have a guy like grant in on first and some second downs would certainly help keep those guys fresh and provide a solid run stopper.

He would come at a relatively cheap price, probably somewhere around 3 mil a year (although it seems we won't sign anyone who wants more than 1 mil a year...)  What do you guys think?

With Julius Peppers likely on the way out, the Carolina Panthers are losing one of the most talented players to ever wear a Panther's uniform.  Losing him will no doubt be a blow to our defense and anyone who says that losing Pepper's won't affect our D is a fool.  Losing someone who is that big of a game changer, even if he takes plays off, is an incredible loss.  So, the question is, who would you like to see us go after in Free Agency.  

I'm not talking necessarily about how we will replace Peppers or add depth on the D-Line, I'm talking about any position that could add talent to this team.  I'm seeing a FA class that is quite weak at DE, so I'm thinking, maybe our D-Line takes a bit of a step back, but what if we surround the rest of the team with more talent.  Where do you think we should look?

I'd like to explore two defensive players I would love to see the Panthers pursue:

1) Vince Wilfork:

Vince is a massive load to say the least.  At 6'2", 325 lbs, he is a force in the middle that is an incredible run stopper. He has anchored the NT position for the NE Patriots for a long time and has been absolutely spectacular, making a name for himself as one of the best NTs in the league.  He is 28 years old, and an UFA.  The dilemma is that there is speculation that the Patriots will use their Franchise Tag on him to keep him there, despite his statements that he strongly desires not to be tagged.  If he hits the open market, he would demand a pretty large contract (but it would look miniscule compared to what Peppers wants).  I'd love to see this big man plugging up the middle of our run defense for a long time to come.  

2) Karlos Dansby

Dansby is known to be a great playmaking ILB for the Arizona Cardinals.  He is excellent in pass coverage and as great size for a linebacker (6'4" 250 lbs.).  He plays the ILB position in a 3-4 defense as of now, which is what causes some bit of a dilemma here because Carolina runs a 4-3.  However, hear me out.  Jon Beason (We all love him at MLB) played OLB in college at Miami.  In fact, the Panthers had originally drafted him to play WLB (Weak-side Linebacker) before Dan Morgan went down, again..., like every year.  Beason stepped in at MLB and has shined there ever since.  Dansby's ILB position is much more like MLB than OLB, and I think someone with his athleticism and talent could make the switch pretty easily.  Our LB Corps would consist of: Jon Beason (SLB), Karlos Dansby (MLB), Thomas Davis (WLB).  Davis has flourished at WLB which is why I would hesitate moving him and playing Beason at his natural WLB.  Our linebacking corps would easily be tops in the league, and it would help our pass coverage even more which will be hurt by the loss of Pepper's pass rushing skills.  Let's face it, Diggs is solid, but he has certainly gotten slower and it's been noticeable on the field.

These are just two of the guys that I have on my wishlist.  They are both a stretch and I by no means expect either of them to be with us next season, but I can always hope, can't I....

Having said that, let me know who you guys have been eyeing out there...

Even with Julius Peppers on our line this year I feel like we weren't a dominate defensive line.  However, with the likelihood of Julius Peppers leaving us this offseason, I'm wondering how we fill those shoes not only with regards to our pass rush, but also on run stopping.  Julius is around 290 pounds and is a solid run stopper, something that goes overlooked.  Lets examine the possibilities of what our DE position will look like next season if Julius is gone. (BTW, for this article I'm assuming the Panthers are going to retain Tyler Brayton, I believe he is a RFA is he not?)

Tyler Brayton does an admirable job stopping the run although he is very susceptible to cutbacks because lets face it, he isn't exactly the quickest DE in the world.  I noticed it against Tampa several times this season that he would over commit going across the line of scrimmage and just a simple cut-back would burn us because our containment was broken.  Everette Brown as of now is too small to stop the run on a consistent basis, and Charles Johnson for the most part seems like a pass rusher, although from what I've heard he is the strongest person on the team (in the weight room).  Lastly I haven't heard much about Hilee Tyler this year.  I don't know much about him and I haven't really seen enough of his play for draw a conclusion about him but as far as I know he is on the roster.

Who do you guys think we could go after in either the draft or Free Agency to help beef up our depth at DE if Julius leaves??  Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any specific personnel suggestions they would be great to hear!!