NFL DRAFT: Panthers upgrade speed to keep up with NFC South

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — General manager Marty Hurney felt he needed to upgrade team speed after the Panthers failed to win the NFC South the last two seasons.

He believes he's done just that in the NFL draft.

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The Panthers selected field-stretching tight end Ian Thomas from Indiana and speed rusher Marquis Haynes from Ole Miss in the fourth round, and middle linebacker Jermaine Carter from Maryland in the fifth. They closed out the final day by taking middle linebacker Andre Smith from North Carolina and defensive tackle Kendrick Norton from Miami in the seventh round.

Carolina placed a major emphasis on adding speed, a pattern established in the first two days of the draft when it took wide receiver D.J. Moore from Maryland in the first round, cornerback Donte Jackson from LSU in the second and safety Rashaan Gaulden in the third.

"I have always believed that you can't teach speed - and that is a big part of this game," Hurney said. "You have to be big and you have to be physical, but you have to be fast, too. Coming into this offseason that was one of our goals to add speed, especially to the skill positions."

The Panthers had won three straight NFC South titles before Atlanta won in 2016 and New Orleans triumphed in 2017.

They lost three times to the Saints last year, including a wild-card playoff loss at the Superdome.

"One of the things that you have to do is look at your division," coach Ron Rivera said. "To get into the playoffs you have to win your division. ... So when you compare those teams in your division with what you have you most certainly have to be able to match up with those guys across the board."

THOMAS' TOUGH ROAD: The Panthers got the third day of the NFL draft started by selecting Thomas with the first pick in the fourth round. They believe he is from the same mold as Greg Olsen with the versatility to catch passes and block.

Thomas was raised by his siblings after both of his parents died before he was 10 years old -his mother from a kidney infection and his father from a heart attack a year later. Thomas has eight siblings in all, but was primarily raised by his brother, Clif Farmer.

"I always thank him any chance I get for helping us growing up and for helping me become the man I am today," Thomas said. "He knows how much love I have for him and how much love he has for all of us. I know it's just a blessing to have him as an older brother and a role model."

WHAT A JOKER: The Panthers are high on Haynes, even though he's slight for an NFL defensive end at 235 pounds. Still, he broke Greg Hardy's career record for sacks at Ole Miss with 32.

But Rivera also likes that Haynes can drop back in coverage and play the team's "joker" position.

Rivera says Haynes' pass-rushing skills remind him of current Panthers defensive end Mario Addison.

"I got a knack for my first step, getting off the ball, because it really makes the offensive lineman really think that they have to overstep, I could then take an inside move," Haynes said. "But if they don't, I can just run right around them and get to the quarterback."

SWAGGER TIME: When the Panthers pulled the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman two years ago, they lost some serious swagger in the secondary.

Well, that attitude appears back courtesy of second-round pick Donte "Action" Jackson from LSU. Although he's only 5-foot-10 and 178 pounds, Jackson is plenty confident. When asked who's the fastest player on the Carolina roster he responded quickly, "Me, Donte Jackson."

(Donte Jackson)

"Yeah I'm fast, but my mentality and my toughness and my confidence and my swagger is all there, it's all football," Jackson said. "You know, that's one thing I like to pride myself on. I never really liked to listen to people say I'm too small because I've been listening to that my whole life and it just adds fuel to the fire."

Jackson's father was in prison when he was growing up; he said he still speaks with him every other day.

STILL NEED: The Panthers never did find a replacement for running back Jonathan Stewart, cut during the offseason in a salary cap move. Rivera said that Cameron Artis-Payne will get "the first crack" as the No. 2 back behind Christian McCaffrey. Carolina also didn't draft a guard despite losing All-Pro Andrew Norwell to the Giants in free agency.

Panthers address defensive backfield on Day 2

The Carolina Panthers addressed a position of need on defense.

They Panthers selected speedy cornerback Donte Jackson from LSU on Friday night, with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft, giving them a potential starter opposite James Bradberry.

The 5-foot-11, 178-pound Jackson possesses top-notch speed, clocked at 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combines.

Jackson could potentially step in and compete for a starting job right away with Kevon Seymour and Ross Cockrell. The Panthers traded last year's starter Daryl Worley to the Philadelphia, although the Eagles later waived him following an off-the-field incident.

Jackson, who also ran track at LSU, played in all 12 games, was a second-team all-SEC selection in 2017. He started 12 of 13 games and had 49 tackles, an interception and 10 pass breakups.

With the 85th pick in the third round, the Panthers took 6-foot-1 cornerback Rashaan Gaulden from the University of Tennessee.

Gaulden tallied 65 tackles, one interception, five pass deflections and three forced fumbles last season as a junior at Tennessee.

(Rashaan Gaulden)

A couple local products were selected on the second day of the draft.

Offensive tackle Brandon Parker, who played college ball at North Carolina A&T and in high school in Kannapolis at AL Brown, was taken with the first pick in the third round by the Oakland Raiders.

Defensive tackle B.J. Hill, from N.C. State via West Stanly High School, was selected by the New York Giants with the fifth pick in the third round.

Former Big 22 player, and Rock Hill native, Mason Rudolph, the former quarterback at Oklahoma State, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 12th pick in the third round.

(Mason Rudolph)

Panthers pick WR Moore in first round

Coach Ron Rivera received a text from Cam Newton immediately after the Carolina Panthers selected Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore in the first round of the NFL draft that read: "Thank you!"

The Panthers gave Newton more help on offense Thursday night by selecting Moore 24th overall in hopes of upgrading a passing game that finished 28th in the league last season.

Moore was the first wide receiver taken in the draft.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said Moore's best quality is his ability to make plays after the catch.

"When he has the ball in his hands he turns into a running back," Hurney said. "He breaks tackles and makes big plays. And still he has the speed to stretch the defense and go deep. He runs good routes and has a lot of strengths."

[IMAGES: Panthers' draft picks through the years]

Newton apparently took notice.

"Cam stays up on all of this stuff and he came right to us with all of the offensive guys," Rivera said. "He pays attention to it."

Newton isn't the only one high on Moore.

Steve Smith Sr., the Panthers all-time leader in most receiving categories, said he likes the toughness with which Moore approaches the game and thinks he can be a big-time player.

"To be truthful, they have never been able to replace me," said Smith, now an analyst for the NFL Network.

Smith thinks Moore might finally be the receiver that can.

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"You get that guy and you've got instant grits all day long," Smith said.

"For Steve to say that is high praise," Rivera said. "I'm pretty fired up. I believe D.J. is a guy who can come in and play all three of our wide receiver positions."

Moore is the latest skill position player selected early by the Panthers in the hopes of giving Newton more to work with on offense. Last year Carolina selected running back Christian McCaffrey in the first round and wide receiver Curtis Samuel in the second to take some of the pressure off Newton after he had a down season statistically in 2016.

"It was nice to know that whatever I did in college did not go unnoticed," Moore said.

Moore joins what is becoming a crowded wide receivers room in Carolina.

The Panthers traded with the Eagles for Torrey Smith and signed free agent Jarius Wright from the Vikings earlier this offseason. Devin Funchess returns as Carolina's No. 1 receiver after a breakout season in 2017 and Samuel hopes to battle back following an injury-plagued rookie season.

Moore said he had a good idea the Panthers were going to select him.

"It was a sigh of a relief when I saw North Carolina (area code) come up on my phone," Moore said. "I was like, 'OK, this my pick.' They told me when I was on my draft visit they were going to (draft me), so they kept their promise."

Moore was the 2017 Big Ten Receiver of the Year and first-team all-conference selection. He had a school-record 80 receptions for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games last season for the Terrapins. He also led Maryland in receiving as a sophomore with 41 receptions for 637 yards and six touchdowns.

Rivera said Moore could also contribute right away as a returner in addition to playing wide receiver.

The 6-foot, 210-pound Moore said he feels like he can be a week one starter at wide receiver "if I put the work in."

Moore is the first draft pick chosen by Hurney's since 2012. Hurney was fired by the Panthers that year after conducting 11 drafts as GM, but returned to the team on an interim basis last summer and was hired full time in February.

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Hurney said he didn't think Moore would drop to No. 24.

He said Moore reminds him a little of Smith.

"He has that play strength and that ability to break tackles and make yards after the catch," Hurney said. "That is a pretty high bar to set (comparing him to Smith) but there are a lot of things we liked about him.

The Panthers have made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but were knocked out in the first round last season by division foe New Orleans. The Saints swept all three games from Carolina, which made finding ways to match up better with them an offseason priority.

Carolina's offense stalled most of the season in 2017 and it was often the defense that had to bail them out.

The move comes on the same day the Panthers gave three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen a two-year contract extension.

A local player was also chosen in the first round.

Charlotte native and former Louisville defensive back Jaire Alexander, a Rocky River High School product, was selected with the 18th overall pick in the first round by the Green Bay Packers.

Associated Press