The Carolina Panthers rode an easy schedule and a resurgent defense down the stretch to make their second consecutive post-season appearance this past year. Overall, Carolina's defense finished 10th in total yards allowed and 11 in sacks with 40. That's not bad, but they'll need to be even better if they hope to make the playoffs for a third straight year.
Defensive end Greg Hardy will likely not be re-signed after he missed virtually the entire season due to a domestic violence incident. His absence left a notable hole in the pass-rush, and the Panthers are hoping to fill it this offseason.
"I bet the Panthers general manager will draft another pass rushers somewhere in the 2015 draft, both because he loves them and because I don't see any way Greg Hardy returns to Carolina no matter the outcome of his domestic abuse trial," Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer wrote.
Carolina doesn't pick in the first round until No. 25, where most of the top pass-rushers will be off the board. However, that doesn't mean that Carolina won't try to get their hands on someone who can get their hands on opposing quarterbacks.
"We don't yet know how Hardy's legal situation will be resolved, and what it'll mean for his playing status in the NFL; regardless, chances are good he won't be with the Panthers in 2015," ESPN NFL Insider Matt Williamson wrote.
"How will Carolina address its pass rush? It used a second-round pick on Kony Ealy in the 2014 draft, and he's Hardy's likely successor, but the Panthers could use one more high-end talent here. They rely on their front seven as the foundation of their team."
Ealy recorded just four sacks in scattered playing time this season.
