CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Don’t be surprised if the Carolina Panthers give quarterback Cam Newton another target in the NFL draft.
Carolina has scheduled visits or had private workouts with at least eight wide receivers, according to reports.
It’s unlikely the Panthers would use the 30th pick on a receiver after saying the return of 2014 first-round draft pick Kelvin Benjamin from a season-ending knee injury is like getting an extra first-round pick.
Having said that, the Panthers scheduled visits with Mississippi’s Laquon Treadwell (6-foot-2, 221 pounds) and Baylor’s Corey Coleman (5-11, 195). Treadwell is considered the top receiver and expected to go in the first round. Coleman is considered a first- or second-round pick.
In all likelihood, the Panthers will look at wide receiver with either their second-, fourth-, fifth- or seventh-round pick. Most of the receivers they’re looking at are slated to go in that area.
You don’t have to be a first-rounder like Benjamin to be a star. Steve Smith Sr., Carolina’s all-time leading receiver, wasn’t selected until the third round of the 2001 draft.
The Panthers are so high on their current group of receivers -- Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr., Philly Brown, Stephen Hill, Kevin Norwood and Brenton Bersin -- that they opted not to re-sign veteran Jerricho Cotchery.
But as Carolina found out last season when Benjamin and Hill suffered season-ending knee injuries in training camp, it’s good to have options. There’s also room for upgrades over the lower end of the above group.
In addition to Treadwell and Coleman the Panthers are looking at:
Moritz Boehringer (6-4, 227), German Football League -- He caught 59 passes for 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games for the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns of the GFL last year. He turned heads at the Florida Atlantic Pro Day when he posted 40-yard dash times of 4.38 and 4.43 seconds. Projected as a late-round selection.
Sterling Shepard (5-11, 194), Oklahoma -- He had 86 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015. Projected to go in the second or third round.
Tyler Boyd (6-1, 197), Pittsburgh -- He had a career-best 91 catches for 926 yards and six touchdowns this past season. Projected as a second- or third-round pick.
Keyarris Garrett (6-3, 220), Tulsa -- He fits that big-receiver mold that Carolina general manager Dave Gettleman likes. He had six 100-yard receiving games this past season. Projected as a third- or fourth-round pick.
Johnny Holton (6-1, 190), Cincinnati -- He had only 17 catches this past season due to injuries, but his 27.1 yards per reception turns heads. Projected as a sixth- or seventh-round pick.
Chris Moore (6-1, 206), Cincinnati -- He had only 40 catches, but they were for 870 yards and seven touchdowns. Projected to go anywhere from the fourth through the sixth round.