NFL Draft Grades 2018: Carolina Panthers select D.J. Moore at No. 24

For the Carolina Panthers to win football games, they must build the offense around Cam Newton. On Thursday night, his team did just that in selecting D.J. Moore of Maryland.

During the 2018 NFL Draft, former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said the franchise hadn’t really replaced him since he was last in Carolina, but with the addition of D.J. Moore from Maryland, they finally had found his replacement.

Moore is a stud wide receiver, and with the 24th overall selection the Panthers might just have drafted the very best wide receiver from the 2018 NFL Draft class, but that is still an unknown. What is known about Moore is the fact he has the ability to become a special player for the Panthers.

Being 6-0 and 210 pounds, Moore enters the league with some nice speed as he timed a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February, so add that speed with his aforementioned height and there is a nice target for Newton to find on Sundays.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compares Moore to Stefon Diggs, and that is a big-time comparison for a wide receiver who has yet to play a down in the NFL. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network stated of Moore on draft night:

"“When the ball is in his hands, he’s better than anyone on that field. He’s a little raw. He’s a pick that I really like.”"

While wearing the uniform of Maryland, Moore didn’t disappoint by any measures, finishing his final season with 80 receptions for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns on a team that didn’t have the best of quarterbacks or offensive players around him that a player as elite as Moore should have. Moore wrapped up his career with 146 career receptions for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons.

Now for the Panthers, they averaged just 192.3 passing yards per game, leaving them near the bottom of the league at 28th overall. Though they have a solid rushing games (fourth in the NFL), their top receiver (in receptions) was rookie running back in Christian McCaffrey with 80 receptions for 651 yards and five touchdowns. Next was Devin Funchess with 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns.

Newton needs a wide receiver who can produce, and many experts had Moore ranked as the top receiver in this draft class, so having Moore fall to 24th overall was the answer the Panthers needed for the upcoming season. Moore will take some time to adjust to the NFL game as most wide receivers do, but once he does become adjusted to playing in the NFL and having a former NFL MVP as his starting quarterback, who knows what the Panthers offense will be able to accomplish.

Next: NFL Draft 2018: Grades for each first-round pick

The NFC South is already competitive, so with the addition of Moore into the mix, it is going to be even more exciting to see who comes out as the victors. Carolina’s chances to be that top team got better on Thursday.

Grade: A