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The Panthers currently have a lot of names on the roster at the safety position Wes Horton Color Rush Jersey , but when you take a closer look at the list it’s not as great as one would hope. Mike Adams, Colin Jones and Eric Reid are all set to be unrestricted free agents when the league year opens in March. Damian Parms is an exclusive rights free agent. That leaves Da’Norris Searcy, Cole Luke, Rashaan Gaulden, Quin Blanding and Kai Nacua as the only safeties on the roster for 2019. That’s... that’s not a good group. There are six safeties the Panthers should consider drafting in the second or third round of the draft. Four of them are free safeties and two of them are strong safeties. I’ve broken them down in those groups to make it less confusing. Free safetyA rangy free safety is arguably the second biggest need on the Panthers’ defense after a premier pass rusher. The Panthers haven’t had one since Charles Godfrey was here, and he left in 2014. One could argue that Kurt Coleman fits the description, but he benefited from a beastly front seven that allowed him to make plays. Even if you do count him Stephen Curry Jersey , his best year with Carolina was 2015. After parting ways with Coleman the Panthers added Mike Adams to the roster, and while he’s been a good player in his two years here he’s 75 years old and probably doesn’t have many good years left in him. Safety may not be the biggest need facing the Panthers as they rebuild their roster (or maybe it is), but it is absolutely a position they should have on their radar during the draft.Only one or two of these four players is really in consideration in the first round, but there’s a chance that all four of them are available for the Panthers in the second. Nasir Adderley, DelawareAdderley could be the only free safety taken in the first round this year. There’s a very high chance that he’s on the board at No. 16, but unless there are no first round pass rushers or offensive tackles the Panthers should probably wait until the second round to address the safety position. That probably means they won’t get Adderley, but if he somehow falls to Carolina in the second round they should jump on the opportunity.Deionte Thompson Shaq Thompson Color Rush Jersey , AlabamaThompson was considered a first round pick a few months ago (he’s even been mocked to the Panthers at No. 16) but his stock has fallen recently and is now considered a strong second round pick. He has the tools to play free safety at the NFL level, and if he’s still there when the Panthers pick in the second round they should give him serious consideration. Taylor Rapp, WashingtonWalterFootball believes that Rapp is more suited for strong safety in the NFL, and if that’s the case then the Panthers should look elsewhere. Unless he’s still there in the third round... if that happens, they should draft him and find a way to make him fit into the defense. He’s too good to pass up at that point.Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, FloridaGardner-Johnson played slot cornerback for the Gators but could also convert to safety at the next level. The Panthers also have a need for a slot corner if they decide to part ways with Captain Munnerlyn this offseason, so Gardner-Johnson’s versatility could be seen as a positive from the Panthers’ coaching staff. He’s a player to keep an eye on in the second or third round.Strong safetyThe Panthers could also look to add a strong safety if they decide against re-signing Eric Reid in free agency. While I believe re-signing Reid is the better option (better to buy something you are already familiar with than gamble on something that may or may not work out) Kawann Short Jersey , the Panthers may feel like adding youth to the secondary is a better way to go.There are two strong safeties worth considering in the draft. Johnathan Abram, Mississippi StateAbram is arguably the best safety prospect in this year’s draft class. (Both CBS Sports and WalterFootball rank him as the No. 1 safety.) According to WalterFootball, scouts believe he is a ‘solid player with starting potential’. It should be noted that Abram is the only safety WalterFootball places a first round grade on, so he might not be on the board in the second round for Carolina. (They absolutely should not draft a strong safety at No. 16 overall. No. Negative. Nein. Nay.) If he’s still there in the second and the Panthers don’t want to re-sign Reid, Marty Hurney should definitely consider drafting him because it will be difficult to get a better value at that spot.Juan Thornhill, VirginiaThornhill’s biggest issue is that he played for Virginia, so hardly anyone has seen him play (no Vernon Butler Color Rush Jersey , that’s not a dig at Virginia*). He has solid measurables and some scouts believe he is the second best safety in this year’s class. He’s probably a second rounder, and if Abram is already gone then the Pantherscould be interested in him. Thornhill also falls under the ‘if the Panthers decide not to re-sign Eric Reid’ clause, but he’s definitely a player to watch as the draft approaches. Ron Rivera changed his mind.For the better.A day after the Panthers coach said all four of his quarterbacks would play in the preseason opener, he announced that the most important one would not.According to Joe Person of TheAthletic.com, Rivera said that both quarterback Cam Newton and linebacker Luke Kuechly would be held out of Thursday’s game at Chicago.Newton’s progressing well in his comeback from shoulder surgery, with no apparent setbacks. But they’ve monitored his workload in camp. Kyle Allen will start in his place, ahead of rookie Will Grier.Kuechly was held out of some practice time last week after he was caught in a pile Cam Newton Color Rush Jersey , but he told reporters today that he was never in the concussion protocol and the team was just being careful.Continuing to be is the smart play this early in the preseason, for players who are central to their team’s success.