Don’t hold your breath. Head coach Dave Canales, an offensive-minded coach, recently told Kay Adams that the team is focused on fixing the defense. The timing of the question and the answer suggest that Carolina doesn’t believe it has done that through free agency, which means it will once again be the focus on draft night.

Canales said about his eighth overall pick, “We’re making sure we identify the best available player. We’ve had some great conversations about some offensive playmakers and some defensive playmakers in this class… We have to address the needs on defense first. We’re 32nd in the NFL on defense, that’s something where our focus has gone to to make sure we can play good, balanced, complimentary football.”

He tried his best to remain neutral, but when pressed about a receiver, he did admit that there are some good prospects out there that Bryce Young could take advantage of. He also admitted that he texted GM Dan Morgan about DK Metcalf when he was available on the trade market.