The first round is where NFL players get all the love, and we recently covered some of the best first-rounders in Carolina Panthers history . Cam Newton , Luke Kuechly , and Julius Peppers were excellent, to name a few.
But the second round has plenty of talent , too. Some incredible players have come from the second and not the first. Sometimes, it's the best pick a team makes. In the case of the Panthers, there have been some absolute steals.
Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton (72) during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
There's just one player left from the 2010s Panthers now, and it's Taylor Moton (excluding JJ Jansen, the long-snapper). He has been a mainstay on the offensive line pretty much since then. He's arguably been the best blocker they have had for years.
The Panthers went into the smaller-school pool to find Moton. He attended Western Michigan, and he wasn't a highly-touted prospect. Still, the Panthers spent one of two picks in the second round ( Curtis Samuel , who was also a good pick) on Moton and the rest is history.
James Bradberry is no longer playing, but he was excellent when he was. He was picked in the second round as the eventual successor to Josh Norman , which is no small task. He was up to the billing, and he eventually made an All-Pro team.
Noticing a trend here? The Panthers once again went to a small school for this one, scouting Samford to find Bradberry. There's plenty of talent at schools outside of the SEC and other big conferences, and the Panthers are proof.
Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil (67) runs on to the field | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
In our first-round picks article, we discussed Jordan Gross as a major win because he locked down left tackle for a long time. Well, center's the second-most important position on the line, and Ryan Kalil locked it down for a long time.
Kalil was a second-rounder in 2007, and he was a mainstay on the line for 12 seasons with Carolina. He made five Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pros, so he was easily one of the best linemen in Panthers history out of USC, so he bucked the small-school trend here.
Though he's not the best receiver in Panthers history, Muhsin Muhammad is definitely up there. He was a one-time All-Pro First-Team member and two-time Pro Bowler, and to find value like that in the second round of the second draft this team ever did is immaculate.
Generally speaking, Kony Ealy was not a good pick. He had 15 sacks in a five-year career. But he would've won Super Bowl MVP if the Panthers had won Super Bowl 50. He was arguably better than Von Miller , so he deserves at least a modest shoutout.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/panthers/onsi as The Best Second-Round Gems in Panthers History (And How They Were Found) .
