Addressing the defensive end position needs to be a priority in the 2019 draft. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Carolina invest a first or second round pick at the position. But since the Panthers still have their picks in Rounds 4 through 6 (they traded Round 7 in the 2017 Kevon Seymour deal) I wanted to explore how likely it would be for Carolina to land a solid defensive end in the later rounds. You know http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-da_norris-searcy-jersey , finding a “sleeper”, a term almost all of us have used before with either late Panthers picks in years past or during our own fantasy drafts. But how likely is it that the Panthers can actually land a solid defensive end in the late rounds? One way to assess this is to simply look at the draft position of today’s “good” defensive ends. For “good” defensive ends I used Football Reference’s Approximate Value (AV) from 2018 and found a natural cutoff point at an AV of five or higher. I then cross-referenced AV with free, public data from Pro Football Focus and feel comfortable that while this list isn’t perfect, it’s at least directionally correct (full spreadsheet here). Here are the draft positions of the Top 32 defensive ends in 2018 as rated by AV:Not surprisingly, 18 of the 32 best defensive ends in 2018 were drafted in the first two rounds, but it did raise my eyebrows a bit to see an even split of nine first rounders and nine second rounders. Only six of the top 32 were drafted between rounds 4 through 7, so the odds aren’t great for the Panthers finding a sleeper. As a frame of reference, the six solid defensive ends drafted in the later rounds are Everson Griffen (4th), Alex Okafor (4th) http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-wes-horton-jersey , Brent Urban (4th), D.J. Reader (5th), Darius Philon (6th), and Stephen Weatherly (7th). Now, let’s look at the “hit rate” of late-round picks at defensive end. While this is an arbitrary number on my part, a solid NFL career can last eight years if not longer. Based on data from Football Reference a total of 92 defensive ends were drafted in Round 4 or later between 2011 and 2018. In all, of the 92 defensive ends drafted between Round 4 and 7 over the last eight years only six are among the NFL’s Top 32, putting the hit rate at just 6.5 percent (six of 92). Another interesting observation is four undrafted free agents are among the NFL’s better defensive ends. This includes our very own Mario Addison, Romeo Okwara http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-c.j.-anderson-jersey , Michael Bennett, and Cameron Wake. However, every year upwards of 500 UDFAs get signed every year, so good luck if that’s your path forward. If history continues to repeat itself the Panthers aren’t going to find a quality starter in the back half of the draft, though I would be delighted if they proved me wrong. This isn’t a shocking conclusion in and of itself, but it really illustrates just how rare it is to find true quality at defensive end in Round 4 or later. If anyone is holding out hope for a late-round defensive end sleeper, it’s probably time to wake up and smell the data. The NFL Draft calendar spans 365 days a year, but the scouting process really began to heat up this week in St. Petersburg during the practices of the East-West Shrine Game. This event isn’t as high profile as next week’s Senior Bowl, but there is always talent to be found. Some notable alumni from last year’s event includes Phillip Lindsay http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-michael-palardy-jersey , Poona Ford, Kenny Young, Chase Edmunds, DaeSean Hamilton, and Avonte Maddox. Here are five names to keep an eye on during tomorrow’s game. Daniel Wise (DL, Kansas)Daniel Wise is the younger brother of Patriots edge rusher Deatrich Wise. Wise has been a consistent force during the practices according to several people in attendance. When watching his film, Wise displays plenty of quickness to work himself into the backfield. Wise is also known for his ability to disengage from blockers thanks to his strong hands and leverage when taking on blockers. Wise lined up in every position on the defensive line for the Jayhawks. His best position at the next level will likely be at 3-technique. He can leverage his quickness on passing downs, but he also has the functional strength to disengage and force stops against the runs. Daylon Mack (NT, Texas A&M)The former Aggie’s strong practices in St. Petersburg has not gone unnoticed. He received an invite to next week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile as a result. Mack was mainly lined up as a 1-technique or nose tackle in A&M’s defensive front. My first impressions on his film did not go well. Granted Youth Luke Kuechly Jersey , Clemson has great talent on their offensive line but Mack didn’t play with enough leverage to win against power. I’ll be curious how Mack does during next week’s Senior Bowl practices, but for now I was uninspired by his play.Devine Ozigbo (RB, Nebraska)My favorite prospect from this year’s Shrine game is Devine Ozigbo. Rotoworld’s Josh Norris compared him to Matt Breida and I totally see that comparison. Ozigbo has burst, short area quickness, and runs after contact very well. He has issues in pass protection, but his skill set is appealing. Terry Godwin (WR, Georgia)Godwin was part of a productive offense in Georgia, but he didn’t put up eye popping stats. He’s short in stature, but he can produce big plays for an offense. He works through contact at the line of scrimmage and then shows the ability to separate downfield. Godwin also has the short area quickness to catch defenders flat footed. He has precise footwork http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-graham-gano-jersey , but also wonderful burst to outrun defenders. Olisaemeka Udoh (OT, Elon)A small school offensive tackle prospect from North Carolina who was on my radar last year was North Carolina A&T’s Brandon Parker. This year’s version is Oli Udoh, who was invited to the Senior Bowl yesterday. I had no experience with Udoh prior to this week’s practices, but when footage like this came out it caught my attention. Next week’s Senior Bowl will provide a better glimpse into Udoh’s overall game against better competition, but he should certainly be on your radar leading up to April’s draft.