Panthers G.M. Dan Morgan: Defense still a need, but we took best available player

The Panthers set an NFL record for points allowed in a single season last year, but they didn't add a defensive piece with their top pick in this year's draft.

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the team's choice with the eighth overall pick and General Manager Dan Morgan said on Thursday night that the wideout will "add a different dimension to our offense." That will help quarterback Bryce Young's continued development and a better offense should lead to less pressure on the defense, but Morgan went on to make it clear that the Panthers plan to address that side of the ball as well.

"It's still a need, and you know we have eight more picks," Morgan said, via the team's website. "We wanted to add the best player, we wanted to follow the board, follow our board of who we thought was going to help us the most up there. Again, we got our guy, and we're excited about it. . . . We did attack our defensive needs through free agency. And again, we have eight picks left, and our board has a lot of defensive guys on there as well. So, it's definitely not something that we're going to neglect."

The Panthers are currently set to wait until No. 57 to make their next selection, but having eight picks might give them enough capital to jump on the board earlier than expected.