DT Kendrick Norton gets drafted by elite Carolina Panthers defense
Defensive tackle Kendrick Norton will join an already elite Carolina Panthers defense. The Panthers bolstered that defense by adding six players out of eight draftees on that side of the ball.
Kendrick Norton’s decision to enter the draft surprised many. That included the NFL College Advisory Committee. Most suggested that he return for his Senior season.
Norton reportedly did not want to play at Miami without his roommate and fellow defensive tackle R.J. McIntosh beside him. The prevailing thinking was that Norton did not want to deal with being double teamed.
Instead, Kendrick Norton will enter the NFL as a seventh-round pick without a guarantee of making a roster. Norton joins an already stout Panthers defense. They reached the playoffs last season after losing Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
Carolina wins old school behind Head Coach Ron Rivera. Norton seems to fit Rivera’s philosophy perfectly. The Panthers want to run the football and stop the run.
Carolina was in the top five running the football and against the run in 2017. Carolina was third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed last season.
There is room for improvement. They were just 11th in yards per carry by opposing offenses. Carolina held ten opponents to under 100 yards rushing last season and all but two had 120 yards or less.
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Norton is a massive player that was a big part of the success of the Miami Hurricanes defense in 2017. At 6’3 312 pounds, Norton becomes the Panthers fourth biggest defensive lineman.
The Interior of the Panthers defensive line is in transition after losing starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei signed with the Buffalo Bills in the offseason.
The Panthers signed former Chiefs and Falcons defensive tackle Dontari Poe to replace him. Poe was a two-time Pro Bowler and earned all-pro status while with the Chiefs.
Like Norton, Poe is more adept against the run. Norton might have a hard time earning playing time in 2018. He’s going to have to compete with Panthers holdovers Kyle Love and Vernon Butler behind starters Poe and Kawann Short. With Love’s contract up at the end of the 2018 season, the Panthers could view Norton as a project for the future.
Norton isn’t expected to alter the Panthers defensive line. He adds needed depth according to Bill Ricette of Panthers Wire.
"“At 314 pounds, Norton is not a game-changer but he does add another big body for the 1-tech rotation along with Dontari Poe, Kyle Love and Vernon Butler. He may see a few snaps as a rookie and if he sticks around he will see more in 2019 if Love heads elsewhere in free agency.”"
Norton will work with first-year Panthers Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington. Washington was the Panthers Defensive Line Coach for the last seven seasons. He led one of the most productive lines in the NFL.
Replacing Washington to coach the defensive line is former Ball State, San Diego State and Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke. This will be Hoke’s first season in the NFL. He was a college coach for 34 years. That included the 12 years as a Head Coach.
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Norton will also have the opportunity to learn from future Hall of Famer Julius Peppers, defensive end Mario Addison and tackles Poe and Short.