5 NFL Teams and the Key Offensive Positions They Neglected in the Draft

Carolina Panthers: Running Back

The Carolina Panthers moved on from long-time running back Jonathan Stewart this offseason after a dismal 2017 season. He was among the least efficient running backs in the whole league by our numbers, checking in with -0.14 Rushing NEP per attempt, which ranked 42nd of the 47 backs with at least 100 carries. With the Panthers not adding any backs in the draft, the big winner would seem to be last year's first-round pick, Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey was one of the best receiving backs in the NFL in his rookie season, seeing a position-best 113 targets and finishing with 80 receptions, third-most. As a rusher, he was nothing to get excited about. His Rushing NEP per play was -0.05 was at exactly the league average. There is the likelihood that he'll absorb some of Stewart's rushing attempts (Stewart had 198 to McCaffrey's 117 last season). But the Panthers have already hinted that the Stewart role may be taken over by Cameron Artis-Payne.

Artis-Payne has just 99 career carries for 422 yards, and only 18 of those carries came last season. Based on a ridiculously small sample size, Artis-Payne has performed above the league average in the last two seasons. He had 0.01 Rushing NEP per play in 2016, when the average was -0.02, and last season, he had a whopping 0.12. But, as already mentioned, he had only 18 carries. Artis-Payne has never commanded more than an 8.57% share of rushing attempts in his three seasons in the NFL.