Carolina may be eying a safety in the Top 100 picks as Tre Boston looks less and less like he will be a substantial contributor. Veteran Mike Adams, who the Panthers added this offseason, is clearly a short-term fix. Carolina will need to find an answer for this position which has been a patchwork of players since Gettleman took over.

The Man with the Golden Gloves attended the NFL Combine and performed well Saturday.  Never acclaimed as a blazer, Hardy packed his lunch pail and ran a respectable 4.56 40-yd dash. As expected, he showed off those golden gloves, dominating the gauntlet and making some pretty spectacular catches in the route drills. He showed quick feet in the 3 cone drill and showed off his strength on the bench.  None of these numbers are going to dominate the combine  discussion.  What the measurables do show is that he is athletic enough to produce for a NFL team.  

Who doesn’t have a soft-spot for a hometown boy?  I know I do. It’s why to this day Julius Peppers still remains my all-time favorite Carolina Panther. He was the OG Backyard Baller, playing high-school ball about 45 minutes away from where I grew up. As a senior, one my good friends lined up across from Peppers, who was a freshman at the time, and he knew even then he was going to be special. 

The Panther’s have a great home field advantage when it comes to scouting instate talent, the state of North Carolina currently has 7 division 1 football programs. This number may seem low, but it is actually tied for second in the nation behind Texas, and will move to solo second when the Charlotte 49ers move up in 2015. When you add the two outstanding football programs in the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers, the Panther’s have the ability to tap into backyard talent like no other team. Here is a couple prospects to keep your eyes on: