The Panthers need defensive linemen Blue Cam Newton Jersey , and Zach Allen would be a great fit for Ron Rivera’s hybrid defense."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftFilm room scouting report on Boston College defensive end Zach AllenNew,33commentsThe Panthers need defensive linemen, and Zach Allen would be a great fit for Ron Rivera’s hybrid defense.EDTShareTweetShareShareFilm room scouting report on Boston College defensive end Zach AllenWinslow Townson-USA TODAY SportsZach Allen was named the Connecticut Player of the Year in 2014 after his stellar senior season at New Canaan High School. Allen was a vital special teams player during his freshman campaign, but he grew into a productive defender beginning in 2016. During his four seasons at Boston College, Allen posted 18.5 sacks, 40.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, 16 pass deflections, and one forced fumble.Allen’s athletic composite score was grouped with the defensive linemen. He didn’t disappoint. He had a 1.0 sigma SPARQ Cam Newton Jersey 2019 , which places him in the 84th percentile. Film reviewAllen was primarily used as an edge rusher for the Eagles, but given his frame and athletic testing he projects better to a 3-4 defensive end or an interior defensive lineman. There are times when a defender can get pressure, but he doesn’t finish which limits his production. That wasn’t the case for Allen. His EPA on sacks and tackles-for-loss was -26.3 according to Sports Info Solutions. That is fourth best among defensive tackle prospects.Allen does not have the athleticism to be a full time edge in the league due to his stiffness, but that doesn’t mean he showed some interesting traits. He rushes from a 3 point stance, but the most impressive part about this rush is how well he converts speed to power. His footwork is perfect as he angles it towards the quarterback, which makes it easier for him.Here is a a similar example of converting speed to power. Allen is able to locate the chest plate, but then this time he uses a rip move to get the blocker’s hands off him. His pass rush repertoire is limited, but his bull rush is formidable. Allen plays with a nasty streak on the field, which makes him relentless when he’s pursuing the quarterback. He doesn’t exhibit any pass rush move on this play Blue Luke Kuechly Jersey , but he gets through multiple offensive linemen including the running back to force a hit.If Allen does transition into an interior role, he should project well. His arm over move on this play highlights his hand use and strength to find his way to the backfield. On the whole, this play along with many others show his limitations as an edge rusher. While he does get by the offensive tackle, he can’t close the surface area in time due to his limited agility. Allen is a productive run defender. He possesses the hand strength and lateral range to set an edge. He gets into position by initially making contact, but then he side shuffles laterally to hold the edge against any front side run. This play is exactly why Allen should transition into a 5-technique in even or odd fronts.Allen shows his strength and hand use on this play when he stacks and sheds the blocker for the TFL. He has the length on top of his strength to be an every down lineman.Allen is an elite athlete for a defensive lineman, so it isn’t surprising when his athleticism shows up in games. On this play, Allen looks to have been a bit over eager biting inside. He recovers with some decent fluidity to limit the rush.Fit with CarolinaI can’t think of a more seamless fit for Carolina’s new hybrid defense than Zach Allen. He projects to be a 5-technique in their base packages, but they can leave him on the field for their pass rushing packages as a 3-technique. The Panthers don’t have a traditional 3-4 end on their roster, so if they are transitioning into a hybrid defense than players like Allen need to be on the roster. I don’t expect Allen to be a top 50 player Luke Kuechly Jersey 2019 , but if he’s sitting there in the third round Carolina should take a strong look. The Panthers defense wasn’t as strong in 2018 as it has been in years past."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 2018 season review: The Panthers defenseNew,7commentsThe Panthers defense wasn’t as strong in 2018 as it has been in years past. ESTShareTweetShareSharePanthers 2018 season review: The Panthers defenseThe Panthers’ defense struggled in 2018. There are several reasons this was the case, and it’s hard to single out one thing to place the most blame on—whether it be injuries, lack of a pass rush, inconsistency in coaching, or just failed execution—the overall story of the 2018 Panthers defense is a sad one. Let’s dive into the details a bit and look back at what happened to the Panthers’ defense last season.Injuries in the secondaryThe Panthers signed cornerback Ross Cockrell and safety Da’Norris Searcy to shore up their secondary with veteran leadership, but unfortunately Cockrell broke his leg during training camp and Searcy sustained two concussions before the end of Week 2. Carolina also lost backup defensive back Kevon Seymour, who injured his shoulder during the preseason. All three players were placed in injured reserve and left the Panthers with a lack of depth on their roster in 2018. Due to so many injuries, the Panthers had to rely on the tandem of James Bradberry and rookie Donte Jackson at cornerback Blue Ryan Kalil Jersey , and brought in safety Eric Reid in free agency to fill the void left by Searcy’s absence. The secondary wasn’t the biggest failure of the defense in 2018, but if the Panthers would have been a bit luckier with the injury bug, things could have ended a lot differently in 2018 for Carolina’s defense.No pass rushNot only did the Panthers suffer from key injuries in the secondary, the front seven couldn’t generate pressure on the quarterback in 2018. This resulted in the defense giving up a lot of big plays by their opponents. The Panthers finished 2018 with 35 sacks, down from 2017’s total of 50. This lack of pressure put even more strain on an injury-riddled secondary, and the Panthers defense suffered because of it. Perhaps the most depressing part of the Panthers’ lack of sacks in 2018 was the fact that future Hall of Famer and Panthers GOAT Julius Peppers finished the season one half-sack shy of moving into third place all-time in sacks. (Peppers ended his career with 159.5 sacks, good enough for fourth all-time in NFL history.) It’s truly a shame that we didn’t get to witness a bit of history with Peppers getting one more sack, but on the other hand we should consider ourselves fortunate to have the privilege of watching him play for so long.Coaching carousel Ron Rivera fired two defensive coaches and stripped Eric Washington of his play-calling duties during the midst of the team’s losing streak in the second half of the season. Once Rivera took over as the de-facto defensive coordinator the team played much better, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to turn the season around. It turns out the defense wasn’t the only reason the Panthers ended 2018 with a losing record. While 2018 didn’t end the way we wanted Ryan Kalil Jersey 2019 , there’s a chance the future will be brighter for Carolina with Rivera planning to call the plays on defense again in 2019.What’s next?There’s a lot more to the 2018 Panthers defense than I’ve covered today. So much that it will take more than one column to dive into all the details. Here at CSR we’re going to spend this week taking a closer look at the Panthers’ defense in 2018, and we’re going to provide some intricate details on each position group during the next few days. If that’s something that interests you, stay tuned!