Who will the Panthers take first in the draft?

As of today, the NFL draft is 91 days away.

The Carolina Panthers will have the 28th pick in the first round of the draft, and the first two positions they need to address are on the offensive line and at wide receiver. The receiving core for Carolina was their achilles' heel on offense, with their most productive wideout being TE Greg Olsen. Steve Smith is still playing, but is getting older and has lost a step. Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. haven't proven to be good number two or even number three options in the passing game, and it's highly doubtful that either will land the number one receiving job when Smith retires. Meanwhile, the offensive line definitely needs some help as well. Every Panthers' fan is crossing their fingers, hoping that Jordan Gross will stay, as he's the top offensive lineman and a leader to this team.

Fortunately for Carolina, there are plenty of highly-rated receivers and offensive linemen coming into this draft. Unfortunately, the Panthers pick 28th, which means many of those receivers and linemen could already be snatched up by other teams.

With that being said, let's take a look at some potential picks. First, let's look at wide receivers.

Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State - Benjamin is 6'4", much taller than the 5'9" Steve Smith. Although Smith is the Panthers all time leading receiver, he'll be 35 come May, and isn't the receiver he used to be. Benjamin, with his height, will bring great athleticism to whichever team takes him, as his jumping ability and size are great assets to his game. However, Benjamin isn't the fastest receiver, and his effort has also been called into question. Taking Benjamin could be a risk that Carolina can't afford to take.

Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt - Matthews is another receiver that would help Carolina have a height advantage. Being 6'3", Matthews is a great route runner. Despite being the only weapon that Vanderbilt had in the receiving game, Matthews is the SEC's all time leading receiver. He has great hands and is unafraid to take hits, which would be vital in Carolina's run game as well, as he could get downfield to block for Newton, Williams, Tolbert and Stewart. One of the biggest cons is that Matthews isn't the best athlete, as he lacks the speed needed to get past corners. While he isn't explosive, he is consistent, something that Carolina will definitely be looking at.

Marqise Lee, USC - Although the shortest of these three wideouts at 6'0", Marqise Lee could be the best receiver left when the Panthers' pick comes around. He brings the speed, athleticism, and explosiveness that few others can. Although primarily used in the short passing game, his ability to explode at the line and get down the field quickly makes him a deep threat as well. His biggest problem is dropping passes, which could wind up being a big problem. Drops are LaFell's biggest problem and the reason he probably won't be Carolina's number one wideout one day. Carolina needs a guy who can take over for Steve Smith one day, and Lee could be that guy, but he has to work on holding on to the ball.

This article is much longer than I thought it'd be, so tomorrow, I'll go over the top offensive linemen in the draft that Carolina could potentially take.