tend to have more NFL success than those who excel in the cone and shuttle drills."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftWhen evaluating edge rushers at the combine Christian McCaffrey Panthers Jersey , focus on the bench press and 40-yard dashNew,21commentsElite prospects in the bench press and the 40 tend to have more NFL success than those who excel in the cone and shuttle drills.ESTShareTweetShareShareWhen evaluating edge rushers at the combine, focus on the bench press and 40-yard dashMatthew Emmons-USA TODAY SportsThe Panthers have a long list of roster holes to fill and an effective pass rusher from the edge is right at the top. The NFL Combine, which is right around the corner, will tell the team a lot about the 2019 edge draft class. Utilizing data from Football Reference I did some basic data analysis to see which combine drills predict the best defensive ends and edge rushers. At a high level, I looked at combine results between 2010 and 2015 to see how elite performers in the 40-yard dash, bench press, 3-cone drill, and shuttle run went on to perform in the NFL (click the links to see the players’ names). I removed broad jump and vertical jump because they didn’t seem to be good predictors of future success. You can read this article to learn more about what each test measures.By “elite performers” I’m specifically referring to the 10 overall best performances in each event between the entire period of 2010 through 2015. Players drafted in 2016 or later were excluded because they are still relatively early in their careers. While I know this is subjective, I gave each of the Top 10 performers in each drill a rating of “stud”, “starter” Elite Christian McCaffrey Jersey , “contributor”, “depth”, or “bust.” You can see the names and ratings of each player here. Here are the results:Player ratings by combine resultEventStudStarterContributorDepthBustEventStudStarterContributorDepthBustAgain, I know these ratings are subjective on my part, but it’s at least directionally correct based on what we’ve seen from each of these players throughout their careers. Based on these results, players with elite 40 times and bench press results have had much more success in their careers than the 3-cone drill and shuttle run leaders. Some of the “studs” among the Top 10 fastest 40 times include Jadeveon Clowney (4.53), Ziggy Ansah (4.56), Danielle Hunter (4.57), and Robert Quinn (4.62). “Starters” include Nick Perry (4.55) and Alvin Dupree (4.56).The “studs” from the bench press are J.J. Watt (34 reps), Everson Griffen (32), Ryan Kerrigan (31) Game Christian McCaffrey Jersey , and Olivier Vernon (31). Nick Perry (35) is the only “starter” as well as the only player to appear among the Top 10 for both 40 times and bench press.Impressive, Mr. Perry. Meanwhile, the “busts” among the elite 3-cone drill performers are Jake Bequette, Michael Buchanon, Jackson Jeffcoat, and Ryan Wintersyk. The “busts” from the shuttle run also included Jeffocat and Bequette plus Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Jamie Blatnick. The only “stud” from the 3-cone drill and shuttle run was J.J. Watt. Speaking of Watt, he was also the only player to be in the Top 10 in at least three different events. He’s basically a freak of nature. As the Panthers get ready for the 2019 draft they would be wise to land a stud who can get pressure off the edge. Recent history tells us they would do well to take a hard look at players who excel in both the 40 and bench press in making this happen. Starters have been hard to come by in the early rounds of the draft."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomThe Panthers will have a hard time drafting a starting caliber defensive endNew,10commentsStarters have been hard to come by in the early rounds of the draft. ESTShareTweetShareShareThe Panthers will have a hard time drafting a starting caliber defensive endJeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsThe Carolina Panthers need to solidify their pass rush. The front four struggled to get consistent pressure without help from blitzes, and there’s no one on the roster to turn to for extra help in the coming season. Future Hall of Famer Julius Peppers announced his retirement last week. Remarkably, his five sacks at age 38 were the second most on the team behind Mario Addison, who will be a spry 32 years old when next season starts. Marquis Haynes and Efe Obada are the only other two defensive ends under contract next season Christian McCaffrey Womens Jersey , and neither have proven anything at the NFL level. It would make sense for the Panthers to spend an early pick on a defensive end. Unfortunately, that position is one of the most difficult positions at which to find a starter in the draft. The below chart shows how how often defensive ends turn into regular starters compared to the average at or after the Panthers’ picks in each round. These numbers are from the 2008 to 2017 drafts. AV/Year is Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value divided by the number of years since the player was drafted. Defensive ends perform below the average in every metric I calculated. Only 39% of defensive ends drafted at or after the Panthers pick in the first round have started at least half their team’s games and only 13% have started at least 75% of their team’s games. They’ve also had a lower Approximate Value (which is PFR’s attempt to measure the impact of a player with a single number) than the average. On the bright side, the sixteenth spot has seen its fair share of good names get selected. Ryan Kerrigan, Derrick Morgan, and former CSR draft day favorite Quinton Coples were all taken with the No. 16 pick, and two have those have gone on to have solid to great careers. This draft is supposedly deep with edge rushers. The Panthers may elect to take a chance on one, but history says there’s a good chance that pick won’t pan out the way the Panthers hope.