There's been a lot of focus this offseason on what the Carolina Panthers could do to upgrade Cam Newton's weapons on offense, but no one should be surprised if the team addresses its defense in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
One potential option for the team at No. 25 overall -- Alabama safety Landon Collins -- visited the club on Friday, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
It's not hard to see a potential match between Collins and the Panthers, as safety is among the top five draft needs for the club.
Collins isn't as highly regarded for his coverage skills as some at his position, but as anyone who saw him play in college can tell you, he's a terrific playmaker and one of the hardest hitters in the draft.
Most mock drafts project Collins to be the only safety taken in the first round, but he was moved back to the No. 2 spot at the position in NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock's latest positional rankings in favor of Arizona State's Damarious Randall.
However, offensive tackle is viewed as a bigger need for the Panthers, and some analysts see the franchise taking an OT like Andrus Peat out of Stanford or Texas A&M's Cedric Ogbuehi in Round 1.
As far as Collins is concerned, he might not even be around whe the Panthers pick at No. 25. A number of NFL Media mock drafts have him pegged for the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 20.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
