No person has stepped foot into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome over the past year with a less impressive supporting cast than Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Considering WWE superstar Braun Strowman chose a 10-year-old boy as his tag team partner there at WrestleMania last Sunday, that’s saying something.

If we’re talking special teams gunners trying to play beyond their means, Newton rolled into postseason battle against the Saints alongside a “who’s who?” of receivers. The injury bug had already taken out Curtis Samuel and Damiere Byrd, while slowing down both Devin Funchess and Greg Olsen, leaving the former MVP to throw at the likes of Brenton Bersin, Kaelin Clay and Russell Shepard. Mhmm . . .

Suffice to say, the wild-card round didn’t go Carolina’s way. Newton’s absolutely stellar performance — arguably the most admirable of his record-breaking career — would go buried under some unlucky breaks, a few key drops and what was eventually a disappointing 31-26 loss.

Now, in an apparent response to the criminal lack of help that’s plagued their quarterback for far too long, the Panthers are doing quite a bit of homework on the draft’s wide receiver class. The team, based on numerous reports, has met with 16 receivers — the most of any position they’ve vetted thus far.

Just follow the tracks of new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who was in attendance at pro days that featured some of this year’s notable pass-catching prospects such as Maryland’s D.J. Moore, LSU’s D.J. Chark and Memphis’ Anthony Miller.

So, yes, we can give some kudos to the organization for (finally) taking extensive steps to fix a glaring problem. But does that mean the best path to take in the first round ends with a wideout?

No, it doesn’t. And it most likely will not.

Despite carrying an underwhelming group of targets year in and year out over all seven seasons of Newton’s professional tenure, next Thursday night is no time for Carolina to address that – not with this particular pick, not with these particular draftees and not with their other roster deficiencies.

For one, buyers must beware of using such high capital on a wide receiver. While there are very few, if any, positions with more sex appeal during draft season, the transition from the college ranks hasn’t been smooth for many top selections.

Since 2015, 13 wideouts have been taken in the first round. Below are those 13 players, along with their games played and stats from each of their rookie seasons.

Pick No. Games Catches Yards Touchdowns Amari Cooper (’15) 4 16 72 1,070 6 Corey Davis (’17) 5 11 34 375 0 Kevin White (’15) 7 0 0 0 0 Mike Williams (’17) 7 10 11 95 0 John Ross (’17) 9 3 0 0 0 DeVante Parker (’15) 14 14 26 494 3 Corey Coleman (’16) 15 10 33 413 3 Nelson Agholor (’15) 20 13 23 283 1 Will Fuller (’16) 21 14 47 635 2 Josh Doctson (’16) 22 2 2 66 0 Laquon Treadwell (’16) 23 9 1 15 0 Breshad Perriman (’15) 26 0 0 0 0 Phillip Dorsett (’15) 29 11 18 225 1

To be fair, many of these weak campaigns can be attributed to serious injuries and poor fits. A few of these players, most notably Cooper and Agholor, have also achieved a respectable degree of success. But, for whatever reason, most are still trying to hit their stride, proving the jump into the NFL has collectively become a rough one for first-round receivers.

First-round picks aren’t producing immediate results consistently enough, a fate the 2018 Panthers can’t afford with Newton’s prime seasons (and Luke Kuechly’s) passing by. Steering clear from such a pick then becomes even more important when you factor in the startling holes throughout the depth chart.

Carolina, even after a relatively active free agency period, currently needs to fill spots most notably at safety, tight end, cornerback, running back and the interior offensive line. They’re also on the lookout for a backup quarterback, a young defensive end and maybe even a linebacker to provide depth behind Kuechly, who has sustained three concussions over the last three years, and Thomas Davis.

As far as making the most of the No. 24 overall selection, the wiser investment is not the sexy one. Perhaps it’ll be more prudent to consider the dwindling state of their offensive front, one that lost All-Pro left guard Andrew Norwell to the Jacksonville Jaguars and one that’ll be without center Ryan Kalil starting in 2019.

Even though second-year lineman Taylor Moton has been tabbed by head coach Ron Rivera as a contender to fill Norwell’s vacancy, the value of a flexible and deep offensive line cannot be understated, especially in Turner’s incoming offense.

Plus, Newton needs another rough season of pass protection like we all need a hole in our heads. Players such as Iowa’s James Daniels, Georgia’s Isaiah Wynn and Texas El-Paso’s Will Hernandez, each of which project as day one contributors, would be useful.

How about a playmaking safety or a starting-caliber cornerback? Justin Reid of Stanford, Josh Jackson of Iowa, Jaire Alexander of Louisville and Mike Hughes of Central Florida may fit the bill. There’s just about nothing next to Mike Adams, Da’Norris Searcy and Colin Jones at free safety and you can’t have enough quality corners in the NFC South.

This, of course, is not to say there aren’t wide receivers that can bring a much-needed element to the Panthers offense. Calvin Ridley is a polished route runner who is adept at gaining separation. Moore is a terror after the catch and James Washington is the home run hitter the unit has been looking for since Ted Ginn left for New Orleans.

As each, however, may be gone before Carolina’s pick rolls around, the prospect of landing an instant payoff at wide receiver in the first round is murky at best.

With the draft just over a week away, we obviously don’t know whose name Marty Hurney will call. (Given Hurney’s first-round history, there’s a great chance it’ll be a banger.) But what we do know is that the Panthers need help and they need it from the jump, something this heavily-scouted position isn’t sure to deliver.