The Carolina Panthers started the preseason on a positive note with a win over the Houston Texans 27-17 on Wednesday night. Special Teams, defense, and offense each had their moments, but no team plays perfectly, and I’ll be breaking down some evidence to help you glean some information about two rookies on the Panthers’ offensive and defensive lines from last night’s game.

Head Coach Ron Rivera awarded yesterday’s game ball to wide receiver Damiere Byrd. It was well deserved, but I felt another young player had a fantastic debut too. Second round offensive lineman Taylor Moton (#72 in the below videos) showed out well and deserves some recognition for his positive play, especially in his first NFL action.

A staple run concept for the Panthers is power. The guard has to pull across the center to initiate contact with the defensive tackle opposite of his side. Moton, playing left guard on this play, moves smoothly here and pancakes the tackle.

LG Moton pancakes the Texans DT on the pull pic.twitter.com/IA4RM8GK1R — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

Moton started every game at right tackle for Western Michigan in 2016. He is a natural, so it was encouraging to see him execute perfect technique in his kick slide to control the edge rusher.

Good protection by Moton too. pic.twitter.com/OLHY7pNgxu — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

It should be noted that Moton was facing fringe roster players, but it was encouraging to watch him display those positive qualities that made him a second round pick in the 2017 draft.

While Moton led the second team to a nice performance, the first team offensive line had a decent performance as well. Derek Anderson is not a mobile quarterback and needs a clean pocket to be effective, which the Panthers offensive line provided Anderson with against the incoming blitz. When he was given time, Anderson was able to find Benjamin for a nice gain.

1st team OL did a nice job in pass protection. Clean pocket for DA pic.twitter.com/xLnFqqQOzd — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017



Later in the drive, the Texans sent a stunt to the left side of the line, but the line held up well again. Daryl Williams is able to hold his block on an island on the right side against DE Christian Covington.

While the pass protection was adequate, the line did have issues in the run game.

Matt Kalil did an admirable job against Clowney in pass protection, but Clowney gets off his block quickly to disrupt the run.

Clowney got the better of Matt Kalil in the run game pic.twitter.com/YOp3FEdApf — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

Rookie defensive end Daeshon Hall (#74) had a disappointing game, but let’s start with a positive. Despite taking the long route to the quarterback, Hall uses violent hands to get off the block and tackle the quarterback short of the first down.

Not all bad with Daeshon. Does a nice job using his hands to get off the block pic.twitter.com/9pgv9Ea8Wq — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

The biggest issue Hall must address is shortening his route to the quarterback. This requires flexibility and bend. Hall is the edge rusher at the bottom of the screen. He explodes off the snap, but should be initiating the contact with the offensive tackle and compressing the pocket instead of running in a straight line.

This is what I mean when I say Hall didn’t show enough bend. He’s running in a straight line off the snap pic.twitter.com/Uzu22XyAFE — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

The Panthers defense is notorious for calling tackle/end stunts on pass rushing downs. In the below play, Hall snaps off the line of scrimmage too high and is in a difficult position to beat the interior linemen because he lost the leverage battle; his pass rush is basically finished before it begins.

Hall comes off the snap too high and his pass rush is basically finished pic.twitter.com/eAUTYma611 — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

Hall’s most egregious mistake came on fellow rookie Deshaun Watson’s touchdown run. He has to have better awareness against a mobile quarterback. Watson showed throughout the game that he can use his legs to make plays, and on this snap, Hall gets up the field too soon and doesn’t maintain the edge; this creates an opening for Watson to run through untouched.

Daeshon gets up field too quickly pic.twitter.com/4wvtNBpBOY — Billy (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2017

I was pleased with the Hall selection in the 2017 draft and he will have his ups and downs throughout the season; I understand he is a raw player, so these things do take time to hash. I’ll be monitoring more closely as the preseason progresses to see if he has improved. Moton, however, is showing quickly that he belongs in the NFL, and I look forward to his progression throughout the season.