5 Players the Carolina Panthers Will Regret Passing on in the 2012 NFL Draft

Every year, 31 NFL teams pass over a player in the NFL draft who causes them to look back in angst.

The Carolina Panthers received favorable reviews for their selections in the 2012 NFL draft, but which players did they miss out on that could have helped them more?

This will be the draft where fans will likely look back fondly on beloved selections like first-round selection of Luke Kuechly. They also added several key cogs on the offensive side of the ball in guard Amini Silatolu and wide receiver Joe Adams. This group is likely to be a fixture in Carolina for the next several seasons. But part of life in the NFL is the inevitable passing on players you should have selected.

In the following slides, we'll take a look at several players that the Panthers will regret passing on in the 2012 NFL draft.

Click ahead to see who the Panthers will regret passing on for seasons to come.

The Panthers Will Regret Passing on Wide Receiver Ryan Broyles

The Panthers should have been all over Oklahoma Sooner receiver Ryan Broyles, but they're only partly to blame here.

The organization was not negligent in bypassing Broyles with the 40th overall selection to select an offensive lineman (guard Amini Silatolu). Broyles is coming off a torn ACL, and while originally thought to be a late first-round to second-round selection, the injury to Broyles had many around the league thinking he would slip to several rounds later in the draft. For instance, I recommended the Panthers look at Broyles with their fifth-round selection.

That speculation turned out to be incorrect when the Detroit Lions made Broyles the 54th overall pick in the draft just 14 picks later.

The selection of receiver Joe Adams in the fourth round indicates a likely interest by the Panthers in a player like Broyles. Both players have a similar build and share the ability to be able to make an impact in the return game.

Broyles is likely to immediately become Detroit's No. 2 receiver opposite of Calvin Johnson. Any receiver who spends time enjoying the single coverage that playing alongside Megatron provides is also likely to experience inflated production. This very production will make those who fantasized about Broyles in Carolina very regretful that it never became a reality.

The Panthers Will Regret Passing on Offensive Lineman Cordy Glenn

The reason hasn't been made clear as to why Georgia Bulldog offensive lineman Cordy Glenn wasn't the Panthers selection in Round 2 with the 40th overall selection. There are whispers of character concerns among several teams who scouted Glenn.

There are a few reports as to one possible reason: character concerns.

"

@thejintsman Hearing now character concerns played into the team's thoughts on Glenn

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 27, 2012"

"Glenn doesn't always play with top effort," Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune wrote.

When the Panthers second-round selection rolled around, I figured they would select the best receiver available to give Cam Newton another weapon alongside Steve Smith. When the pick became a lineman and his name wasn't Cordy Glenn, I was humbled by how little I actually know. 

If no character concerns turn out to be a problem with Glenn over the course of his NFL career, then it's likely the Panthers will end up regretting taking Silatolu over Glenn. I think Silatolu ends up a solid player for Carolina over the course of the next several seasons, and his effort will never come into question.

However, there's a reason why so many draft experts had Glenn rated ahead of Silatolu, and it's based on sheer ability.

The Bills see Glenn as a player who has star ability at the left tackle position. The Panthers could have used a versatile young player with the characteristics of Glenn. No offense to Silatolu's alma mater Midwestern State, but it's a bit different then playing for the Georgia Bulldogs.

I believe the Panthers got a solid player who filled a need, but Glenn would have been the proper selection.

The Panthers Will Regret Passing on Defensive Tackle Devon Still

The Panthers came into the draft with the desire to add talent to the defensive line, namely at the defensive tackle position. The Panthers responded by failing to select a single player who played a down at that position in college.

Devon Still was projected before the draft to be a first-round talent. The selection of a player like Still in the second round would have provided the Panthers with two first-round caliber players immediately added to the defense with their first two selections.

Instead, the Cincinnati Bengals got rich quick by landing Still with the 53rd overall selection. A round later, the Bengals added another defensive tackle the Panthers heavily scouted in Brandon Thompson.

The Bengals already have a nice core group built on their defense. Adding Still and Thompson to the middle of that foundation coached by defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer should mean good things for both of their careers. In other words, don't expect either of these players to be labeled as "busts."

Terrell McClain, Andre Neblett and Sione Fua combined for 5.5 sacks from the defensive tackle position last season. Unless this group vastly improves their productivity from 2011, it's likely that the passing of Still in the draft will be viewed as a "miss" for general manager Marty Hurney.

In fact, I think that Still offers a better than even chance at getting more than 5.5 sacks on his own during his 2012 rookie campaign in Cincinnati.

The Panthers Will Regret Passing on Wide Receiver Stephen Hill

I was among those who believed that the Panthers would go looking for a secondary option who could supplant Steve Smith as the No. 1 receiver in Carolina within a few seasons.

When the first night of the draft came and went with Stephen Hill's name still on the board, it would have made perfect sense to bring Hill's explosive repertoire to Charlotte. The thought of Cam Newton throwing jump balls up to the 6'4" Hill for the next decade was enough to make keeper-league fantasy owners of Newton drool.

And then the Panthers decided that adding a protector of Newton took precedence over adding a potential nuclear weapon with pads on.

If Mark Sanchez is to salvage his career in New York, Hill is likely to be the remedy. The Jets thought so highly of Hill that they traded their fifth- and seventh-round selections to the Seattle Seahawks to move up and select the physical freak who wowed scouts at the NFL combine 43rd overall.

I love the group the Panthers have at receiver in Smith, David Gettis, Brandon LaFell and Joe Adams. But Hill was tops amongst my NFL draft wishlist because in a vertical passing offense like the Panthers employ, he might have had an immediate impact that only a Calvin Johnson or Randy Moss were able to enjoy.

Hill comes from a Georgia Tech offense that didn't especially highlight his superior physical ability, but I believe he will go down as one of the true offensive stars of the 2012 NFL draft.

The Panthers Will Regret Passing on Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard

The Panthers spent a large majority of last season with Chris Gamble and Captain Munnerlyn manning the post at the cornerback position.

Gamble was surprisingly solid despite an large amount of tread on his tires. Munnerlyn has a fun name to say, despite surprising many with his play he probably shouldn't factor into the team's long-term plans as a starting corner.

In a draft that was perceived to be heavy at the cornerback position, the Panthers came away with just Josh Norman—a 24-year-old out of nearby Coastal Carolina.

Enter Alfonso Dennard, a 2011 All-Big Ten first-team selection out of Nebraska. The New England Patriots postmarked Dennard for Gillette Stadium with the 224th overall selection in the draft, 17 picks after the Panthers selected Wisconsin punter Brad Nortman.

While I'm a firm believer in the benefits of strong special teams play and field position, adding solid depth in the secondary and a potential star at the corner position trumps it every day of the week.

Yes, Dennard got into some trouble with the law a week before the draft which likely caused his free-fall into the final round. If Bill Belichick believes this kid can play amongst one of the deeper corner rotations in the league, then he was worth a flier with one of Carolina's final picks.

I believe that Dennard works his way into being a solid contributor over the next decade in New England, while the Panthers will be left searching for players at this position in the 2013 draft.

At least the Panthers will have a punter who can pin teams inside the twenty with regularity, I suppose.