ere for depth at middle linebacker next season James Bradberry Jersey 2019 , as one of their depth pieces has been signed to play on the west coast."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers free agency 2019San Francisco 49ers sign former Carolina Panthers linebacker David MayoNew,20commentsThe Panthers are going to have to look elsewhere for depth at middle linebacker next season, as one of their depth pieces has been signed to play on the west coast.EDTShareTweetShareShareSan Francisco 49ers sign former Carolina Panthers linebacker David MayoBob Donnan-USA TODAY SportsWhile we were all embroiled in the huge news that Matt Kalil was being released by the Panthers, the San Francisco 49ers were apparently making moves to sign one of the team’s unrestricted free agents. David Mayo was a fifth round pick during the 2015 NFL Draft and the David Gettleman era. He spent his entire rookie deal with the Panthers, and was actually a fairly decent backup, seeing time when Luke Kuechly missed games with a concussion. While he wasn’t anything spectacular, every team needs a decent backup middle linebacker Stitched Da’Norris Searcy Jersey , especially when the starter has a history of things like head injuries. Mayo finishes his time on the team with 61 career tackles.I for one thought he was going to clear the first week of free agency and we might see him re-signed at a fairly low price to continue his backup duties, but now it looks like we’ll turn to young guys like Andre Smith and Jermaine Carter to work their way into backup roles. We also could see another, hopefully late, draft pick used at the position. Either way, we need to secure someone at that spot, or we might regret not holding the Mayo. The Carolina Panthers need to get younger at the safety position. Mike Adams and Eric Reid held down the position reasonably well, but Adams is about to turn 50 years old and both players are free agents. As of this writing Da’Norris Searcy Youth Jarius Wright Jersey , Rashaan Gaulden, Kai Nacua, and Quin Blanding are the only safeties under contract for 2019. That’s not a group that inspires confidence, for a number of reasons.The Panthers could look to the NFL Draft to address their safety woes. Fortunately for the Panthers, good safety play can be found pretty reliably on day two of the draft, so they can focus their attention to other needs early. The below chart shows how well safeties selected between 2008 and 2017 at or after the Panthers pick in each round fare relative to the average of all positions. AV/Year is Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value divided by the number of years since the player was drafted. The safety position has a below average return on investment in the first two rounds, though they do tend to start a good bit. Nearly 64% of safeties drafted in the first round have started at least half their team’s games Stitched Jarius Wright Jersey , compared to the 54% average. That drops precipitously in the second round, but it levels off between the second and third rounds. In fact, the odds of coming away with a quality safety are just as good in the third round as they are in the second round. Guys like Justin Simmons, John Johnson III, and Duron Harmon have been scooped up in the third round and gone on to have very strong NFL careers. If the Panthers are planning on selecting a safety in the upcoming draft, their third round pick seems to be the sweet spot to take one. That gives them a chance to address other needs earlier on.