CHARLOTTE DJ Moore Jersey Discount , N.C. (AP) — announced his retirement after 17 NFL seasons, nine Pro Bowl appearances and six All-Pro selections.Peppers spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Panthers, then played four with Chicago, three with Green Bay and his final two seasons back with Carolina. He missed four games in 2002, his rookie season, then played in 254 out of a possible 256 games over the rest of his career.Peppers finished his career with 159 1/2 sacks, fourth-most in NFL history. The defensive end is the only player in league history with at least 150 sacks and 10 interceptions — he had 11 of those — and also blocked 13 field goals and extra-point attempts.Peppers announced his retirement in an essay published Friday by The Players Tribune. He says he still feels good, but knows football could not last forever.“The Super Bowl ring eluded me, but I don’t need that to validate me,” Peppers wrote. “I would have loved to have helped deliver that to the fans in Carolina, but I’m content with the career that I had.”Peppers had 97 of his sacks in a Carolina uniform, setting the franchise record there.“Julius is one of the greatest to ever play the game of football,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “To put up the numbers he did for as long as he did speaks to his incredible talent and commitment. He is a leader in the locker room and in the community. Getting to know him over the last two seasons has been tremendous because of the type of person he is.”Peppers finished with a consecutive-games-played streak of 176, the second-longest such run in the NFL right now behind Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. Peppers, who turned 39 earlier this month, also was the oldest active defensive player in the league.“In getting to know Julius over these past months, I’ve learned that he is a man of few words. When he speaks, everyone listens,” Panthers owner David Tepper said. “With that in mind, I will be brief. He’s one of the best to ever wear a Carolina uniform. He carries himself with dignity DJ Moore Jersey Super Bowl , integrity and class, and will always be a Panther.”Peppers played his college football at North Carolina, where he also excelled as a member of the Tar Heels’ basketball team. He was the No. 2 selection by Carolina in the 2002 NFL draft, and was defensive rookie of the year that season.He is the Panthers’ nominee for the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which will be awarded Saturday on the eve of Super Bowl LIII. Peppers has been an advocate for those adversely affected by Hurricane Florence, which hammered coastal areas in North Carolina and South Carolina last fall.“What he did for the people affected by Hurricane Florence, getting involved and bringing them hope, says a lot about him,” Rivera said. “I’m proud that I get to say that I was one of his coaches, and I think it’s fitting that he gets to end his career as a Carolina Panther.” The Panthers made some solid team-building decisions in the 2019 NFL Draft." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteCat Scratch Readera Carolina Panthers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsAboutPanthersOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomFiled under:Panthers 2019 NFL DraftGrading the Carolina Panthers’ 2019 draft classNew,330commentsThe Panthers made some solid team-building decisions in the 2019 NFL Draft.EDTShareTweetShareShareGrading the Carolina Panthers’ 2019 draft classThe 2019 draft has come and gone, and the Carolina Panthers leave the weekend with seven new players who they hope will be positive contributors in 2019 and beyond. Below are my personal grades for each individual pick with an overall grade at the bottom. I graded on an A-F scale with no plus or minus grades (i.e. - no B+ or A- grades) and took several factors into consideration when making my grades: team needs, positional value and round drafted.With that being said, here are my grades for the Panthers’ 2019 draft class.Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida StateSelected: First round, No. 16 overallThe Panthers had a definite need for a pass rusher when the entered the draft on Thursday night, and they addressed that need with their first pick of the weekend. Adding a versatile rusher like Burns allows the Panthers to attack the opposing offense from multiple looks, and gives Ron Rivera a player who can fit both a 4-3 and a 3-4 scheme. Grade: AGreg Little, OT DJ Moore Jersey For Sale , Ole MissSelected: Second round, No. 37 overall (Carolina traded pick Nos. 47 and 77 to Seattle for pick No. 37.)Offensive tackle was the Panthers’ second biggest need after edge rusher (and arguably their biggest need), so getting one of the top left tackles in this year’s draft class in the second round is certainly a fantastic value in a vacuum. The one issue I have is the price required to acquire Little at No. 37 overall. The Panthers had to trade their second rounder (No. 47) and their first third rounder (No. 77) to move up 10 spots in order to get the player they wanted. While trading up isn’t always the best idea, if Little develops into a franchise left tackle like the Panthers hope, this trade will be well worth it. Grade: BWill Grier, QB, West VirginiaSelected: Third round, No. 100 overallOpinions vary on whether or not the Panthers should have used a draft pick on a backup quarterback, but adding an insurance policy in case Cam Newton has a setback while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery is a solid strategy that shouldn’t hurt the Panthers too much, especially if Grier develops into a solid backup quarterback. It works out even better if Grier develops into a starting caliber player who can either be the future starter for Carolina or an enticing trade option for another team in need of a quarterback. Grade: BChristian Miller, EDGE, AlabamaSelected: Fourth round, No. 115 overallIt’s refreshing to see the Panthers acknowledging a need and attempting to fix it during the draft. Miller is the second pass rusher selected by Carolina, and though he dealt with injuries while at Alabama, he was a solid player who produced whenever he was on the field. There are concerns that he can stay healthy and contribute at the next level (otherwise he would have been drafted sooner), but if he’s able to get consistent playing time the Panthers could end up with one of the draft’s biggest steals. Grade: BJordan Scarlett, RB, FloridaSelected: Fifth round, No. 154 overallI’m not quite sure I understand this pick. Sure, the Panthers need someone to spell Christian McCaffrey so he’s not on the field for literally every single play DJ Moore Jersey On Sale , but that was supposedly the reason they brought Cameron Artis-Payne back during free agency. With other players who would have addressed bigger needs still on the board, it was frustrating to see the Panthers take a backup running back. Sure, it’s hard to get too upset about a fifth round pick, but it’s also hard to justify them making this decision. Grade: CDennis Daley, OT, South CarolinaSelected: Sixth round, No. 212 overall (Carolina traded pick No. 187 to Denver for pick Nos. 212 and 237.)The Panthers traded down from their original sixth round pick (No. 187) and picked up an extra pick in the process (No. 237), so that already improves their grade for this selection. Add in the fact that they yet again addressed a major need on the roster (offensive line) and did so with a versatile player who can slide in at both tackle and guard, and it’s very hard to find much to complain about with this selection. Grade: ATerry Godwin, WR, GeorgiaSelected: Seventh round, No. 237 overallThe Panthers didn’t have a seventh round pick when the draft started, so this is essentially a free pick. They could have taken a gamble on a late round safety here, but taking a wide receiver who can also return kicks isn’t too bad of a decision so I can’t really hate on this pick even if I would have done something different with it. Grade: BFinal thoughtsOverall, I think the Panthers had a good draft. They came into the weekend with the mindset of making both the offensive line and pass rush better, and taking two players at each group helped them reach that goal. They also wanted a backup quarterback to develop, and while I feel like they probably should have taken a safety with one of their first four picks, it’s hard to argue against their decision to build some quality depth behind Cam Newton. The only true negative of this draft is their decision to reach for a running back in the fifth round, but if that’s the only thing I can find truly ‘wrong’ with their draft class then I’d say they did a pretty dang good job. Overall grade: B