Panthers' Cameron Artis-Payne: Doesn't get draft competition

The Panthers didn't add any competition for Artis-Payne during the 2018 NFL Draft, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

While it would've been surprising if Carolina used an early pick on a running back for a second straight year, it did seem likely that the team would find a body in the middle or late rounds to compete with Artis-Payne for Jonathan Stewart's old role. The Panthers will still bring in competition in the form of undrafted free agents -- and possibly a veteran at some point -- but the decision to pass on a running back in the draft does hint at some degree of confidence in Artis-Payne and Christian McCaffrey. A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne is comparable to the 2016-17 version of Stewart, offering good power and size but limited speed and pass-game skills. He's taken 99 caries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, doing most of his damage in contests Stewart missed. McCaffrey also figures to take on some of the 198 carries that went to Stewart last season.