No guarantees Panthers will use first pick to replace Josh Norman

3:42 PM ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Don’t necessarily look for the Carolina Panthers to select a cornerback in the first round of the April 28-30 draft just because they moved on from Josh Norman.

Listening to general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Ron Rivera talk about the decision to rescind the franchise tag on the 2015 Pro Bowl selection it didn’t sound like they were overly concerned with replacing him.

Much less use the 30th pick to do that.

“It does create a little hole,’’ Rivera said on Thursday.

The Panthers believe strength on the defensive line can boost a secondary that will be without Josh Norman moving forward. Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Little seems like an understatement for a player Carolina was willing to pay $13.952 million when they put the tag on him last month.

But it does indicate where Carolina’s mindset is regarding a cornerback versus a defensive end or tackle when it comes to salary and the draft.

The Panthers have won the NFC South three straight years without paying big money or investing a high draft pick on a cornerback or safety. They went to the Super Bowl last season with Norman the highest-paid corner at around $1.5 million.

That’s because Gettleman believes you win with big men – “hog mollies’’ as he calls them – a philosophy he got from former New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

“Big men allow you to …

continue reading in source espn.go.com