The actual, in-real-life NFL draft is never quite as thrilling as your favorite mock draft. Nobody may know this better than Carolina Panthers fans, whose most exciting event of the year—thanks to a long playoff drought—may have been the selection process.

But that's no longer the case for these Panthers, who snapped their seven-year funk this past season with an NFC South title and a near-upset of the Los Angeles Rams in a thrilling wild-card round appearance. So, consider it a good thing if Carolina's front office ignores the thrill of taking skill players early on and goes a different direction entirely.

The latest Intel from ESPN suggests that might be the case—even with some signs pointing towards the likes of safety Dillon Thienemen, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wideouts KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr. Insider Dan Graziano, instead, suggests that they're actually targeting the offensive line in Round 1:

I'm predicting at least seven and as many as 10 offensive linemen get picked in the first round. There's a late-round zone loaded with teams that would love to come out of Thursday night with a new offensive lineman, including the Lions, Panthers, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Browns, Bears, 49ers, Chiefs and Patriots...

It's really not difficult to figure out why the Panthers would take this route. With Ikem Ekwonu working back from a torn patellar tendon and Taylor Moton turning 32 years old before Week 1, the simple fact is that Carolina might have long-terms needs at both tackle positions.

Prioritizing one of those two spots would indicate that the team is thinking more towards the future with the No. 19 pick, which is probably the right thing to do. If the Panthers neglect this potentially devastating problem, it could seriously come back to bite them in the fall and beyond.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: ESPN reports Panthers among teams looking to draft OL in Round 1