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

Analysis: 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…read more

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Artis-Payne will have the opportunity to replace Jonathan Stewart as the team's power back, ESPN.com's David Newton reports.

Analysis: A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne has taken 99 carries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, with most of that work coming in contests Stewart missed. The Panthers haven't signed a replacement since losing the 31-year-old to the Giants in free agency, and they probably won't prioritize RBs early in the draft after using the No. 8 overall pick on Christian McCaffrey last year. The most likely plan features McCaffrey getting a sizable uptick from last year's 117…read more

Artis-Payne finished with 18 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown in 13 games played this season.

Analysis: Artis-Payne, a fifth-round pick in 2015, played just 10 games over his first couple seasons, so this year was his first as a regular member of Carolina's 53-man roster. Despite reaching that status, however, he was handed half as many carries this year as his previous low mark for a season. While his career average of 4.3 yards per rush isn't too shabby, Artis-Payne just hasn't been able to crack the Panthers' backfield rotation. He'll aim to finally do so in 2018, the final year of his rookie…read more