CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman didn't seem to have a sense of urgency to take a running back with the No. 8 overall pick of the draft.

He didn’t rule it out, either.

But Friday’s announcement that running back Jonathan Stewart agreed to a one-year extension through 2018 was a big vote of confidence for the 30-year-old.

So was what Gettleman said about Stewart.

"A couple of weeks ago I sat back and watched every one of his snaps," Gettleman told a small group of reporters from the press box at Bank of America Stadium. "He’s still playing at a very high level.

"You guys know my offseason philosophy. It’s really about setting up your club so that in the draft you can take the proverbial best player. I really feel like we’ve done that."

That wasn’t the case a year ago. By rescinding the franchise tag offer to Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman, along with the retirement of Charles Tillman, Gettleman had to draft cornerbacks early.

He took three, using a second-round pick on James Bradberry, a third-round pick on Daryl Worley and a fifth-round pick on Zack Sanchez.

Carolina struggled in the secondary during the early portion of 2016 and finished 6-10. "I never want to go into a draft like we did last year," Gettleman said. "That was an aberration, and I don’t want to do that."

Gettleman is a best-player-available type of general manager. He doesn’t like to draft for need unless that need is the best player.

While there is a need to add depth at running back and a long-term replacement for Stewart, there isn’t the immediate need to replace Stewart as there was with Norman.

So to all the draft experts projecting Gettleman will select LSU's Leonard Fournette at No. 8, you might have to reconsider.

"He’s like a fine wine right now. It has nothing to do with cap relief," Gettleman said of Stewart, set to count $8.25 million against the cap this season. “Jonathan is still playing at a very high level."

Gettleman reminded reporters that Stewart has played in 13 of 16 games in each of the past two seasons and that he's rushed for at least 800 yards in each of the past three seasons.

He also reminded the media that this is the third straight offseason in which Stewart won’t require offseason surgery. "There are some teams that have a philosophy, that a guy hits 30 ... he’s out," Gettleman said. "I think that’s incredibly dangerous."

Gettleman made that clear not only with Stewart’s extension but in signing 37-year-old defensive end Julius Peppers and safety Mike Adams, who turned 36 on Friday.

"I’m just old-fashioned. I believe in the tape. I believe in what I see," Gettleman said. "I know what I see with Jonathan. I know what I see with Mike Adams and Julius. They are older guys ... obviously, Mike and Julius are really older guys.

"But they can flat still play."

And so can Stewart, who rushed for 132 yards on 25 carries in a late-season game at Washington.

"There are guys that just have NFL bodies, and they’re pros, and they can do it," Gettleman said. "Jonathan is one of those guys. He’s always in great shape. He’s diligent about being in great shape. He’s always taking care of himself."

That doesn’t mean Gettleman won’t select Fournette at No. 8 if he’s the best player available. It simply means he’s not in a position of having to take Fournette if the grades are close on the running back and, say, Alabama tight end O.J. Howard or Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas.

It means he can wait until a later round to take a running back.

And Gettleman will take a back, admitting at the NFL combine that it’s "fair" to say that will happen.

But with Stewart secured through 2018, that player doesn’t have to step in and be featured as Fournette surely will expect to be wherever he goes.

"There’s going to be a lot of really good players there," Gettleman said of the eighth pick. "We’re going to take the best guy."