ESPN's McShay takes questions on Panthers

From Insider:

Jason(Austin Texas): Did Nelson's proday move him back into the top have of the 1st round? Wouldnt he look good patrolling the Panther backfield?

Todd McShay: I thought Nelson's workout at Florida yesterday was outstanding. I don't put too much stock into combine/workout numbers, but I will say I was concerned after watching him run in the 4.5's at the combine. By running a 4.35 (on grass) yesterday, it confirmed that Nelson has the speed to patrol the deep-middle of the field as a FS in the NFL. He also showed great quickness and body control in his shuttles. I clocked him as a 4-second flat in the short shuttle, which would have been the best time of all the DB's that ran at the combine.

Todd McShay: With all that said, Nelson is still a bit of a risk in the middle of the first round. He should develop into a very good centerfielder-type FS, but he's small (198 lbs) and he doesn't support the run well enough. Sure, he would be a great addition to a secondary like the Panthers or Jaguars, but I would rather take the chance of trading down in the first round than use a No. 14 or No. 17 overall pick on a one-dimensional safety.


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Terrence ( Charlotte): Do you thinK nelson is a reach at 14?? Carolina needs secondary help more so than an LT or TE...

Todd McShay: Assuming The Panthers stay at No. 14 and LSU's LaRon Landry is off the board, I think they should go in a different direction. I'd rather see them get a better value on a player such as PSU OT Levi Brown, Nebraska DE Adam Carriker or even Ole Miss ILB Patrick Willis. Then they can still get a quality DS like Texas' Michael Griffin or Miami's Brandon Meriweather in the second round.

 

I thought those were good answers. I read somewhere, maybe Fowler, who sometimes has some good things to say in his email answers, even if he still writes dumb columns, that the Panthers don't think Nelson is good enough to be picked midround. Whether they still think that, or ever thought that, who knows.

 

I'm still fine with Nelson. I don't think he's as one dimensional as that opinion suggests, he's a playmaker, and he's at a need spot.

The down side to it is that, like getting Deon Grant, you have to remember the team really doesn't want to move Mike Minter back.