Bragging rights

I see a possibility here.
Smith #1, Ronnie Brown #2. For whatever reason, the Bears do seem to like Benson at 4, which leaves Williams. Assuming that Edwards goes at 3, and that Williams falls to/past 8, I can see us making that move up. I'd never really thought about Williams falling to 14, but him being the better back IMO, maybe it's not necessary. The only reason it would inevitably happen, though, is that a team between 8-10 moves up (9 and 10 make sense, but Arizona at 8 and Dallas at 11 make no sense) and the team that trades down wishes to keep going.

 

Mark Clayton

 

http://www.gastongazette.com/Portal/ASP/sports/panthers/PanthersDisplay.asp?ID=1221

 

COMMENTARY


Carolina selects ...

This weekend, Panthers' key to draft success hinges on their preparation

PAT YASINSKAS


With Dan Morgan, it was about production. With Julius Peppers and Chris Gamble, their eyes were on potential. With Jordan Gross, they were just plain positive he could play.

Following the P's of drafting has worked very well for the Carolina Panthers the past four years. So what's in store for today? How about preparing?

Maybe South Carolina receiver Troy Williamson falls to No. 14 and disrupts everything. Or maybe a running back or Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson somehow tumbles. Any of those scenarios would be a coup for the Panthers, but they're not likely to happen.

When the 13 picks in front of them play out, it's likely the Panthers will be looking at Florida State tackle Alex Barron, Oklahoma tackle Jammal Brown, Alabama-Birmingham receiver Roddy White and LSU defensive lineman Marcus Spears.

Here's a best-guess look at what the Panthers will do with that pick and their eight others:


Round 1 (No. 14)

Barron or Brown are strong possibilities, and there are indications the Panthers might favor the Oklahoma player. But the offensive line is in decent shape after the addition of guard Mike Wahle, and Barron and Brown aren't exactly can't-miss prospects. If they were, they'd be going in the top 10. Still, it would be tempting to take a player that could provide a nice bookend to Gross.But keep one thing in mind: Coach John Fox built his team around the defensive line. Defensive tackle Brentson Buckner still is a solid player, but he talked of retirement at the end of last season. At some point soon, he'll follow through on that talk and the Panthers have to be prepared because they can't afford any drop-off on the defensive line.

That's why the pick here is Spears, who played end in college, but should make a smooth transition into the middle.

 

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/11468840.htm

 

http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/22/4269489a3f37d

 

Ok, we'll see. If the Panthers truly think Spears is a first-round tackle I'll be very disappointed, because he isn't. I guess they could panic since there aren't any obvious tackles, but boy would that suck. Then again, this isn't exactly coming from the Panthers themselves.

 

Mike Williams, Demarcus Ware, Thomas Davis


IF one of the three RBs is there....that's a given.

 

I pick other, I think we trade down and take Baas.

 

Baas will be there when we pick at #45.