2004 Draft main discussion

Schaub and Smoker should be day one picks, with good combines, possible first rounders. Van Pelt is an attitude player, just a pure FB player more so than a QB. The type of guy you love to have on your team.
Van Pelt has many intangibles that raise his value, but his skills are middle of the road. He'd deffinately be that third to fifth round QB teams will look at as a develpomental guy.

 

Since I think that;

Manning
Roethlisberger
Rivers
Navarre
Losman
Harris
Pickett

are better than:
Schaub
Smoker
and Van Pelt

These guy are on par with them:
McCown
Clausen
Lorenzen
Rutherford

There isn't enough room on day one for all of them.

 

I wouldn't disagree, however of that list, come combine time guys are going to shuffle up and down. Schaub and Smoker are two guys I can see moving up. They both have been inconsistent, but it's how the work out that will define where they end up.
I can see Rivers slipping due to his odd delivery and Harris and Pickett are relative unknowns, just my opinion.
Rutherford really peeks my interest as a developmental prospect. He's very mobile, but has good pocket presence. If he grades out with a good combine he'll find his way into the third round.
I expect Lorenzen to have a good combine, but the weight issue will be enough to prevent him from moving up. He'll have to prove himself on the field not in testing.

 

Losman's not a project type player, though. Probably needs to sit, nonetheless, but likely a first two round value.

Lorenzen'd be a fun project, and certainly a project. But he's just kinda erratic. It's nice to see him be more efficient but it also takes away the best part of his game. Clausen would be a good fit here.

 

I am inclined to take a wait and see approach until the combine. The Panthers should look at a QB sometime, but not day one.
Losman could be the best of the lot when all is said and done, but I think I once said that Damieun Craig would be the best of his class when all is said and done too (hear my credibility fading...OK it was just a loud explosion)
There is so much hype on Manning, and I like the guy and think he'll be better than Peyton, but tht is twice the pressure Peyton had.
Manning and Losman obviously top my board right now. I think Smoker is an accident waiting to happen, but Schaub could be a good future general. Ryan Dinwiddie is another one to keep an eye on, don't know much from sight...but he has pretty solid numbers the last 2 years.
We talked about J-Lo last year, he's going to be a side show...but I think a good one down the road. It will take alot for people to get past the weight. It wasn't something that I would have really worried about til I saw him play this year. That guy has a great deal of loose skin hanging around his waist. He's a box of Ho-Ho's away from being a RT.

 

agree on Schaub. Probably not flashy, and might never be a star, but he can get it done.

Craig coulda done it. I just don't know that he had the arm strength, besides his erratic mechanics. But looking at him versus, say, Fasani, who also supposedly had some first round abilities, and he did have some promise. It's awfully hard to project the guys without much arm strength, and while he was an Auburn leader he was pretty pouty at Carolina.

Lorenzen's weight isn't a big deal, to me. But he's gonna need a hell of a QB guy to straighten him out right.

 

I haven't dove into the depth at LB and CB just yet, but from what I see of the depth at WR in this draft...the Panthers could focus on needs at CB and LB and still have a pretty good crop of WR's to chose from.
Here are some names:

Kerry Colbert USC 6'1 200 - Had a better year last year, but the chemistry between Leinert and Williams left him with scraps this year. A good combine could vault him back up the charts, but I'd peg him a 2-3 rounder as it stands now.

James Newson Oregon St. 6'1 208 - Admittedly don't know too much about him. Remember a few big production games early in the season.

Tony Brown (JR) Tennessee 6'2 200 - If he comes out, he'll easily be a 3rd. Would benefit by staying in. Could be a 1st rounder in 2005.

B.J. Johnson Texas 6'1 200 - Overshadowed by Williams, but a very solid WR non the less.

Mo Brown Iowa 6'2 216 - Missed half the season with a broken leg, but very productive when on the field. Good run blocker.

Jerrico Cotchery NC State 6'1 200 - I didn't see much of him this year, but you guys seem to like him?

See a trend with these guys? All are Moose-like in size and should be or develop into good blockers, which is what Carolina would be looking for.
I can't help but push WR back in the priority line because of our glaring need at CB and the uncertainty at LB. Add the fact that Hennings doesn't open things up much and I can see the Panthers skipping WR all together. Still doesn't mean they don't need to get another good one!

 

I would like to see us get Schaub if he's still there on the second day. I just doubt he'll be there. There's not too many qb's that play in a pro style offense, especially the west coast offense, like he has. I see someone that runs the wc to pick him up on day 1. I think he fits our system pretty well considering he doesn't make many mistakes and shows good poise. Throws to the short routes, but can go deep when it's needed.

 

I like Mo Brown, McFly. Wouldn't be a bad fit here. Still think we need to get somebody a little faster, but there should be plenty of guys out there that have the height and speed who can still block. Maybe Brown can.

Schaub and Navarre, IMO, along with David Greene, lead the list of guys who do the Steve Deberg things -attention to detail, for instance - and limit mistakes, without being noodle-armed.

 

What about;

Derrick Hamilton, 6-4, 200, Clemson

Junior talking about making the leap. He is fast good with the deap ball. A little raw, but we can give him a little (very little) time to learn. A projected 3rd rounder or so right now.