Latest PFW Mock with Panthers at 31

So they already have us losing the SB
1. San Diego Chargers
QB Eli Manning
Mississippi Like his brother Peyton in 1998, Manning stands an excellent chance of being the first player taken but may not land with the Chargers, who will be very receptive to trading down to bolster their offensive or defensive line.
2. Oakland Raiders
QB Ben Roethlisberger*
Miami (Ohio) The Raiders have a lot of needs. When Rich Gannon went down, the offense sank, and Gannon is not getting any younger. Roethlisberger has all the tools to be a Pro Bowl quarterback
3. Arizona Cardinals
DT Tommie Harris*
Oklahoma Although he played in a rotation at Oklahoma, which resulted in his average statistics, Harris has the rare quickness and athletic ability to amp up the Cardinals' pathetic pass rush.



4. New York Giants
OT Robert Gallery
Iowa With the Chargers and Raiders in need of line help, Gallery may not be available for the Giants, but Tom Coughlin made Tony Boselli his first pick in Jacksonville and will look to rebuild a struggling offensive line quickly.
5. Washington Redskins
TE Kellen Winslow*
Miami (Fla.) The tight end position is central to Joe Gibbs' offense, and owner Daniel Snyder is a sucker for names with star power. Although D-line help is desperately needed, Winslow is a rare talent.
6. Detroit Lions
RB Steven Jackson*
Oregon State The Lions have not had a potent running attack since the days of Barry Sanders, but Jackson could give their ground game life.
7. Atlanta Falcons (Subject to coin flip with Browns)
DE Kenechi Udeze*
USC Udeze is a converted defensive tackle who shed 70 pounds and emerged as a force off the edge. He'll give Jim Mora a potent weapon.
8. Cleveland Browns (Subject to coin flip with Falcons)
FS Sean Taylor*
Miami (Fla.) Former Hurricanes coach Butch Davis is very familiar with Taylor and will not pass up the chance to draft Winslow or Taylor if either is available, although Shawn Andrews could be enticing considering the Browns' desperate need for a tackle.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
WR Roy Williams
Texas With Jimmy Smith on the decline, the Jaguars need a premier receiver. Williams stood out more as a junior than as a senior and his stock dipped, but he's still a big-time playmaker.
10. Houston Texans
OT Shawn Andrews*
Arkansas A defensive tackle may be a bigger need, but the offensive line lacks Pro Bowl talent. Andrews is a dominant run blocker who could protect David Carr's blind side for years to come.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Kevin Jones*
Virginia Tech The Steelers' running game was a major source of frustration last year. Bill Cowher comes from the smashmouth school of football and needs a strong, powerful back.
12. New York Jets
OLB D.J. Williams
Miami (Fla.) With Mo Lewis and Marvin Jones expected to be cap cuts, youth at linebacker is needed. Williams is ready to contribute right away, although his more instinctive counterpart, Jonathan Vilma, may fit better.
13. Buffalo Bills
WR Reggie Williams*
Washington The loss of Peerless Price crippled the Bills' passing attack. Williams had a down year on a struggling Washington offense, but he has the size-speed combination to be dominant.
14. Chicago Bears
DT Vince Wilfork*
Miami (Fla.) Brian Urlacher struggled without a big body to protect him. Jerry Angelo drafted Warren Sapp in Tampa Bay. If Wilfork can get in better shape and learn to play every down, he has Pro Bowl potential.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR Michael Clayton
LSU Jon Gruden doesn't have a lot of patience with young receivers, but Clayton is a very fluid, polished athlete who can make fans forget about Keyshawn Johnson.
16. San Francisco 49ers
CB Dunta Robinson
South Carolina The Niners drafted Mike Rumph to replace Jason Webster. Ahmed Plummer is hitting free agency; it could make the Webster the starter -- which the 49ers would probably like to avoid.
17. Cincinnati Bengals
DE Will Smith
Ohio State Smith could come off the board much sooner. He can play linebacker or end and will give Marvin Lewis more flexibility to devise creative schemes.
18. New Orleans Saints
DT Randy Starks*
Maryland This junior is stronger and more instinctive than Kris Jenkins coming out in 2000 and can fill the void left by the release of Grady Jackson.
19. Minnesota Vikings
CB Derrick Strait
Oklahoma The Vikings need to find a premium pass rusher or shutdown corner, and the Nagurski Award-winning Strait is the best available.
20. Miami Dolphins
OL Vernon Carey
Miami (Fla.) The Dolphins need to inject youth into an aging offensive line, and Carey's ability to play guard or tackle will make him attractive.
21. New England Patriots (from Bal.)
RB Greg Jones
Florida State With the Cowboys in need of a running back, expect the Pats to beat them to the punch. Jones was slowed this season coming off reconstructive knee surgery, but his outstanding strength and power make him a great fit in Foxboro.
22. Dallas Cowboys
RB Chris Perry
Michigan Troy Hambrick is not the answer for the Cowboys. Perry could be the most complete back in the draft and also could interest the Patriots.
23. Seattle Seahawks
LB Teddy Lehman
Oklahoma The Seahawks need to keep building their defense. Lehman is stout enough to take on blockers inside and quick enough to play outside.
24. Denver Broncos
CB DeAngelo Hall*
Virginia Tech The Broncos are looking to correct the mistakes they have made drafting cornerbacks (Deltha O'Neal, Willie Middlebrooks) by securing a lockdown corner and valuable return man.
25. Green Bay Packers
J.P. Losman
Tulane The Packers need to address their QB situation before Brett Favre retires. Losman has the most similarities to Favre of any quarterback in the draft.
26. St. Louis Rams
CB Ricardo Colclough
Tusculum Colclough's ability as a returner will force teams to consider him in the first round. With youth needed in the secondary, Colclough will be difficult to pass up, especially with Dane Looker returning punts.
27. Tennessee Titans
OLB Karlos Dansby
Auburn The offensive line is a bigger need, but linebacker wasn't the most pressing need when the Titans selected Keith Bulluck at the end of the first round in 2000. Dansby is an athletic playmaker with LaVar Arrington-type potential once he matures.
28. Philadelphia Eagles
WR Rashaun Woods
Oklahoma State Woods may fall out of the first round because of his lack of speed, but he has more playmaking ability than any current Eagles receiver.
29. Indianapolis Colts
DT Marcus Tubbs
Texas Tubbs is a solidly built, physical specimen who can bolster the Colts' interior defensive line and improve the weak link in their run defense. He's an athletic two-gap tackle who fits their scheme.
30. Kansas City Chiefs
CB Chris Gamble
Ohio State The Chiefs need a No. 1 receiver, and Wisconsin's Lee Evans could be intriguing, but the offense wasn't the reason the Chiefs didn't advance in the playoffs. Gamble is raw but has tremendous upside and could develop into the best cornerback the Chiefs have had since Dale Carter.
31. Carolina Panthers
LB Jonathan Vilma
Miami (Fla.) Vilma has very similar size and instincts to former Hurricanes LB Ray Lewis and could easily be drafted in the same 26th slot, where he could re-unite with former mentor Dan Morgan.
32. New England Patriots
C Jake Grove
Virginia Tech The Patriots likely will entertain trade offers to avoid having to pay two first-round selections, but if they keep the pick, they will be seeking help up front. Grove could play center or guard.

 

thanks PP and i like Vilma myself ........dan is best suited outside

 

actually most scouts have Villma going to OLB... which he'd prob do if he came here... I think that'll be a tough spot for the panthers to decide on... they'll have to decide if they think Fields can come back next year and contribute... if he can't its a high priority... if he can they can draft lower and develop someone.

 

They aren't picking us to lose, these Mock Dratfts are based off records and the PATS have the better record.

 

Vilma is an impact player that can really blitz well which is a need. I agree he stays at OLB, but could fill in the middle if need be (like Will does on occasion).

One thing I must say is that I agree DJ Williams will be picked higher than Vilma because of the measurables, but there is no way he was the better player on the field at Miami. DJ is raw and isn't close to the playmaker Vilma is atp. DJ might get exposed bigtime early in the career at the next level because I don't see him as a guy who "gets" the position right now. His raw talent is awesome but he is very overated because of it.

 

From the little I know about Vilma, we could do much, much worse than picking him at #31 (if that's where we pick).

 

no way he slides that far. This is an early mock draft, and it shows.

 

For all of the just pick the “best available” sentiment so far we are still going to pick a guy at a position of need with our first pick. What position(s) DO we need so badly that we would spend our first pick to get him?

QB - Jake is the man and we may or may not draft his backup on day two but definitely no QB on day one.

DL - We’re going to lose Wallace but between Pittman and free agency we’ll get a decent replacement for our rotation . . . no DL necessary.

OL - Donnelley is no Matthews Slater or Brown and a successor should be drafted so the kid can be ready to take over in a year or two. A lineman is a must but probably not on the first day.

S - Since Grant has stepped up we don’t need a S, at least not on the first day. If Coop sticks and they are high enough on Branch this will get pushed WAY into day two.

TE - IMO Wiggins and Mangum have done well enough and Seidman remains a question mark but nothing would indicate that they don’t seem as high on him as when they spent a third on the guy. It seems extremely unlikely that we would pick that high (or higher) on a TE again this year . . . no TE on day one.


That leaves what seems to be the three first day needs by position -

CB - The stellar play of RMJ is encouraging and he’s only going to get better, however we still need a starting CB to pair with him. There are plenty of free agency options and that fact along with the depth of the upcoming draft at the position indicates second or even third round.

WR - We are old at WR and a first day WR is a must. Since a run will probably start somewhere in round one our braintrust might feel pressed into taking the highest WR on their board with their #1 so they aren’t left counting on the Prohels and Dysons of the league to provide an important missing element for the future. Okay, we all know that hell would probably freeze over before these guys draft a WR in the first . . . second round after a second run.

LB - Even if Fields makes it back to the field by camp he’s an older guy and we need to draft a third (eventual) starter at the position. There really does not seem to be enough in free agency to fill this need so day one seems likely. IMO since there are only a small handful of fast versatile starting NFL caliber LBs we will absolutely have to take one with our #1 IF any of them drop to us.