Alternative panthers draft

#1) Marcell Dareus - first option would have been to trade down, but they probably didn't have any offers, and you can't really do that with a shadow draft anyway. Dareus was the best player in an incredibly weak draft, and would have had the most immediate impact on the team's chance to be competitive.


#65) Justin Houston - We really didn't have anyone perform well at RDE in 2010. I'm not completely sold on Houston, but at this point in the draft you have to gamble on talent, and he does have that.


#97) Quinton Carter - His size and lack of top end speed make you think he might not stick at corner, but I'm a sucker for DBs who play intelligently, and Carter certainly fits that bill. He's also better at sticking with receivers than you think someone his size would be. Not thrilled with this pick, but I think he was the best option at corner by this point.


#98) Clint Boling - I have a little bit of concern that he might be too much Evan Mathis in that he succeeds mostly due to agility and angles, but plays pretty high. In general you'd prefer a guard with a thick lower half and a low center of gravity who can anchor in pass protection and get leverage for the run game. Still, he's sound in his technique and plays aggressively, so I'd give him a shot to earn a spot at RG.


#132) Brandon Burton - I have a feeling he will struggle to remain at corner at the NFL level, but at worst he's a guy who can contribute in nickel and dime. He's just not fluid in coverage, but plays with good effort and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Pretty much just a body you would use in various packages and who would contribute on special teams.


#166) Dwayne Harris - He doesn't really have a position, but the dude is a tough playmaker. He's not good enough at route running and doesn't have great hands, but he can work out of the slot and make some magic after the catch if he does bring it in. It would be interesting to see if he could develop into a decent enough blitz blocker to work as a 3rd down back, because the idea of getting him in space against a linebacker is intriguing.


#203) Greg McElroy - Because why the fuck not. The last draft pick with a super hot girlfriend worked out pretty well for us (Kalil). I'm sure he's sick of hearing about how smart he is, but absolute worst you've got a kid who can be a top notch backup who is always prepared to see the field.


#244) Lee Ziemba - Thought about Pianalto just because the kid is so good when healthy, but then I remembered that he dropped two TD passes that would have beaten LSU. Ziemba is a physical presence who can provide some strength and depth along the offensive line.

 

Did you see what happened before the Pilares pick.

Foxy traded up and nabbed Julius Thomas, a TE in the Gates mold wed been heavily rumored with. Thomas noted we were one of two teams that showed a strong interest.

Would love to have been in the war room when that went down.

I thought the 4th round would have been the spot with DJ and Stocker still available instead we appear to have gotten away from Foxy principals with the CB pick.

 

Ditto

It was a weird draft. So many variables with the Newton pick and Hurney fucking up our second rounder.

But something that was patently obvious is this isnt Foxs team anymore its Riveras.

He got (hopefully) his franchise QB in Newton and brought in Shockey prior to the lockout.

Then we went to work on D with 2 DT's in the 3rd and a physical CB and OLB with strong tackling attributes, something he mentioned when he came in he wanted to get back too.

After reading the article mags posted on Pilares i have to admit i got a little giddy.

Then we finished with 2 lineman reminisent of the Schwartz pick.

Because of the no second rounder and passing on Darius it looked like we were always behind in the draft, so it looks weaker on paper than past teams that had the #1 picks.

That said all of the top 4 pick appear to have been targets that fitted Riveras and McDermots philosophy, especially when you factor in the speed we turned those cards in and the players available we passed on.

It'll be very interesting to see how this one pans out.

We addressed our needs very systematically with reguards to needs, cant complain there.

 

okay I'll play... since I acted like a bitch during the draft... I wanted to trade down and get what the Browns got, but after looking over the picks, just wasn't enough to pass up Dareus... of course Cleveland gets an extra 1st & 4th next year as well

1) Marcell Dareus - DT - no brainer pick
65) Ryan Mallett QB - would still need a vet QB, I think would be good competition with Pike for the #2
97) Julius Thomas TE - Raw, athletic.
98) David Arkin OL - size, good depth, durable
132) Brandon Burton DB - has speed, contribute in nickle, ST's
166) Quan Sturdivant LB - good football knowledge, good depth
203) Andrew Jackson OL - quick, powerful, tough
244) Eric Hagg DB - good nose for the ball, can play CB or S

Hurney continues to set this franchise farther back... I feel bad for Rivera he's now tied to Cam.

 

You guys are making the same mistake that these "experts" on tv are. Just because most of our picks are not recognizable, big name, big college players doesn't make them a bad pick.

The teams that selected big name guys will get a high "draft grade" from these draft guru idiots. I've already seen some web sites giving us C's.
Who gives a shit, by this time next week, no one will care or remember who supposedly got A's or B's for their draft class

 

#1) There will always be surprises, but draft projections aren't random or entirely inaccurate.

#2) What else are we supposed to do?

 

No.

The only pick that really had me scratching my head was the Fua pick. I understand it, but ESPN had him rated at something like 36 out of 100 -- and we took him at the end of the 3rd round.

Injury issues with Hogan and Pilares are gambles. Hogan's injury + off field stuff really surprised me. I don't think we've ever drafted a guy who had a recent ACL tear, was previously suspended for academic reasons AND has been arrested multiple times.

Not really excited about the Wilson and Williams picks. I figure Wilson is a special teams guy and Williams is at worst a camp body since we can't sign undrafted rookies.

Ziemba looks like a guy that could be something in a couple of years. He was rated 77 out of 100 by ESPN.

 

not to mention the tatoos & piercings...

I didn't watch any espn coverage

 

I didn't either -- the rankings I got off the draft section of their website. NFLN does a much better job covering the draft.

Williams - 30/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/27055/sione-fua

Fua - 35/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/27055/sione-fua

Pilares - 47/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/27055/sione-fua

Wilson - 59/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/27270/lawrence-wilson

Ziemba - 71/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/26089/lee-ziemba
(and is a very superstitious player)

Hogan - 73/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/27227/brandon-hogan

McClain - 78/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/26238/terrell-mcclain

Newton - 93/100 -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/27308/cam-newton

 

oh yeah... they were all over it

Charles Davis & Mike Mayock did their homework...