Draft thread

Just some names to consider...

It's pretty much a given the Panthers will be picking around 20 or later, so here are some names I have compiled in my initial draft run through. I know alot of these guys will drop like rocks as I get further into it (Combine, personal issues, poor bowl showing...ect), but here some guys for initial thought in the 20-32 range.

QB:
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt - Seasoned college QB who led an overachieving team. I said earlier this year he could emerge to have the best NFL career of the '06 QB draft class, which has yet to be seen since I am basing this on only seeing him play once.

RB:
Len Dale White*, USC - Big Bruiser (6'1 235)who should be a solid NFL back. Questions about his versatility in the passing game, otherwise he goes sooner.

FB: None

WR:
Derek Hagan, ASU - Good size (6'2 200), attacks the ball in the air. Not a blazer (4.5), but was very reliable...then again so was Colbert.
Maurice Stovall, Notre Dame - Solid WR with good hands. Runs crisp routes.
Martin Nance, Miami (OH) - Haven't seen enough to really comment, but most reports lack negative comments.
Mike Hass, Oregon State - I got nothing to really comment on him, need to do more research.

TE:
Marcedes Lewis, UCLA - Good size at 6'6 255 and has the hands to match. Not sold on him as a blocker.
Vernon Davis*, Maryland - Very similar to Lewis...shorter and a little more bulk at 6'3 250, better blocker but nearly equal as a WR.
David Thomas, Texas - A little more complete player than Davis or Lewis.
Leonard Pope*, Georgia - Like Thomas, has a balanced game.

OT:
Marcus McNiell, Auburn - Has been dominant at times, many had him pegged as a first rounder had he comeout last year. Big body at 6'9 335, but he carries it well.
Winston Justice*, USC - Plan to look closer at him in the championship game, but he could return for his senior campaign and be a top 10 pick in '07.
Jonathan Scott, Texas - At 6'6 310, he's lean enough and athletic enough to have sucess at the next level.
Justin Blaylock, Texas - Watched Scott more closely, but he looks like a similar player.
Daryn College, Boise State - All reports say this guy is extremely bright and a tenacious blocker at the point of attack.

OG:
Max Jean-Giles, Georgia - Another guy who was highly thought of as a Jr if he had chosen to come out. Equally solid vs run or pass.

C:
None

DT:
Claude Wroten, LSU - Gets low and has good push. Not the ideal run stuffer at 6'2 305 but he get the job done.
Rodrique Wright, Texas - Really don't know how he last this long. Should be one of the first two DT's (Ngata being the other) off the board. Wright has a complete game.

DE:
Tamba Hali, Penn State - Being a Penn State fan, I would love to have this guy. Good pass rusher who is solid against the run as well.

MLB:
None

OLB:
Bobby Carpenter, Ohio State - A piece of possibly the best LB trio in college football history. As stated before, a real lunchpail type of player. He brings it every play. Not real sure about his coverage ability, but it wasn't exposed as a major flaw either.
Will Derting, Washington State - Don't have enough on him to comment.

CB:
Tye Hill, Clemson - Gets after the ball and has good return skills.
Charles Gordon, Kansas - Played both ways at KU, would have preferred to see him dedicated to one or the other. Very solid as a WR from what I saw.
Michael Huff, Texas - Seems to be a more natural FS
Antonio Cromartie*, Florida State - Not enough info to comment.
Devin Hester, Miami (FL) - Looks like a solid pro prospect, may need some time as a nickle before emerging as a starter.

Safety:
Donte Whitner*, Ohio State - Big hitter with a mean streak.
Laron Landry, LSU - Played some CB off and on before moving fulltime to FS.
Dwayne Slay, Texas Tech - WR's don't like this guy. Saw him about knock a guy out of his shoes on a crossing route.
Nate Salley, Ohio State - Gets after the ball with regularity.

 

I don't know if he has been discussed yet, but Gabe Watson is an intriguing prospect as well. He definately has the size to be that run stuffer that we would want, but does his weight and tendencies to take plays off take him off the board for us? Do we want to go through potential Jenkins-type injuries again or Ellison-type lack of intensity?

 

I'm more concerned about nagging injuries. I think a player of that ability often gets a "lazy" tag because he doesn't have gaudy stats like a DE would, and honestly I'm not often in a place to say for myself that a player is lazy or not hardworking.
I like Watson, but he's probably going to settle into a second-level spot in DTs. I don't see him 1st round right now, but there's a big jumble at DT anyway. Some even have Mahelona high, but I haven't really read sites much yet. Trying to worry about my own thoughts first.

Carpenter's a damn decent prospect - very solid. I dunno about putting him at SLB in general just because of the weight, but in most systems he wouldn't play weakside and we don't really need a middle. Here he does fit there, and in the 3-4, I've heard mention of him fitting outside or inside. IIRC, he played a few snaps at end, comes off the edge well, and unlike a lot of projected 3-4 OLB, he's actually got cred as a linebacker.

I'd like to see Greenway do well in a Sr. Bowl type environment before I'm gonna be higher on him. I've seen him not really dominate a game the way I'd want out of a guy a lot of others put 1st round cred on.

 

If thats the case, I'll take him in the second...but he probably won't be around for our pick, sadly.

 

I dunno where the second level will fall into, this year. All I'm saying is he's not in the first group of guys.

I'm not that convinced that there are guys in this draft that'll be available from the 20s on that can push the middle in pass rush, and IMO that's what we really need. As unlikely as it seems, and last game being an exception, you actually can stop the run with Buckner, Moorehead, Carstens, but what we're missing is that push. It's not like we don't have good ends, but it's a lot easier to stop two good ends if there's nothing much going on in front of them.

I hate to want to make Buck return next year, we could use the money from retirements like his, Davis', Kasay's. But even with Jenkins in the lineup, you're missing some of what Buck brought to that front.


There are a number of NT type linemen I like for run-stopping, though they vary in whether or not they can also pursue well (which I assume is something we like since we keep getting smaller DTs); Dusty Dvoracek, Brandon McKinney, Gerald Anderson all look like they could be one-dimensional run stoppers. But I'm not certain we need that player on this team, given that we can stop the run well (when we come to play), and if the trend continues toward the 3-4, these guys will probably go in the 3rd or earlier anyway.


We don't have big front 7 needs, though. Replacing Buck with another savvy vet might be as easy, and certainly we have contingency if we don't bring WW back; then it's just a matter of depth (since it'd assume Draft doesn't return either, we'd have merely Seward and those two dumbass backup MLBs). End has strength and depth.
Hell, assuming we tender Manning, and that he stays the year, we really don't have "needs" at CB, either. Assuming Wesley goes in FA, we could use a guy to groom for a year like GT's Reuben Houston, Pitt's Bernard Lay.

 

All I can say in Greenway's defense is that he played better than I actually expected him too this year. Same for Hodge.
They went from posting gaudy numbers behind a Sr. front four in '04 (including Roth and Babineaux) to playing behind undersized underclassmen. I expected Greenway and Hodge to fall off the face of the Earth without guys in front to keep blockers off them, and while thier numbers slipped a little they were both still very consistent.
A few teams gameplanned for one or the other, which created a few big number games here and there for the other.
Greenway was wise to stay, had he come out last year he'd have been a late first early second. At this point, he's looking at being a possible top 15 pick. But yes, he will need to play well in the post season bowls and have a decent combine to maintain his position.

I've got Watson in the top of the second round right now followed closely by Mahelona, Bunkley and McCargo, although I see McCargo sliding down some as we get closer to the draft. What suprised me is that Orien Harris started out in the middle of the second. I had originally thought of him as a first rounder.

 

O-line seems to be the number one need IMO, especially LT, but I don't know that it can be fixed through the draft. I'm waiting to see if we re-sign Spoon to even gauge whether LB is a need at this point.

 

Devin Hester is reportedly entering the draft. I'm still definitely in favor of spending a middle round pick on a dynamic return man (although I hope we bring back Robertson).

 

I'd want to get out of Miami at this point too, though him having not come up with a college position in three years is alarming.

 

I think his future is at WR. The CB experiment had as much to do with a lack of depth in Miami's secondary as anything. I'm not locked into Hester by any means, but I do think that uncertainty regarding his position could give us a chance to get him in the middle rounds.