Fox Reaction to rounds 2 & 3

Carolina Panthers Head Coach John Fox
Press Conference
April 28, 2007

RE: On the second round picks

We went with the value we had on our board. We felt that both of our
second-round picks were guys we had first round values on. That¹s just the
way they came off the board and we feel good about it at this point.

RE: On selecting Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson was us supplying a need. He had good production and is a
young guy coming out early as a junior. We think that he can have an impact
in a position of need.

RE: On selecting Ryan Kalil

He¹s a guy that gives us some flexibility. We thought he was the best
center in the draft and we just couldn¹t pass him up.

RE: On the selection of Kalil with that pick

We had Ryan Kalil ranked ahead of the guys picked before him. So that¹s why
we picked the way we did.

RE: On not drafting a safety

I think it¹s something that we have prepared ourselves for. We saw that
more than likely it was going to go in that direction. The way the safeties
came off the board, and the way we had them rated, we thought it might go to
the second day.

RE: On if he is comfortable with a second-day pick possibly being the
starter at safety

It depends on how the second-day picks go.

RE: On how the pick of Ryan Kalil affects the offensive line

We¹ve added a guy we think is a potential starter in this league. We¹ll
take it from there. That¹s why we practice, not just in training camp, but
even early on here in minicamps and summer school. That¹s something that
will be decided on the field.

RE: On what the team saw that made Charles Johnson appealing

He¹s had good production ­ not for a long period of time as far as careers
go ­ but he has the tools.

RE: On if Johnson being a bigger defensive end than Stanley McClover is a
bonus with Mike Rucker coming off of an injury

Stanley¹s gotten a lot bigger. He¹s progressed in that area both last
season and this offseason. He¹s gained some strength and bulk since he
first got here.

RE: On Dwayne Jarrett

He¹s another guy we had a high value on that we liked a lot. He was very
productive for three years ­ pretty great production in some big spots. We
were excited about that pick.

sourceanthers Media Relations

 

>>We had Ryan Kalil ranked ahead of the guys picked before him. So that¹s why we picked the way we did.

I believe this. All three were ranked my many as either late first or early second round picks, in the 25-40 range. Some even had Johnson in the top 50. Hell, kiper had the kid going in the first round after the combine.

Oh, and if it wasn't obvious before, it should be now. As an organization we do not place a high value on the safety or tight end positions. I knew this, but now it's real, real clear.

 

good players, and they're shy

 

As having tickets to Georgia I can tell you that Charles Johnson is an absolute monster but won't be good for 3 or 4 years. I can see him getting a decent 2nd round pick but then disapearing

 

I am a lot more excited about this draft this morning than I was last night. We got some potential damn good players. I mean these guys have a chance to be more than starters, they might one day be Pro Bowlers.

 

I never knew that center was a need, unless Kalil is one of these "put him anywhere guys" that the Panthers seem to like.

 

Who can play guard better between Kalil and Hartwig?

 

Best Available Player. Key said that he expected that we would even take Brady Quinn (even though QB was clearly not a need) as BPA if he was still there at 25.

 

Kalil is a natural center, so ideally you'd leave him there, but Fox probably won't want to hand the rookie a job immediately. That probably means Kalil and Hartwig will both at least start out at center, and if Kalil seems as impressive as advertised then Hartwig could always slide over. Personally I expect Kalil to be a backup at least for the start of this season.