What grade do you give the Panthers for Day 1?

Based on what this draft had to offer and where we were picking I'd have to give our guys a damn A . .. Damnit!

The most flattering thing i found (for what it's worth) is that according to GBN rankings we got 4 players ranked in the top 52 (Kalil #25, Beason #28, Jarrett #35, and Johnson #52)


I would bet Fox & Co are expecting to land 2 or 3 more FAs post draft (TE, FS &/or SS) and will target a backup RT, #4 corner, and a return specialist with tomorrows picks.

 

Others have said it, but ok.

I said B. A-, except for the needs.

I don't see great upside to the picks, but it looks to me like we got 4 potential starters. Just not at our two biggest need areas.

And I don't think its suprising what those two areas are that we skipped.

 

I give this a clear "A." I knew that since we didn't get a Safety or TE that there would be a lot of crying on the boards, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. And while I agree that Safety is a concern, the picks we did get, filled definite needs and were excellent value picks.

Beason - I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority complaining about the pick haven't seen him play (or if they did, they didn't pay particular attention to him). And since they weren't all that familiar with him, and he's not a Safety, it seems like a weak pick. Well, the truth is that Beason is a clear upgrade over Diggs/Anderson at WLB, and will be able to slide over to MLB if/when Morgan goes down. So in and of itself, this was an excellent pick.

Jarrett - We desperately needed a reliable third option at receiver (and future starter). As much potential as Carter has, he has not shown much reliability. Not to mention that he gives us that additional receiving threat that so many wanted in a TE. And to be honest, he gives us a much bigger redzone threat than any TE in the draft. So all in all, this was another great pick.

Kalil - Not the biggest of needs, but he is so much more talented than any of the younger guys we have (maybe the older ones too), that he will immediately be a huge upgrade on the OL. This one simply was just too good to pass up.

Johnson - If the coaches are not sold on McClover, then a potential starting DE was a big need. Even if Rucker is able to start this year, it is likely his last, and we need to be prepared for that inevitability. Also, if Ruck does start, he will need to be heavily rotated since he will almost certainly not be 100%. And by the looks of him, Johnson seems to be the rare complete DE in this year's draft, and someone with the potential to be a very good starter.

So, looking at these picks on their own merit, I think we did wonderfully. However, Safety is still a big need, and TE is out there as well. However, after listening to Fox's comments, the team seems to have a fallback plan to cover the Safety position. Not sure if they feel there is a sleeper they expect to be able to get, or if they are either more willing to convert a current CB than we think or have a FA/trade in mind. Either way, it's only reasonable to understand that, at worst, they will find someone at least moderately capable of starting (not ideal, but also about what we've gotten used to).

As for TE, there are still some decent one's out there like Chandler, Patrick, and Newton. So I'm not overly concerned...especially since I believe King has the potential to be a solid starter, and we have last year's starter still on the team. And as far as we know, they may really shine with Davidson featuring them more as receivers than just blockers. So basically, we really only need just depth.

 

I rate it a B-. I like Beason, he had a bit of an off season as a junior this past year but he had some minor injury problems and of course things were not the most settled at Miami. Like the center a lot from USC. Jarrrett will not be the answer at WR. He is Keyshwan made over but without the production that KJ had in his prime. They could still get a a couple of good players on Sunday. I'm glad they did not reach for Olson the TE from Miami. He may turn out to be a good NFL player but he did not seem to be worth a round 1 pick. If Landry or Willis would have been on the board at 14, the Panthers would never have traded down.


B-

 

I give it a B- on speculation. Stating that any of these guys are upgrades over people we already have is guess work at best and shouldn`t be quoted as fact.

 

Going by GBN ratings

I like it. We got the 2nd rated linebacker in the draft. He's versatile, which comes in handy sooner or later.

The top rated interior o-lineman in the draft. This is nice if you had concerns about the line play and running game last year.

This was a deep WR and Safety draft. There was a run on safetys so we took a WR. They usually take a year to develop so we took advantage of the drafts strengths.

A DE who will likely play with the 1st team through the 1st quarter of the season, so he should be able to spell Rucker if he has any set backs.

 

We wouldn't have had Kalil in the Cleveland deal.

 

I gave us a B, compensating low need with high value. I like Beason, don't like Jarrett, love Kalil (as a player, not necessarily as a pick), and I'm unsure about Johnson.

 

Another scary coincindence:

Dan Morgan - three letter 1st name, 6 letter last name

Jon Beason - three letter 1st name, 6 letter last name

 

I would give us a B. We picked up some good value players. I like trading down in the first round and getting an extra second rounder. I expect they planned to draft a safety at 25 but when the run started on them they were all gone. Beason is a nice player though and still addresses a need area. Failing to get a top safety prospect drops this from an A to a B.

After the draft we need to pickup Doug Jolley and Sammy Knight.

I would have probably taken the deal with the Browns instead of the Jets. Cleveland's pick in next year's draft will likely be pretty high. Even though I like their draft and think Quinn will be good, he will take a year or two.