Mr. Scot

I get that everybody thinks everything is a smokescreen, but again that doesn't happen nearly as much as fans think it does.

And there's no guarantee that they liked what they saw at that first one either, especially given that more than one source has indicated the Panthers aren't high on Lance.

They went to Zach Wilson's.

Kinda like the first post in this thread?

For what it's worth, his skill set and experience would have made him a good fit here. Andy Reid thinks he'd make a great coach. If Brady winds up getting a head coaching job and Sean Ryan succeeds him as OC, maybe we could talk to Smith about being a quarterback coach.

Smith is retiring.

I know fans think everything that comes out is a smokescreen, but it's not really as common as people think. I acknowledge it's possible, but I honestly wouldn't put money on the Panthers taking Lance.

Have you seen how many players we signed?

Source added that they're "not as high" on Lance. This isn't the first time we've heard that suggested. More than one analyst has said they weren't all that big on more than the top two or three quarterbacks.

Technically they already did. I know a lot of folks don't believe in Darnold, but all that really matters is whether or not the Panthers do.

Breer is one of the best NFL reporters in the business. Mind you, that doesn't mean he's always right (nobody is).

A reminder that Sam Darnold isn't the only player the Panthers are deciding on, and an analysis that might surprise you (from Breer in the MMQB) The deadline on fifth-year options for 2018 first-round picks is two weeks from Monday, and I think that none have yet been exercised is telling. Yes, there has been one extension, that one was signed by Raiders LT Kolton Miller. And there are a few others that really are no-brainers (Quenton Nelson, Josh Allen, Bradley Chubb, Denzel Ward, Tremaine Edmunds, Jaire Alexander, Frank Ragnow). But past that? I think the reluctance to pick up the options can be tied to two things, and those two things can be connected. One, the obvious, that these options, under the new CBA, are fully guaranteed (and not just guaranteed for injury until the following March) for the first time. So there won’t be any more cases like Adoree' Jackson’s this year, where a team hedges its bet by picking up the option, then makes the decision to cut him a year later. And two, I think the realities of the 2022 cap come into play here (most expect it to be relatively flat for another year, before a big jump in 2023), and so teams might be waiting to see who they wind up with in the draft to make a final decision on pricey options for next year, especially if the players with option decisions coming have injury issues (Chargers S Derwin James and Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch are two examples of that). Also, if you just take a gander at the 2018 first round, there are plenty of guys there who would qualify as close calls—good, but maybe not quite great players (Rashaan Evans, Isaiah Wynn, and D.J. Moore are three names that seem to fit that category).

From Albert Breer's latest MMQB (link) Speaking of Sewell, he’s one of a number of players I’d see in play for the Panthers at No. 8. The genius of the Sam Darnold trade, by GM Scott Fitterer and coach Matt Rhule, is that it maintains the team’s flexibility to take a quarterback there while creating new flexibility not to take a quarterback with the pick. If Fields slides to No. 8, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his slide stop there—be it via the Panthers taking him or trading the pick to someone who would. At the same time, Carolina’s in a nice spot to address its needs at corner (with a Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain) or tackle (with, perhaps, Sewell) and go forward with Darnold, too.

Mine too. There have always been players who half-assed it after getting paid and there have always been players who gave it their all from day one till they retired. This isn't a new thing.

As big a detractor of Little as I am, if we're talking about which player has the worst ratio of ability to selection spot, I could make a pretty strong argument for Rashaan Gaulden.

It wasn't Matt. It was Ryan. Cowherd got the name wrong.

Of all the idiotic things to spam a football message board about...

That I can understand, but yeah, 2012. As far as others taken outside the first, Derek Carr is probably the best.

As for me, I don't necessarily have specific players in mind so much as positions (at least in the first). Obviously, in the first round I want offensive line. Anything that isn't that, not so much.

I think your crystal ball might need some cleaning.