Zod

Good day fellow Carolina Panthers fans. Today I would like to take a step back and look at the 2021 Carolina Panthers draft in a big picture context and try to uncover why things transpired as they did. Won't you join me? The Problems The 2020 Carolina Panthers were a rag tag group of players that put together an admirable effort that inevitably ended in a season we all thought they would have. However, not every aspect of their game was an issue. 2020 yielded some very good things. Unfortunately, the problem areas contributed to the EIGHT losses incurred by a score or less. The most glaring problems were as follows: - A QB unable or unwilling to push the ball down field. - A defensive secondary unable to challenge better wideouts - An offense unable to impose its will on short yardage situations - An inability to score touchdowns when in the red zone You add this all up and you get a 5-11 team. A team that really isn't horrible, but a team that just can't win close games. The Solutions Unlike in years past, Matt Rhule and Scott Fitterer have actually tried to find solutions to he problems stated above via sweeping personnel changes. The following solutions correspond to the aforementioned problems. - Sam Darnold has the ability and willingness to push the ball down field. At 23 years old he now has, for the first time, adequate coaching and supporting cast at a professional level. There is some concern about his offensive line. But remember, even last season the offensive line was ranked smack dab in the middle, perfectly average. It has improved slightly from there this offseason. - Obviously, Jaycee Horn is an instant and significant upgrade to the cornerback position. The Panthers can now press some of the better receivers in the league and not simply pray for a misthrow or drop. But it is so much more than that. Horn provides a trickle down improvement to the entire defense. Edge players will not have a half second more to get to the quarterback. Linebackers won't have to overcompensate on helping the corners and will be able to focus more on their own assignments. The defense is an organic living thing and such a drastic improvement in one area is far reaching to the entire body. - Last season, when Teddy Bridgewater reached over the goal line and fumbled he cemented his future, or lack thereof, on this team. He broke a golden Rhule. The Panthers head coach had warned him that is something we just don't do. Now the issue of being unable to impose our will when needed was addressed in round 3 of the draft with the selection of Tommy Tremble. Alex Armah was decent for a converted defensive player, and Chris Manhertz was always below average to terrible on any given play. In Tremble, the Panthers now have the best blocking H-Back in the draft that has drawn comparisons to George Kittle. Paired with a healthy CMC and a strong young QB and 4th and 1 should be nearly a guaranteed first down. - Scoring touchdowns in the red zone was a two prong problem. One was the quarterback just not seeing the field or making the wrong throw. The other was receivers just not getting open. Lock down Robby Anderson in the red zone and the others were easily handled. That is what we saw. So, Joe Brady and the Panthers drafted one of the best red zone threats in the draft, LSU's Terrace Marshall. You can safely expect to see him in the game whenever the Panthers are on the fun side of the 20. What about the rest? The rest of the 2021 Carolina Panthers draft was not to address any significant problems per se, aside from possibly 3rd round tackle Brady Christensen who could develop into a starter this season. The rest of the draft was mostly about increasing the physical talent of the Panthers depth this season and possibly a starter or two moving forward. If you take a gander at the Panthers roster last season and compare to now, one could argue the biggest change is the quality in the depth. This exponentially increases the chance of finding a future reliable starter and also drives up competition, demanding even better from the starters entrenched in front of them. Conclusion It has been interesting to watch a front office recognize and address glaring deficiencies so quickly and efficiently. I have heard talk of "a process" for decades in the organization but have seen little evidence to back it up, until now. Will it work? We will soon see. Nothing is a given. There is a chance that the Panthers again fall well short this season. However, If I had to predict the future I would say a significant improvement is in our future resulting in a winning season.

Panthers think Sam Franklin will be a legit option this year at safety.

From what I can tell there are 7 maybe 8 spots open with 11 guys drafted. Practice squad gonna be better quality than most seasons.

Rhule just said they see him as a corner not a safety

Big ups to JOAT for stepping in.

Josh wasn't a test taker. He was a super competitor. Lining up against another human motivated him and made him better. Running cones didn't motivate him.

They coached him at the senior bowl. Obviously they thought he was someone they could mold into a depth player.

Bravvion and Daviyon

Overview Three-technique who thrives with his ability to penetrate and disrupt the offensive proceedings. He’s good at getting skinny and darting into gaps in order to attack the run or cause blocking schemes to come off track. He appears to have much more functional strength in his lower body than upper body and has trouble controlling blockers at the point of attack with hand work and shed quickness. His agility and pursuit quickness will help him make plays that other interior defenders can’t get to, but offenses will likely have success running right at him. He has Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) talent and could become an eventual starter. Strengths Has experience at three-technique and slant nose. Maintains knee bend and pad level off the snap. Slippery with efficient slide-and-go shots into the gap. Knives in and shoots upfield to disrupt blocking scheme. Above-average lateral movement for reactive tackles in his gap. Speedy big man who's able to range way outside home base. Possesses pursuit agility and change of direction to make plays. Lower-body flexibility for surprising anchor when hips are unlocked. Good job of setting up rush moves. Shows ability to get to his rush edge with finesse or power. Keeps tight track to quarterback when attacking pocket. Quick to sniff out screen passes. Weaknesses Lacks desired mass and width for interior defender. Not built for read-and-react football. Not enough upper-body power to press, separate and control blockers. Labors to neutralize base blocks and rarely gets quick block shed. Drops head into contact and loses sight of play development. Edge-to-edge movements can be a little gradual as rusher. Below-average rush counters when locked up. Did not stack sacks on a consistent basis.

Carolina Panthers select Daviyon Nixon - DT- Iowa

Good thread full of highlights

Overview Hubbard's 2019 production would tell you he ate, but he had plenty put on his plate with almost 26 carries per game. In 2020, his production dipped as teams seemed to find ways to bottle him up. Hubbard is a tempo-driven runner as an outside-zone back playing peek-a-boo behind his blocks. His willingness to get upfield rather than bounce everything will be applauded, but he needs to use his vision and easy change of direction to become more creative on the second level as a pro. He needs to tighten up his ball security issues, but has the talent to become a committee back with upside for a zone-based rushing attack. Strengths Showed ability to carry a significant load. Runs with good tempo. Smooth downhill flow with efficient change of direction. Instinctive through the traffic. Accurate reads up to linebackers in outside zone. Vision to recognize and get skinny through small creases. Agile feet to spin or jump-cut away from tacklers. Rarely bounces runs wide unnecessarily. Angle tackles slide off loose, slippery hips. Effective on screens and can work out of backfield against LBs. Weaknesses Is a little lighter than expected for the heavy tote total. Below-average leg drive to break NFL tackles. Not a fall-forward finisher. Running style is more rigid than creative. Needs willingness to improvise once he's on second level. Average burst to outrun faster linebackers to the corner. Fumbles come from carrying ball away from frame in space. Needs to improve blitz recognition and pass pro technique.

Round 4 - Carolina Panthers select Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State.

All the picks on the third day have about the same chance of making an impact. The more picks you have, the greater chance you have of finding one or two good long term players.

We like lots of guys and they are all about the same at this point in the draft. Why not get as many as you can.

Picks 126, 166 and 232 go to Carolina as new GM Scott Fitterer continues to stockpile.

Good lord here we go

I remember being told to be really excited because Keyarris Garrett lead the NCAA in receptions and was like a first rounder or something even though he was a UDFA,

Sewell is gonna suck.

2016 Panthers Draft Round 1: DT Vernon Butler Round 2: CB James Bradberry Round 3: CB Daryl Worley Round 5: CB Zack Sanchez Round 7: TE Beau Sandland

I have some prior family obligations today and may not be around exactly when needed. Anyone going to be watching all day and create a thread formatted in the same manner?