MHS831

I am not a fan of Cross over Icky, but I see the logic behind it. I just think they feel confident at LT with Christensen there (he is now nearly a 26-year old veteran and not a rookie). His elite athleticism should shine there once the game slows down for him. The fact that he played LT only out of necessity last year is on Rhule. No excuse for not developing rookies when you suck. I think the Panthers will be making a mistake taking a QB at 6. at 15 or so, go for it, but have a lineman in mind on day 2.

Last year, the QBs were better--so many think. The QBs came from schools with solid defenses, solid weaponry, etc. Major schools in their class: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, ND State (FCS powerhouse), and BYU (had a soft schedule). This year? Ole Miss, Cincinnati, UNC, Liberty, and Pitt. Of course they are not going to look as good--they were on programs that were not as established--so of course they appeared to be lesser QBs. Less hype, less PR, less national spotlight=weak QB class. Nope--not when the fourth overall pick was the best QB in 2022--when Davis Mills (3rd) was the second best.

I think the cap room is insurance--if they trade back, do not get the qb, they can bring one in if necessary. However, I really think part of the plan at QB is to see how Darnold does with an actual OL-- I think that is plan C, but it is a plan.

We shall see--possibly

Panthers are going to trade back at least once and walk away with Howell or Corral. So it was written. I cant tell you all how much I am looking forward to my favorite 3 days of the year

someone will trade up for a LT or a pass rusher. 3 LTs could have top 10 grades (Ickey, Neal, Cross) 3 DEs could have top 10 grades (Walker, Thibodeaux, Hutchinson) So if a QB, WR, CB, or S is drafted in the top 5, there is a major stud there for a trade....Gonna happen, folks--that is why we are taking such a close look at the top 5 qbs...

MHS831 approves of this message.

Here is how I think it could be playing out: We don't see a lot of difference between QB 1 and 5, so trade back and take the last man standing. If that fails, you still have a shot at Howell or Ridder. Personally, I think Corral goes sooner than expected and Pickett drops. I mean, we are not considering 2 of the top 5 QBs at #6, so it seems the SMART play is to try to trade back and get a QB--to me, there are 5 that are pretty even. So by having them all in Charlotte, it does not guarantee a QB at #6, it suggests that we want to know how far back we can move.

becoming an NFL laughingstock along the way. harsh.

from what I saw, he is average--and the way they moved him around, understandable. Great athlete and a great coach-- I think Bozeman will be the LG and Elf will play C. Love for Elf to be depth.

So Humperdoo is Darnold? I want to watch this now--for some reason.

I firmly believe the system, supporting cast, and coach play calling has as much or more to do with a QB's lack of success than the skill level of the QB. That is why they miss--they study the "messiah" without looking into their ability to stay disciplined and support him.

Last year, when they let Fields go to a team behind them in the draft, they knew the 2022 draft was weak---so they were "all in" on Darnold. This year, they take a QB because they were wrong. I think I heard something once about 2 wrongs.

Seriously, normally I just don't open threads like this, but damn we need some Panther news.

I have insurance.

I have been watching a lot of NFL network lately to get my brain into draft mode and I have seen a LOT of highlights against the Panthers. Especially at DB--so many Darnold picks.

Points The chain measurement is dramatic. Calling for a measurement was like a free timeout. They could freeze the video image and measure exactly where the ball was when the runner was down. Really helpful when holding ball out while running out of bounds.

The 2021 2022 Hindsight Draft I went with Fields Gardner because I like Fields better than Willis--only reason

I think it is a lot easier to guess where a QB will be drafted than it is to predict which will be successful by year 3 or not. I think the Joe Montanas, Russell Wilsons, Tom Bradys, etc. (not drafted until round 3 or later) are out there, and I think this draft will produce some good QB talent. I literally see the top 5 as being about equal in terms of their likelihood to be a successful pro---I am not a good evaluator of QB talent, so maybe its me. But I read somewhere that the #1 overall QB picked has something like a 60% chance of success but a QB picked 2-5 of round 1 has a 25% chance of success----later round 1? 25% chance of success. (sorry, I would provide the link if I could remember where I saw it---I read it about 3 times to make sure I interpreted it correctly). So why reach? To me, the question is not, Pickett > Howell? It is Pickett> Howell + an olineman.?

We all want to overpay for a player after his best--as if a great year is an indication of the future. Howell had a great year in 2020 and he suffered in 2021. His stock is DOWN, but what is the difference between Howell and Pickett? In 2020, nobody knew who Pickett was--Howell was the lock first round draft pick. If Howell had a bad year because he was asked to do so much more (running, playing from behind, etc) how would he do with a great OL and Moore and Anderson and CMC and Marshall (who will be good in 2022)? If you asked me if I would rather have Mac Jones over Howell, I would disagree. Would I rather have Willis? Long term--probably, but Howell has 2 things that I really love that stand out--he is smart and he is cool under pressure. He does not get rattled. The NFL has more close games than college, and a leader who is cool in the huddle is a very calming reassuring presence. If I can trade back, get a solid G or T and get Howell, I think I would. And if Howell busts, you still have the G/T. Howell will be a great backup, at worst.

True or false: Howell will be drafted before Ridder. Howell will be drafted by the Lions at 32.

Icky is, in my opinion, the person we should target. Maybe if he is gone, they will go QB, but there is not a lot of interest in other LT candidates? Penning, Cross, Neal? So are they really using 2 of the 30 visits on CBs?

According to the Listed Players on WalterFootball, the Panthers have scheduled 7 of 30 possible private workouts. The list is a bit QB heavy, with 6 QBs being mentioned (no Strong, curiously) and only 1 other player—a Tackle. Since the Tackle is likely a 4th rounder or later, this is an early indicator that the Panthers are going QB and do not seem extremely interested in hiding that fact. They are working out all 5 top QB options and then Zappe, while the OT they seem to be kicking the tires on has been slipping down most mock draft boards into the fourth round in many cases (Penn State). Now, there are 23 more visits that can follow, and it could be that they will have the QB talent evaluators in first and then the OL coaches and scouts later---but it sure seems like QB is the lean. Potentially noteworthy: Willis is showing multiple Panther contacts and had a large list of visits with other teams—more than the others. However, Walter is but a bulletin board to collect hearsay and news tidbits-not an exhaustive process by any means. This may be nothing, but news is slow right now-so thank me for sharing this…You are welcome, Huddle. QB Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Bailey Zappe Western Kentucky OL Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State https://walterfootball.com/prospectMeetings/byprospect

Yeah, but last year, the Panthers had visions of Darnold reforming and becoming good in a new environment. This year, lets hope they are not developing visions of Darnold reforming and becoming good behind 2 new OL.

The Saints are foolish to give up 2 firsts for a QB that will not beat out Dalton and Crablegs--a #3. However, the Saints aggression could mean that the Panthers get offers-even if (for example) Willis goes at #5. If they do not want Pickett, they could gamble and trade with a team like the Seahawks and move back, still possibly landing Pickett and undoubtedly landing Corral if they like him instead. So it depends on who they like and how many they like.