Soo Slow's 2015 Mock draft: Pre-combine

[Frank Hollywood]

Carolina Panthers 2015 Mock Draft

 

Credit to Dave Gettlemen, the GM of the Carolina Panthers, who has quietly built a contending team with quality starters in all rounds of the draft as well as free agency. In his first two seasons as GM, he has brought in players through the draft as well as undrafted players who look to be long term starters for the Panthers. Entering 2013, the Panthers had too many holes to count. The offensive line was a mess, the defensive tackle position was abysmal, and the defensive back and wide receiver corps were a complete joke. Knowing that the cap was a complete mess and would be for several years, Gettlemen took on the challenge with full confidence, utilizing his philosophy of taking the best player available through the draft and filling in the rest with free agency. Look ahead after two years and you see he has solidified the defensive tackle position, drafted quality rookie starters in the DB position, as well as helped solidify the offensive line. Still, there are a few holes left to address, and I believe Gettlemen will once again address these needs with great players before and after the draft.

 

 

I don’t think we take a tackle with our first pick. I believe all quality starters at that position will be gone by the time we pick.  When philly brown went down with a shoulder injury and the coaching staff weren’t sure whether Bersin or Hill would take his place, it was obvious that WR is our biggest need. With that being said….

 

Round 1- Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Oklahoma

Standing at 6’6 and drawing comparisons to A.J green, this guy has what it takes to be a true number 1 in the NFL. You wanted a guy to stretch the field? Here he is....In most drafts he is a lock for a top 10 pick, but slides due to some potentially serious red flag behavioral concerns. Unfortunately, they seem to be serious ones and the Panthers would be taking a chance on this guy. It may be worth the risk however, as you can imagine him lining up with Greg Olsen, and Kelvin Benjamin and our next pick.

 

Round 2- Justin Hardy, WR East Carolina

Yup. Gettlemen double dips again just as he did at the DT position in his first draft. This guy is just too good to pass up at the end of the second round and is personally my favorite player in the draft.. Adding Justin Hardy completes our WR corps and takes what was an extremely weak unit to one of the most dangerous in the league.

Round 3- Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon 

Looking for a potential eventual starter at Left tackle this late in the draft is difficult. However, if there was a guy, it would probably be Jake Fisher, who performed well at Left and Right Tackle. He has the speed, but would need to add strength to take on the NFL’s top pass rushers.

 

 

 

Round 4- Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota

A good corner who isn’t afraid to get physical. He would fit in very nicely with our current cast of defensive backs and provide great depth.

 

Round 5- Terry Williams, DT, East Carolina

Look up Hog Mollie in the dictionary and you might find a picture of this guy. At 6’1 and just over 350 pounds, he needs a bit of NFL conditioning. However, if it pans out, he could be a 3 down Nose Tackle in the NFL and would be great at spelling Star when Colin Cole (34 years old) hits Free Agency next year.

 

Round 6- (compensatory pick) - Jalston Fowler, FB, Alabama

This guy is a beast of a blocker and just what we need with Brockel getting older and hitting Free Agency. He may eventually replace Tolbert as the starter in a year or two as he can catch as well.

 

Round 6- Tyler Hunter, S, Florida State (also nickel and PR) –SS

Roman Harper won’t be around forever (although I’m not complaining) and Tyler Hunter could potentially replace him when he’s gone. This guy also plays nickel and can return punts. Tyler could prove useful to the Panthers in many ways.

 

Round 7- Jake Smith, C, Louisville

He’s had a few struggles, but overall has looked pretty good as a center who can also play guard. Strong enough to create holes in the NFL, he could be a great project to replace Kalil one day. For now at least, he would be great depth.

 

Round 7- (Compensatory pick)- Dee Hart, RB, Colorado State

A highly recruited star, he got stuck behind the likes of T.J Yates and Eddie Lacey on the depth chart. I like the Panthers taking a chance on him in the 7^th.

[JawnyBlaze]

I dunno about DGB.  Can he get separation?  Long speed is all fine and well, but does he have explosiveness?  Is he a Gordon and going to be suspended more than on the field?  Lotta questions need answering.

 

Love Hardy, but I'm not sure on double dipping at WR.  I actually think there will be some quality at LT when we pick in the 1st, there aren't really any sure things in this draft but there's 5-7 guys that have good potential and I think one or more will be available when we pick.  So Hardy in the 2nd would make me happy in that scenario.

 

Dunno much about the rest of your draft, but overall it's not bad thinking.

[Frank Hollywood]

I dunno about DGB. Can he get separation? Long speed is all fine and well, but does he have explosiveness? Is he a Gordon and going to be suspended more than on the field? Lotta questions need answering.

Love Hardy, but I'm not sure on double dipping at WR. I actually think there will be some quality at LT when we pick in the 1st, there aren't really any sure things in this draft but there's 5-7 guys that have good potential and I think one or more will be available when we pick. So Hardy in the 2nd would make me happy in that scenario.

Dunno much about the rest of your draft, but overall it's not bad thinking.

Thanks for the reply. He can get seperation. He's on a completely different level and will be a legit number 1 receiver in the NFL. More talented than Julio Jones in my opinion.We could go for a tackle in round 1 but I don't see it being BPA. I do believe we will look for tackle help in free agency as well as draft one in later rounds.

I can't upload his ultimate highlights video as I'm on my phone but watch even 3 minutes of it and try not to be impressed. Dude runs like a gazelle and is hard to bring down. 6'6 doesn't hurt either.

[The Lone Panther]

Not a fan of Beckham, he has Justin Blackmon written all over him.  

 

LOVE the Hardy pick.

 

I could live with the Jake Fisher pick.  Could grow into a starter within a couple of seasons

 

Decent corner, but I'm much more of a fan of Doran Grant from Ohio St.  Did fairly well against Cooper in the Sugar Bowl.

 

I do think we take a DT in this year's draft, but not sure if we take one in the 5th.  Wouldn't mind taking Brandon Ivory from Alabama in the 6th

 

Not sure if it would be a good idea to take a FB or even a center in this years draft.  Center would be a position we could look at in next years draft that could end up being Kalil's future replacement. As for a FB goes, I think we can pick up a quality FB as UDFA.

 

Couple more notes, I don't think we can go this years draft without drafting a safety.  Seems to be a position that needs work, maybe drafting one around the 5th round.  Jordan Richards from Stanford has my eye at the moment.  Also, I think we should grab a RB earlier than the 7th round.  Would love to draft Gurley or Tevin Coleman from Indiana. 

[Frank Hollywood]

Not a fan of Beckham, he has Justin Blackmon written all over him.

LOVE the Hardy pick.

I could live with the Jake Fisher pick. Could grow into a starter within a couple of seasons

Decent corner, but I'm much more of a fan of Doran Grant from Ohio St. Did fairly well against Cooper in the Sugar Bowl.

I do think we take a DT in this year's draft, but not sure if we take one in the 5th. Wouldn't mind taking Brandon Ivory from Alabama in the 6th

Not sure if it would be a good idea to take a FB or even a center in this years draft. Center would be a position we could look at in next years draft that could end up being Kalil's future replacement. As for a FB goes, I think we can pick up a quality FB as UDFA.

Couple more notes, I don't think we can go this years draft without drafting a safety. Seems to be a position that needs work, maybe drafting one around the 5th round. Jordan Richards from Stanford has my eye at the moment. Also, I think we should grab a RB earlier than the 7th round. Would love to draft Gurley or Tevin Coleman from Indiana.

Thanks for the words.

Beckham is arguably the best WR in this draft class not factoring red flags but it so happens those red flags are huge. I think it would be uncharacteristic of the Panthers to take him and completely understand the argument against taking him, but I believe the upside of how her would transform our offense is off the charts.

We would probably move Cotchery to our WR3 and slowly move justin hardy into the role throughout the season where he would be the full time starter going forward. It would be a nasty WR corps to say the least.

I'm not familiar with your DT or CB, I'll have to check them out. I agree completely about the safety and think we pick up a quality one in free agency.

As far as the FB or center, Tolbert, brockel and kalil won't be around much longer and I don't think our second 6th round pick is too much for the best fullback on the board. The center I mentioned can also play guard and will help with depth.

[Soul Rebel]

Thanks for the words.

Beckham is arguably the best WR in this draft class not factoring red flags but it so happens those red flags are huge. I think it would be uncharacteristic of the Panthers to take him and completely understand the argument against taking him, but I believe the upside of how her would transform our offense is off the charts.

We would probably move Cotchery to our WR3 and slowly move justin hardy into the role throughout the season where he would be the full time starter going forward. It would be a nasty WR corps to say the least.

I'm not familiar with your DT or CB, I'll have to check them out. I agree completely about the safety and think we pick up a quality one in free agency.

As far as the FB or center, Tolbert, brockel and kalil won't be around much longer and I don't think our second 6th round pick is too much for the best fullback on the board. The center I mentioned can also play guard and will help with depth.

 

I think DGB is one of the best athletes (6'6", 4.3/4.4) big time talent at the collegiate level, but he's raw.  He definitely has one of the highest ceilings, but is raw and that, combined with what's between his ears, scares me in the 1st.  A lot of go-routes and Stephen Hill-esque way of beating college talent, though DGB was better at Mizzou than Hill at GT.  All the potential, but needs a lot of coaching and molding.

[DaCityKats]

DGB is probably a top 15 pick with a clean off field record. will he go in the 1st?

[The Lone Panther]

Keep an eye on #75 for Oregon and #12 for OSU.  Potential draftable guys. 

[The Lone Panther]

Oh and #9 for OSU. 

[The Lone Panther]

Fisher is getting abused. 

[Riverboat Ron]

I've been drooling over DGB since he was a Freshman, then his off the field troubles started. I've also heard Mizzou covered up a ton of stuff so he's truly a bad apple.

Question is has he cleaned up? After the fiascos with Peterson, Rice and Hardy, I doubt we touch him. Sadly I just know he'll end up in New Orleans where they don't care if they have a Darren Sharper on their roster.

[philw5289]

If gettelman didn't double dip on receivers last year no chance he does this year

[Frank Hollywood]

I've been drooling over DGB since he was a Freshman, then his off the field troubles started. I've also heard Mizzou covered up a ton of stuff so he's truly a bad apple.

Question is has he cleaned up? After the fiascos with Peterson, Rice and Hardy, I doubt we touch him. Sadly I just know he'll end up in New Orleans where they don't care if they have a Darren Sharper on their roster.

Ugh. I dread the thought of playing him twice a year and it only costing them a 2nd rounder or later. Hope it doesn't happen .

[Frank Hollywood]

If gettelman didn't double dip on receivers last year no chance he does this year

Illogical.

If a can't miss receiver is sitting there at the end of the second round and he's BPA I would absolutely think we take him.