Shaq Thompson In The First?

[Mr. Scot]

unless of course you happen to be Aaron Rodgers lol

Well yeah

Rodgers path is kinda unique in today's NFL, though. He got several years worth of prep in before getting his shot to start. These days, if a guy isn't an established starter by his second or third year on the league, people think he's a bust.

I think that sucks, but that's the way it is now.

[TheNewStandard]

I think what our defense needs to make it truly special is a Cam Chancellor type. This guy could fit the mold.

That's what I'm saying. Shaq can cover the whole field. His athleticism is pure...its fluid, he's a ball hawk and he can pass rush as well as cover in zone.

he'll be the heir apparent to Thomas Davis and having him on the field will allow Luke to get into the backfield and get after the QB. it's the one thing Luke said he misses most about his college days...being able to go after the QB.

Now that Jimmy Graham I'd out of our conference, we won't have to depend on Luke or TD to cover him on every play and that is gonna allow our d to stay home and not get caught underneath because our slime backers are having to chase after Jimmy.

Having Shaq would also give us a set of fresh legs to shadow QB's who like to take off and it would help keep us from getting all spread out. we could have a true sideline to sideline 3-man underneath zone and 4 coverage DBs behind them. it would also allow us to rush all 4 of our Defensive linemen along with one of our Lb as they are now backed up by the 4 DBs in zone coverage. just never had the personnel to do this consistently because we haven't had the capable personnel to employ this scheme.

and if worse comes to worse, with our TB committee, guess what...the guy had 512 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs as a tailback in college.

just hope he falls into our laps. and he can start right out of the gate. Whether it be At S or OLB. further in the draft or in FA, if we can finds more valuable player than Harper, we still get the pick of which positional player has more value....an OLB or a S to replace Harper with. I think it's brilliant, but he still has to fall in our laps. fingers crossed

Edited March 15, 2015 by TheNewStandard

[LinvilleGorge]

I think what our defense needs to make it truly special is a Cam Chancellor type. This guy could fit the mold.

 

I'd rather have an Earl Thomas type.  A true sideline to sideline centerfielder type of safety.  Chancellor is a great player, no doubt about it, but having Thomas back there covering deep opens them up to let Chancellor roam.

[Mol3m4n]

I'd rather have an Earl Thomas type. A true sideline to sideline centerfielder type of safety. Chancellor is a great player, no doubt about it, but having Thomas back there covering deep opens them up to let Chancellor roam.

I could argue the other way around. I think Chancellor helps out Thomas a lot.

[TheNewStandard]

we have at least 7 picks in the draft this year. we got Benewikere in the 5th. I promise you it's a lot easier to find a solid DBS than it is to find a Thomas Davis clone.

do you have any idea about how much this guy could learn from TD and how much his athleticism and playmaking skills could help take the pressure off the entire D?

[LinvilleGorge]

I could argue the other way around. I think Chancellor helps out Thomas a lot.

 

Go for it.  I strongly disagree.  Thomas minus Chancellor and he's still an elite FS. Chancellor minus Thomas and I think he's getting exposed downfield. 

[TheNewStandard]

Go for it. I strongly disagree. Thomas minus Chancellor and he's still an elite FS. Chancellor minus Thomas and I think he's getting exposed downfield.

KB sure did expose them. Olsen took Kam out of the play underneath and Cam threw up a jump ball...that was a sweet play.

[MHS831]

He could play TDs spot and move TD to the other side to prolong his career. He could be our next SS.  If I could get a player like this, I might take my chances on a #2 WR being there in the second round and a T in the third. 

[PanthersUnited]

Eh not feelng it, I'm not a fan of tweeners. Is he a RB? A SS? a OLB?

[TheNewStandard]

Eh not feelng it, I'm not a fan of tweeners. Is he a RB? A SS? a OLB?

he's a football player and the best player Washington had because he was pulling triple duty.

Shaq is secondly a freelance playmaker. I don't want to call him a will but I do think he's a center fielder backing up Luke and TD on the field. keeping a rusher or screen receiver from getting first downs.

TD was a tweener and all I heard was herp derp, so get over it.

this dude was the most versatile player in college, he was drafted by the Red Sox to play ball and he wears number friggin 7.

Edited March 16, 2015 by TheNewStandard

[LUUUUUKE]

My thinking is Denzel Perryman in the first from The []_[]

Although he's a mike, I think we move him outside, this dude is a beast. He's projected late first early second. Rivera loves him some LBers. Plus this would give us depth at Mike if it were ever necesary. Hopefully it won't be.

[LinvilleGorge]

My thinking is Denzel Perryman in the first from The []_[]

Although he's a mike, I think we move him outside, this dude is a beast. He's projected late first early second. Rivera loves him some LBers. Plus this would give us depth at Mike if it were ever necesary. Hopefully it won't be.

 

I just don't think he's rangy enough to move over to OLB.  Beason had much better range in college than Perryman did and he looked like a shadow of his former self when trying to play OLB.  Luke didn't look like Luke when he was playing OLB very early on in his NFL career either.  It's just a different skillset.  Perryman looks like a guy who would be best suited playing ILB in a 3-4 IMO.  In the right 4-3 scheme he would probably work too, but he couldn't do what Morgan and Beason did and Luke does for us.

Edited March 16, 2015 by LinvilleGorge

[Ace_Aladdin]

One of the more intriguing defensive players in this years draft is Shaq Thompson out of Washington. While reading up on his abilities, I couldn't help but make comparison's to the Panthers own Thomas Davis. Davis is in the twilight of his career, and now would be the time to groom an eventual replacement. Shaq Thompson might be the perfect candidate. Here is why...

View image | gettyimages.com

First, the measurables ...

Thomas Davis 2005 Draft Profile

Height - 6'1

Weight - 230

40 yard dash - 4.6

3-Cone - 7.10

Vertical - 36.5

20 Yard Shuttle - 4.01

Shaq Thompson 2015 Draft Profile

Height - 6'0

Weight - 228

40 yard dash - 4.64

3-cone - 6.99

Vertical - 33.5

20 yard shuttle - 4.08

As you can see, the two have a similar size, with Thomas Davis being slightly taller. Thomas Davis has slightly faster straight line speed, but Shaq Thompson was faster in the 3 cone (a more important measurement for a linebacker, imo).

Most NFL scouts have Thompson playing a OLB in a 4-3 scheme but have some concerns about his size and ability to keep enough weight on. Thomas Davis had these very same concerns surrounding him, enough so that coach John Fox tried him at safety early in his career. I am not so sure if Shaq Thompson's case that is of real concern to the Panthers. They have a good history of keeping guys bulked up through their training staff.

Like Thomas Davis who played safety and linebacker at Georgia, Thompson also played outside and inside linebacker and safety on occasion. He also played running back, which is pretty incredible. This tells me this kid is just pure football player, and if there is one thing that Dave Gettleman loves, its real football players.

Shaq Thompson is all over the place on the mock drafts. Most agree he is a first round selection, but no one knows where he should fall. It is hard to project with a player like Thompson. Many teams may pass on him due to his uncertainty. It will take a strong defensive mind to take him and put him in a place of success.

Should Shaq fall to the 25th pick, don't be shocked if the Panthers pull the trigger on him.

Guys you know there are going to be other "Football" player with equal talent or more on the offensive side. My argument is that offense should be the priority, we seen that even with a top 10 defense 2 yrs in row we still crumble against top tier teams. Time to build though the "draft" FA is over for the most part.

The order I would draft with the amount of prospects available.

1.OT / WR

2 . WR / S / DE

3.OT / CB / RB (comp pick also ?)

4. DT

5. WR / OG

6. LB / S

7. CB

Edited March 16, 2015 by sanjay_rajput

[LinvilleGorge]

You get in trouble when you start reaching for need.  I wouldn't want to pass on a difference maker on defense to draft JAG (just a guy) on offense at a position of bigger need.  Given similar prospect rankings, I absolutely agree with hedging toward need.  But in the case where you feel like the far and away best player is a DE/S/CB/LB... take him.