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Another "Look at my totally irrelevant mock draft!" thread

LinvilleGorge

By LinvilleGorge,
in Carolina Panthers

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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I've been pretty vocal on everyone else's mock draft thread, so it's only fair that I post my own so that y'all can beat me up over it.  I'll go ahead and go all 7 rounds here.  A complete crap shoot, but hey, it's the offseason and I'm bored, so here goes...

 

Round 1:  Ereck Flowers, OT - Miami

Gettleman has been quite vocal this offseason that they have to help Cam and we all know Gettleman loves his hog mollies.  Flowers is a hog mollie if there's ever been one.  Prototype LT size at 6'6", 329# with 34.5" arms and 10" hands.  37 bench reps.  Granted, his footwork is a borderline nightmare right now, but I think he has the athleticism to fix it and I think Matsko has done a pretty damn good job of making chicken salad out of chicken poo along the OL for us.  I do think we'll sign a veteran OT this offseason (someone like Oher) to compete at LT so that we wouldn't be forced to play Flowers there if he wasn't ready.  I could definitely see Flowers pulling a Jordan Gross and starting out at RT before eventually sliding over to LT.  In that case, I think we'd try to prep Remmers to be a backup swing tackle for us.  If Flowers doesn't turn out to be a LT?  Hey, I'll take a potentially dominate RT at #25 all day everyday. 

 

Round 2:  Devin Smith, WR - Ohio State

Again, I think this offseason is going to have a heavy focus on helping Cam. IMO, the top 4 WRs (Cooper, White, Parker and Strong) will be gone at #25 and anyone else would be a reach there.  After that, I think boards are going to vary widely on WRs based on what teams are looking for in a WR.  What we need is a deep threat and that's what Smith is.  I think Gettleman is going to make a pretty hard push to get Cam locked up long-term soon and I think part of that push is due to his plan to really focus on surrounding Cam with the right pieces this offseason.  Better to lock him up now than have to negotiate with a guy who just had an All-Pro type of season.  Rivera has been pretty vocal about needing a legit deep threat in the WR corps.  That's what Devin Smith is - he goes deep.  He does it better than anyone in the college game.  It's not just about his speed, but the way he tracks the ball in the air.  The QB sends it down field and he goes and gets it.  His route running is fairly raw, but like Matsko with Flowers, I expect Proehl to be able to take a relatively raw lump of super athletic clay and turn it into a very good NFL player.  Urban Meyer has never been great at developing talent.  He recruits elite talent and puts that talent on the field pretty much as is and finds a way to work that talent into his system.  That's fine.  He's paid to win college football games and he's proven he can do that as well as anyone.  His job isn't to develop NFL talent.  Smith will need some work on the nuances of the game, but he's ready to do right now what we really lack in this WR corps.  I'm also reading into Proehl on this one.  He didn't try to hide his love of KB last year and Devin Smith is the only prospect he tweeted about during the Combine.  The one player I think would throw a wrench into this plan is Mississippi State DE Preston Smith.  I think Gettleman will love this guy.  I just don't think he'll take him in the 1st and I don't think he'll be there late in the 2nd.

 

Round 3:  Eric Rowe, CB/S - Utah

The secondary played much better down the stretch, but it's clear that we need an upgrade at safety to replace Harper and we still need a 3rd CB.  Rowe played both safety and CB at Utah and did them both well.  I think we'll add another veteran safety into the mix during FA.  I'd give Rowe a chance at CB first and if that doesn't work out, slide him over to safety.  He's 6'1", 205# tested well across the board at the combine, and has college production.  If I have a doubt here, it's that he may not be there at this point in the draft.

 

Round 4:  Tyler Lockett, WR/PR - Kansas State

If this kid was 2" taller, he'd probably get drafted 2 rounds earlier.  At 5'10, 182 you have to be a little worried about how he'll hold up at the NFL level, but that's why he's available here.  Should be an instant impact player as a return man and a better version of Corey Brown at a WR.  I still like Brown and I think we'll have a spot for him on the roster, but if we draft two WRs in the top four rounds, he better come to camp ready to fight for his job.  I think we're likely to add a mid-level veteran to compete with Harper too.  Not sure either Smith or Lockett are guys the staff will want at #2 WR next season.  Depends on how quickly Proehl could get Smith up to speed.

 

Round 5:  Tyrus Thompson, OT - Oklahoma

The double dip at OT.  Remmers performed admirably well at RT for us last year, but are we really ready to pencil him in as the long-term answer there?  Remember when everyone was ready to pencil in Melvin White as a long-term starter at CB?  Lots of guys can come in and play well for a short period of time, but they get exposed when NFL teams have time to really study their tape.  Remmers was a practice squad player for the Rams for a reason.  I like the guy and he definitely has a place on our roster, but I'm not sure he's the long-term answer as a starter.  Thompson has a world of potential, but concerns about his effort and "want to" cause him to slide all the way to the bottom of the 5th in this draft.  At that point, I'm willing to roll the dice on potential.  Hopefully coming to a team that has ample opportunity at OT and a very good OL coach (IMO, at least) can light a fire under him.

 

Round 6:  Jake Ryan, OLB - Michigan

The guy just produces.  Very little wow factor, but the kid can flat out play.  We need younger depth at LB and Ryan could probably compete right way for the 3rd LB spot in our base 4-3 package.

 

Round 6 (comp pick):  Davis Tull, OLB - Chattanooga

A double dip at LB?  What???  Like I said, we need to get some young depth in this unit and we all know that the Panthers have to take at least one small school prospect in every draft.  Here he is.  Dominated at the D1AA level, but he played DE there and will probably have to stand up at the NFL level at 6'2", 246#.  What he'll do for us right way is come in and be a mad dog on special teams and possibly compete for a situational pass rusher role.  Rivera and Gettleman have both acknowledged a need to focus more on special teams ability.  I think this kid has the ability and attitude to be a special teams demon.  This is a guy I'm having to rely on scouting reports on as I've never seen Chattanooga play.

 

Round 7:  Deshazor Everett - CB, Texas A&M

This is another special teams focused pick.  Like Tull, Everett has a motor that just won't quit and those are the types of guys that don't mind making their impact on special teams to earn a chance on an NFL roster.  As a DB, he is undisciplined as hell.  Makes a lot of splash plays, but will just abandon his assignments in order to try to go for the big play.  That's the type of stuff that terrifies NFL coaches and the reason Josh Norman spent so much time in Rivera's dog house.  Coaches would rather play a guy who will get beat while playing within the scheme than play a guy who will blow coverages while freelancing.  If a guy gets beat while playing the scheme, it's easy to go to the GM and say you need to upgrade that position.  If a guy gets beat while freelancing, it makes the coaches look BAD.  Everett can come in and be a demon on special teams and fight for a role in the secondary.  It's there for the taking.  If we already need a 3rd CB, then the need for a 4th CB is a given.

 

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davos Grand Master

davos

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Really like it.

 

Thompson would be a good mid-round tackle to take.  Davis Tull could be a monster OLB in the league.  He did play some looks at OLB recently at Tenn-Chat.  And I totally agree about Preston Smith. 

 

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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Gettleman will pick DL in this draft

 

Highly likely.  I just don't know who or when, so I flat out ignored it.  Like I said, I think he's gonna LOVE Preston Smith, I'm just not sure if he fits into our draft positions.  I think he'll go early to mid 2nd round.  Not sure Gettleman will like him enough to take him in the 1st and I doubt he's there when we're on the clock in the 2nd.  I still almost mocked him to us in the 2nd, I just think it's a pipe dream.

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davos Grand Master

davos

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Highly likely.  I just don't know who or when, so I flat out ignored it.  Like I said, I think he's gonna LOVE Preston Smith, I'm just not sure if he fits into our draft positions.  I think he'll go early to mid 2nd round.  Not sure Gettleman will like him enough to take him in the 1st and I doubt he's there when we're on the clock in the 2nd.  I still almost mocked him to us in the 2nd, I just think it's a pipe dream.

 

At DE, Za'Darius Smith is an interesting 3rd/4th rounder. 

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davos Grand Master

davos

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You think he goes that high?  I was thinking hard about him in the 5th.

 

 

I think late 3rd/high 4th.  He's got the ideal size and decent production around a lot of smaller or 3-4 DEs in the draft with a limited range.  Him and Preston seem more like all-around 4-3 DEs that can play 3 through 5 tech. 

 

Preston may end up Marcus Smith'ing this draft. 

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