What if? Receiver in 1st

[AU-panther]

A lot of people seem to think we reached for Shaq, so I decided to look at how things could have played out if we went in a different direction. Specifically drafting a receiver first.

We could have drafted Funchess in the first. (Or Devin Smith, or Perriman, or Dorsett)

We could have potentially drafted Shaq in the second.

We could have drafted Daryl Williams in the third.

Best case we end up with the same three players plus keep 4 draft picks.

Worst case we pick 2 of the 3 same players and a different player at our original 2nd round spot (57) plus keep 4 draft picks.

I am usually a huge supporter of our front office, but once Humphries came off the board it felt like the draft got away from us. Seemed like we were reaching and chasing needs.

If 3-4 of these five draft picks turn out to be quality starters I would still consider this draft a success. I would by lying though if I said I wasn't disappointed how things played out.

[Pejorative Miscreant]

A lot of people seem to think we reached for Shaq, so I decided to look at how things could have played out if we went in a different direction. Specifically drafting a receiver first.

We could have drafted Funchess in the first. (Or Devin Smith, or Perriman, or Dorsett)

We could have potentially drafted Shaq in the second.

We could have drafted Daryl Williams in the third.

Best case we end up with the same three players plus keep 4 draft picks.

Worst case we pick 2 of the 3 same players and a different player at our original 2nd round spot (57) plus keep 4 draft picks.

I am usually a huge supporter of our front office, but once Humphries came off the board it felt like the draft got away from us. Seemed like we were reaching and chasing needs.

If 3-4 of these five draft picks turn out to be quality starters I would still consider this draft a success. I would by lying though if I said I wasn't disappointed how things played out.

Humphries came off the board and we drafted a LB. How is that reaching and chasing needs? I can't know what Gettleman's draft board looked like but suspect Dorsett and Perriman were reaches in his mind which is why he did not pick them at 25.

Gettleman always seems to hint at his strategy but sometimes people don't get the subtleties. For instance he says. " we will not reach for need and will draft BPA". Then when he does that people complain and say he should have been smarter and drafted for need.

It's fine not to like the draft but to say he was chasing need is flawed

[XClown1986]

Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Bottom line is that Gettleman saw players that would make us better as a team and he went and got them. I would rather he do that than sit back and watch top tier guys drop off of the board so that he can take more second tier or third tier guys. The man has made his living evaluating NFL talent. I trust him when he says that we had to go and get these guys.

 

In his last press conference with Rivera he stated that he used to grind in the film room for 10-12 hours daily watching film on prospects to evaluate them for his team. Guess what? The man knows a player when he sees one. Regardless of what he gave up, he did what he felt was best for the franchise based on the knowledge he had. That in itself makes him a good GM. We should be happy that he would make such sacrifices to bring this team to new heights.

[Mr. Scot]

A Dallas reporter specifically said they were ready to draft Shaq Thompson two spots below us, so the scenario you imagine couldn't have happened.  It's also impossible to predict that others would have fallen to us as well had things changed.

 

To truly understand and analyze the process though, one thing you have to realize the pick trading was actually deliberate.

 

Gettleman had already stated that it was unlikely nine picks would make the roster, so he used the trades to get guys they really wanted.

 

Seattle actually did the same thing (this was quoted on NFL Network's coverage).

 

 

 

[pantherclaw]

This draft class wasn't as talented as others.

To still be getting three potential rookie starters, is a success.

At the very least, they will be key players for tears to come.

The draft went the way that it did, cause the talent was getting picked clean.

Agree. Disagree, you weren't the one sitting in rhe war room watching players you were hoping to be there, get picked early.

[AU-panther]

Humphries came off the board and we drafted a LB. How is that reaching and chasing needs? I can't know what Gettleman's draft board looked like but suspect Dorsett and Perriman were reaches in his mind which is why he did not pick them at 25.

Gettleman always seems to hint at his strategy but sometimes people don't get the subtleties. For instance he says. " we will not reach for need and will draft BPA". Then when he does that people complain and say he should have been smarter and drafted for need.

It's fine not to like the draft but to say he was chasing need is flawed

My main point was we could have selected Funchess first and potentially drafted the same first 3 players plus kept our picks.

if Shaq doesn't make it to our second round pick you can pick someone else at 57. Plus you still have a 4th, a 5th, a 6th, and 7th.

[Mr. Scot]

My main point was we could have selected Funchess first and potentially drafted the same first 3 players plus kept our picks.

if Shaq doesn't make it to our second round pick you can pick someone else at 57. Plus you still have a 4th, a 5th, a 6th, and 7th.

 

We weren't gonna keep all those picks, no matter what.

 

They reduced the overall number so that the ones we did make counted for more.

 

[XClown1986]

My main point was we could have selected Funchess first and potentially drafted the same first 3 players plus kept our picks.

if Shaq doesn't make it to our second round pick you can pick someone else at 57. Plus you still have a 4th, a 5th, a 6th, and 7th.

 

But the point is, we wanted both guys. Period. We felt strongly enough about Shaq that we had him rated above Funchess, so we took the higher rated player. Then we traded up for Funchess because we also felt strongly that he would be a great player. It isn't about who we believe would be there in round 2, because like Gettleman said "you don't know that." We stuck to the board. Which shows the ice water in the man's veins. He could have reached based on need and been praised by the fans for a day, or he could stick to the board at the expense of the fans' emotions on draft day to earn their respect long term. Yes we came away with 5 players instead of 9. Quality over quantity.

[O-Ther]

A lot of people seem to think we reached for Shaq, so I decided to look at how things could have played out if we went in a different direction. Specifically drafting a receiver first.

We could have drafted Funchess in the first. (Or Devin Smith, or Perriman, or Dorsett)

We could have potentially drafted Shaq in the second.

We could have drafted Daryl Williams in the third.

Best case we end up with the same three players plus keep 4 draft picks.

Worst case we pick 2 of the 3 same players and a different player at our original 2nd round spot (57) plus keep 4 draft picks.

I am usually a huge supporter of our front office, but once Humphries came off the board it felt like the draft got away from us. Seemed like we were reaching and chasing needs.

If 3-4 of these five draft picks turn out to be quality starters I would still consider this draft a success. I would by lying though if I said I wasn't disappointed how things played out.

 

What caused you to start feeling that? Was it your own professional knowledge of the college talent or your own work experience in an NFL front office? No sarcasm.

 

If neither applies to you, then what caused that feeling to appear was what you were being told by the talking head analysts on NFLN or ESPN. On NFLN, Mayock made a big deal about us picking Jake Fisher because he felt we needed a LT. Mayock gets paid to offer his opinion. Gettleman gets paid to make those choices with more info than Mayock has about the players and about the Panthers.

 

TL;DR TV analysts may seem very knowledgeable, but they don't specialize in a certain team exclusively.

[AU-panther]

A Dallas reporter specifically said they were ready to draft Shaq Thompson two spots below us, so the scenario you imagine couldn't have happened. It's also impossible to predict that others would have fallen to us as well had things changed.

To truly understand and analyze the process though, one thing you have to realize the pick trading was actually deliberate.

Gettleman had already stated that it was unlikely nine picks would make the roster, so he used the trades to get guys they really wanted.

Seattle actually did the same thing (this was quoted on NFL Network's coverage).

I actually did imagine a scenario where someone else picked Shaq before pick 57. Hence the reason I said "worst case" we get two of three of the first 3 picks (Funchess and Williams). We lose Shaq but pick someone else at 57 plus we keep our 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th.

You are correct in saying that 9 players were not going to most likely make the team. I fully expected us to trade up at some point, just not to the extent we did.

As far as the other players not being there, Funchess was already there in the first and if Williams was there in the fourth he most likely would have been there in the third.

I think DG does a really good job of talent evaluation, I just felt like the board didn't do us any favors last night.

[Mr. Scot]

I actually did imagine a scenario where someone else picked Shaq before pick 57. Hence the reason I said "worst case" we get two of three of the first 3 picks (Funchess and Williams). We lose Shaq but pick someone else at 57 plus we keep our 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th.

You are correct in saying that 9 players were not going to most likely make the team. I fully expected us to trade up at some point, just not to the extent we did.

As far as the other players not being there, Funchess was already there in the first and if Williams was there in the fourth he most likely would have been there in the third.

I think DG does a really good job of talent evaluation, I just felt like the board didn't do us any favors last night.

 

It's all speculative though.  No way to know.

 

As it was though, we got two guys with first round grades.  One actually in the first, and one in the second.

 

That's a win no matter how you look at it.

 

[pantherclaw]

Every pick the Panthers made, had better value on THEIR board, than the pick, or picks used to get them.

Think about that, please.

[WUnderhill]

OPs point is valid. We basically traded a 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th round pick to take the specific combo of Shaq/Funchess vs just one of them plus a different guy (assuming the other wouldn't be there by our original pick in the second) and Williams in the third. Nobody can predict how the draft will play out and you have to roll with it as it goes, but it's not unreasonable to question whether we could have done things better/more efficiently.

[Pejorative Miscreant]

My main point was we could have selected Funchess first and potentially drafted the same first 3 players plus kept our picks.

if Shaq doesn't make it to our second round pick you can pick someone else at 57. Plus you still have a 4th, a 5th, a 6th, and 7th.

  

We weren't gonna keep all those picks, no matter what.

 

They reduced the overall number so that the ones we did make counted for more.

What he said

Right wrong or indifferent. Gettleman is the GM. You can second guess but he has division titles in 2 out of 3 years being GM. It's extremely easy to secnd guess an GM on draft day though. Wasn't he reckless with our picks last year and traded up. Can't remember how that worked out....