PFF Draft Board: Carolina Panthers

[TheSpecialJuan]

PFF is putting together team-specific draft boards for all 32 teams, using our draft rankings and our evaluation of how each player fits in specific schemes.

Included are three ideal targets for each team with their first-, second- and third-round picks, along with the complete team-specific draft board including every player in PFF’s draft rankings.

Here is the entry for the Carolina Panthers:

Round 1 (31st overall)

Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia

Joseph is the only true safety worthy of first-round status, even after tearing his ACL after just 240 snaps in 2015. The former Mountaineer was all over the field intercepting five passes and flying up in run defense. Any team that picks Joseph will be getting an active playmaker.

[TheSpecialJuan]

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/04/21/draft-pff-draft-board-carolina-panthers/

[LinvilleGorge]

An undersized safety coming off of a torn ACL in the 1st?  Please no.

[X-Clown on 1]

They can't even get our draft spot right?

[Mother Grabber]

did the Pats get their pick back?

[Bartin]

Technically we do have the 31st pick. Pick 29 is forfeited.

[TheSpecialJuan]

scandalous

[manu4t]

Not a chance we take a guy in the 1st who will be there in the 2nd

[JawnyBlaze]

I'd be good with Joseph.  A lot better than a lot of the names floated around here.

[sml1950]

Quote

1 hour ago, LinvilleGorge said:

An undersized safety coming off of a torn ACL in the 1st?  Please no.

 

Same size as Troy Palomalo, Bob Sanders, Earl Thomas, etc..  I guess you would pass on these player too.

KJ is the highest rated safety on most boards despite the ACL ( non- contact practice like KB) and may have been a top 15 pick w/o the injury. PFF had him rated the fifth best defensive player in the country before the injury, which should be ready by TC.

He is the exact profile of player the Panthers like.  A 4 year starter , two year captain, who came back for his senior year to get his degree for his mom.

42 of the 44 sacks last year came from the front seven.  Adding someone who can get pressure from the backend can be as important as another DE.

I  wouldn't be shocked if Gman has a 1st round grade .

[pantherj]

We'll continue to fill the safety position with low round picks and vets. It's how we build our defense. We skimp at the safety position and load up the front 7. This is Panthers 101. Not taking a safety in the first round.

[LinvilleGorge]

Uh oh, butt hurt detected.

5'10" is definitely small for an NFL safety.  That doesn't mean there aren't great players that size.  Smithy became a great outside WR at 5'9" but it's not the norm.

Remember Gettleman's main mantra?  Big men allow you to compete.  Look at his draft history.  The prospects he drafts usually have ideal size or even plus size (KB and Funch) for their position.  He doesn't seem to care much for undersized prospects.  The closest he's come to drafting an undersized prospect is Shaq and 6' 230# really isn't undersized for a 4-3 weak side OLB.

It's also worth noting that my concern was the combination of undersized + ACL injury, not one or the other.  The ACL concerns me more than the size. 

[pantherj]

It doesn't take a crystal ball to see we're not drafting this guy. We spend our defensive 1st rounders on front 7 and sometimes CB. We don't just take BPA, we take the BPA who fits our system and philosophy of loading the front and putting mid- low round guys at safety. Now if an incredible safety falls into our lap then that's different. This guy doesn't look like anything amazing, so don't expect to hear his name called for us.

[jtm]

The last WVU injured player we drafted worked out so well for us...please no.