My delayed reactions and analysis of the draft and UDFA...

[Bronn]

So... I have learned one thing above all else in my years as a Panthers fan...

Patience...

In the days of old, I would be one of the first ones here screaming about a draft pick or a free agency move (or inaction.) I used to buy all the scouting guides in the offseason leading up to the draft. I'd watch tape on guys I liked, and use formulas and all that stuff to try and project what we would do. I don't do all that anymore, as I don't really have time. It is best to just take a "wait and see" approach and do that kind of work after we have already got our guys.

That said, I enjoyed this year's draft, and viewing people's reactions from afar. But now, I have decided to add my own commentary and opinions.

Let's start with the draft:

Vernon Butler - I was a little surprised we took a DT, but I have grown to learn and like Gettleman's approach to the draft. Honestly, I think this pick was indeed BPA for our board, even though Butler adds things like contract leverage that don't really relate to his on the field success as much as we would want. Butler will immediately be in the rotation and allow us to keep two fresh DTs in at all times, and two fresh stud DTs at that. No more will teams be able to pound us and wear us down in the middle, not that that was a huge issue to begin with. Trench warfare is where it starts on the battlefield, and we just added another guy you want in there fighting for you.

James Bradberry - "Who?" That was my initial thought. But the more I look at him, the more I see what the scouts see. While he may be a little underdeveloped and raw from a positional standpoint, he makes up for in size and frame. I think he'll be a bit of a project initially, but the payoffs could be huge. He seems to see the field well, and is in position more often than not. He also has good recovery, which is something you can't really teach.

Daryl Worley - Wow. We moved up to get him, and I really like the pick. I've been keeping up with WVU since they had Noel Devine. Worley wore the same number, 7, in his time with the 'eers. He is a gambler that is pretty solid in coverage and recovery, and when he gambles and wins it pays off. If they can coach him up, he will be a solid addition to our zone coverage.

Zach Sanchez - I will admit, I was glaringly clueless about this guy. It was our third corner in a row, and I wasn't too familiar with him. But then I pulled up some tape on him... This guy right here is one of my early favorites for stud rookie of camp and preseason, at the very least. He reminds me a lot of Norman, in the way he moves and his nastiness on the field. He hits hard, is great in zone coverage, and pins his ears back and darts in there on blitz packages. He goes for the ball, whether it is in the air or in someone's hands. He could be a turnover machine.

Beau Sandland - Another guy I had pretty much never heard of. But, his film shows he doesn't shy from contact (he actually tosses some dudes around like rag dolls,) and has great hands and blocking ability. His interviews remind me of a certain Clark Kent-esque young linebacker on our team, and I am going to go ahead and project this kid as the surprise pick of the draft 5 years from now. In our system, he will thrive when given the opportunity, and his ceiling is extremely high. Bouncing around in college probably hurt him more than anything, and level of competition had some input. However, I really really like this pick, and I don't know that I have ever said that about a late round pick at a position like TE.

 

Now, my observations/thoughts on the two biggest UDFA signings.

Garrett - I know this isn't going to really go over well here, but I wouldn't buy into the hype just yet. He has great hands, but everything I have seen shows me he doesn't get separation, ever. He has to use his body and athletic ability to create separation when the ball has arrived. This works great in college, but when you get to the pros it doesn't so much. I will be keeping an eye on him during camp, to see if he can be coached into something that can make the active squad. But, at this point, I think a lot of the hype surrounding him right now is unjustified.

Cash - I had actually looked at Cash a bit before the draft, and thought he would make a great zone strong safety or outside linebacker. He tackles great, and has a nose for the ball. I think he not only makes the active roster, but gets a lot of playing time as a rookie. I'm excited that the Panthers got him, because he was someone I already had an eye on.

[Cookie Lyon]

 

[Nick_81]

18 minutes ago, Bronn said:

Garrett - I know this isn't going to really go over well here, but I wouldn't buy into the hype just yet. He has great hands, but everything I have seen shows me he doesn't get separation, ever. He has to use his body and athletic ability to create separation when the ball has arrived. This works great in college, but when you get to the pros it doesn't so much. I will be keeping an eye on him during camp, to see if he can be coached into something that can make the active squad. But, at this point, I think a lot of the hype surrounding him right now is unjustified.

I don't buy into the hype either.  However, one could argue, that using his body and athletic ability to create separation, is definitely an asset in the NFL.  That's how guys like KB, Alshon Jeffery, Dez Bryant, Brandon Marshall, etc. make a living. 

[KB_fan]

40 minutes ago, Bronn said:

Butler will immediately be in the rotation and allow us to keep two fresh DTs in at all times, and two fresh stud DTs at that. No more will teams be able to pound us and wear us down in the middle, not that that was a huge issue to begin with.

I was doing some 2015 roster analysis and review the past few days and in doing so it struck me that in two of the games where we struggled with big blown leads (Indy & Green Bay), and also in our loss at Atlanta, we only had 3 DTs active on game day due to injuries.

Fresh DTs are important to our defense!  I'm happy with the Butler pick for that reason.

[KB_fan]

Really nice write up overall, thanks!

[Jangler]

For quite awhile I've had the wait and see attitude, I'm much better now.

 

[TheRed]

Great work, kudos.

[Toker Smurf]

1 hour ago, Nick_81 said:

I don't buy into the hype either.  However, one could argue, that using his body and athletic ability to create separation, is definitely an asset in the NFL.  That's how guys like KB, Alshon Jeffery, Dez Bryant, Brandon Marshall, etc. make a living. 

The other piece to keep in mind is, he only ran three routes, over 90% of the time. That makes it easier for the defense to know and react to what you're going to do. In the highlights I watched, I'd say he got separation about 40% of the time. There were several times he had to slow up, wait on the ball or was running a go route and the CB was playing way off. The ability to use his body is huge on 3rd down running a slant or curl at the sticks.

[Bronn]

I am going to drop this comparison for Garrett... He reminds me a lot of one guy named Jarrett that was once a hyped up, tall, prolific college receiver that the Panthers actually drafted...

I probably stayed on the Jarrett train longer than anyone here... but, looking back, he was a very similar player at a whole lot bigger school. That doesn't bode well for Garrett, but I hope like hell he proves me wrong. I'm obviously rooting for him because he is a Panther now.

[davos]

Yeah nice write-up.  I noticed the lack of separation in his game watching some highlights.  Even during his monster games, a lot of his catches were in traffic. I'm neutral on him but definitely high on cash. 

Really interested in this Bradberry fellow.  I really like what I've read about him and it's becoming clear why he was viewed as a 2nd rounder.  I think he may have an impact a lot sooner than people expect. 

[The Lobo]

Great post. To be honest, over the last couple of days, I've been getting more and more interested in Sandland. Almost as much as Cash. Watching clips of him, I can't believe he went in the Seventh. He may get some passes this year and I can't wait.

[Bronn]

1 minute ago, The Lobo said:

Great post. To be honest, over the last couple of days, I've been getting more and more interested in Sandland. Almost as much as Cash. Watching clips of him, I can't believe he went in the Seventh. He may get some passes this year and I can't wait.

For real. Sandland, at least on tape, has the potential there to be amazing at the next level. In his JC highlight reel, he was seriously throwing dudes around and shedding them off him like they were children. Then when you watch an interview, you can tell this dude is all about the game and proving himself. I see the hunger and drive there, and those are the guys you want on the field for you.

[Bronn]

I mean seriously, I am man-crushing this dude so hard right now.
 

 

He runs great routes, gets separation, has great hands, tosses dudes 5 yards on run blocks, is tough to bring down, and basically does everything great already.

Granted, I know that level of competition isn't that amazing, but still.

[d-dave]

56 minutes ago, Bronn said:

I mean seriously, I am man-crushing this dude so hard right now.
 

 

He runs great routes, gets separation, has great hands, tosses dudes 5 yards on run blocks, is tough to bring down, and basically does everything great already.

Granted, I know that level of competition isn't that amazing, but still.

Dude, the first part of the video was super funny!

He looks super athletic, like he can move around really well.  Way better than a man his size should.

Color me very interested in this guy!