Gettleman gets an A+ for addressing need.

[panther4life]

Sure we could nitpick and wonder why we didn't get a SS, TE or more immediate pass rusher but the reality is he played the board well in terms of combining need and what he perceived to be BPA. This hasn't always been the case, when you had players who were luxury picks in the past like Butler and Shaq Thompson. He's also panicked and reached for need in the past (Kony Ealy and possibly Funchess). That did not appear to be the case here, with the possible exception of DE. However it was worth moving up to 77 vs expecting the remaining talent pool at 98 and 112 worthwhile to provide more value.

Recap here and thoughts below.

Round 1 Pick 5. Christian McCaffrey 2nd RB Next running back taken at 41 (Dalvin Cook) 36 pick gap.

Age: 20 Height: 5'11 best combine stat. 60 yard shuttle of 11.03 seconds.

How he fits: He's primarily a running back but has the ability to line up at any WR position as needed.Combine performance confirmed his skill set can match the elite talent he will face in NFL. Threat to take it to the house on any given play.  

Consensus big board ranking: 13

Round 2. Pick 40. Curtis Samuel 4th WR - next one taken at 62 (JuJu Smith-Schuster) 22 pick gap

Age: 20 Height 5'11 best combine stat. 4.32 40 yard dash

How he fits: Seemed pretty adamant he's a slot receiver. He will fill the void left behind by Ginn and Brown. Super quick, good enough playmaker he can make plays as a RB as needed but will primarily be used to free up the other offensive weapons and stretch the field vertically. If he pans out he is a great compliment to McCaffrey and will cause nightmares for teams trying to match our speed and ability to attack from anywhere on the field. 

Consensus big board raking: 52

Round 2. Pick 64. Taylor Moton 6th OT - Next one taken at 85 (Antonio Garcia) 21 pick gap

Age 22 Height 6'5, 320 best combine stat. 4.58 20 yard shuttle

Consensus big board ranking: 65

How he fits: Hog Molly.  Likely immediate answer at RT and good depth at Minimum. 

Trade up to 77 in exchange for 98 and 112. Fair trade value

Round 3. Pick 77. Dasheon Hall 11th DE - Next one taken at 80 (Tarell Basham) 3 pick gap.

Age 21 Height 6'5, 265 best combine stat. 36 inches.

How he fits: He's a player with good height and weight combo. Appears to be more of a run stopper or compliment to a good pass rusher opposite of him ( See Myles Garrett). Could be groomed to be long term answer opposite of Addison. 

Consensus big board ranking: 99th

Well I was surprised by the actual players but had begged for these positions to be filled and Gettleman answered the call. Love the fact he went up and got his guy at DE. Will always wonder if Willis was the primary target. The fact they liked him over Basham was interesting and will fun to see how this plays out down the road. 

Love that our 2 offensive playmakers are only 20 years old and have shown so much promise already. Can't stress enough how much the Samuel pick  makes me much more confident that we can utilize McCaffrey. Be kind of hard to stack the box while still worrying about Samuel flying past you. If he can demand just enough attention, he can be the distraction to get one on one matchups for everyone else, in addition to the big plays he can make. 

We can literally roll with Olsen, Benjamin, Samuel, McCaffery and Stewart all on the field at the same time. With a much healthier and talent infused offensive line. The possibilities are endless there. If Funchess actually improves we can get him in the mix more as well. I see us shying away from 2 TE set's on passing downs and using them primarily to open lanes for McCaffrey and Stewart. 

It was fun and while none of these names were on my personal radar, I see the thought process and I like it.