Carolina Panthers select Rashaan Gaulden , DB, Tenn

[panther4life]

I know you can only gather so much from a couple highlight tapes. That being said this kid is an absolute enforcer against the run. He already plays like a SS. He will be our guy in the box, lining up against big tight ends and taking on RB's with bad intentions. 

[MtnProwler]

23 minutes ago, ncfan said:

Slot Corner projected Safety

A little off the field issues 

 

Sounds a lot like Honey Badger coming out.

Hopefully Gaulden can end up atleast half as good as him

Honey Badger averaged 1 sack and 1.5 interceptions the last two years. At half production, I hope we get more than .5 sack and more than 1 interception out of him a year.

[panthers55]

14 minutes ago, Hoenheim said:

I will be rolling on the floor laughing this fall if we are still getting shreded in the secondary while Reid is shutting down offenses and Watson is torching defenses in Houston 

Then you are hardly a Panther fan and need to root for another team. Anyone who would laugh about us making poor picks is a hater not a fan. Hardly something to be proud about and declare with pride. 

 

[Ja Rhule]

Gaulden is actually 6’1.  He’s a perfect safety hight and weight.  He has off the chart instincts.  You can’t coach that.

[MtnProwler]

27 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

That is the point here. You can play more than one and in any situation. These guys are versatile which is where we are headed on both sides of the ball. Look at Moore. He is a wide receiver who could play running back. CMC is a running back who can play wide receiver. Now we have two guys who can line up at different positions at safety, corner, in the slot or outside. They have complementary skills and each possess unique skills to match up against other teams players. If you think these two guys are remotely similar and will only play the slot, you are letting your emtions close your mind to the possibilities. 

And you can add Samuel to the versatile conversation. Good versatile wet/dry run flat tries are always a plus on vehicles, but they are still tires and serve a primary purpose. I can buy as many as I want but I will always only be able to put four on my vehicle.

Meaning: At some point we have to admit fault if we are addressing the same primary position with too much money and draft capital. Capital that becomes under utilized. I'm not saying it's this year's transactions but just stating the fact we've addressed nickel heavily the last two years. At the expense of what other positions and opportunities?

[ColumbusCounty]

If the scouts had as much input as Hurney says then I gotta trust their board. I'd also have to think Rivera & Washington had input on this pick. Let the draft finish before flaming Hurney lol. Our new safety was pretty much the best defensive player on the Tenn roster. 

As of today we still have 5 picks left, udfas and roster cuts incoming with quality FA's available if needed. Safety isn't finished.

[ecu88]

24 minutes ago, panther4life said:

I know you can only gather so much from a couple highlight tapes. That being said this kid is an absolute enforcer against the run. He already plays like a SS. He will be our guy in the box, lining up against big tight ends and taking on RB's with bad intentions. 

He seems light for a SS. 

[CPcavedweller]

1 hour ago, Devil Doc said:

Didnt this guy run all over Appstate? 

Pretty sure App should've won that game, and Tennessee's defense was outplayed by Apps defense.

[Bartin]

43 minutes ago, Yaboychris28 said:

SMH. Can’t believe we picked this un athletic tweener over a Saban coached stud safety 

Don’t really love the Gaulden pick but Harrison has basically the same numbers.

4.63 40

120 inch broad jump

34 inch vertical

Gaulden is 6’1” 200 and Harrison is 6’2” 207

So if Gaulden is unathletic then Harrison is too.

[Chaos]

1 hour ago, Snake said:

We will have all your nickel backs!!!! 

Look at this photograph.... everytime I do it makes me laugh

[LordOfDaWingz]

What a terrible draft night lol Hurney gon Hurney. Good first round then trash 2nd-7th round

[PantherNation123]

A couple of great quotes from Gaulden:

"I feel like I have the alpha dog mentality, but at the same time I know who is the alpha back there – definitely Kuechly. I can't wait to line up next to him and be able to pick his brain and be able to show him that I'm worthy of being able to line up on the same field as him."

"The defensive line that the Panthers have is one of the best I've seen," Gaulden said. "I just can't wait to put my name on this organization and bring a championship to this organization. That's my goal more than anything else – to bring a championship to the Carolina Panthers."

This kid is going to come in and work, and I bet he starts day 1 at safety and makes an immediate impact

[LordOfDaWingz]

I hope you're right but this feels like Sherrod Martin 2.0

[MillionDollarCam]

Someone mentioned this earlier, but Gaulden does play like an ideal strong safety.

Ultimately, I think the Panthers play him at free safety but I hope they give him a shot at strong safety.

Gaulden was one of the best defensive backs in the country against the run this year and he has the protypical run stuffing characteristic of a strong safety.

Additionally, Gaulden is not the fastest guy on the field but he's certainly fast enough, physical enough, and big enough to cover a tight end.

Personally, I think Gaulden will get eaten up at both corner and free safety. He doesn't seem to have the ideal fluidity or ball skills needed to cover quick wide outs.

Move Adams back to free safety (where he played in Indy) and line Gaulden up at strong safety and let him run to the ball.