The Who's Who of Unknowns on the Carolina Panthers Roster

[Basbear]

6 minutes ago, BlitzMonster said:

Definitely a fun thread.   Especially here in the deep off-season where nothing much else is going on.  It's a great opportunity to learn about some of the UDFA, one or two of whom might find the field next season.    

I wouldn't be that surprised if Oscar Draguicevich were our starting punter next year.  

This is how bad I am, days after the draft I wanted to talk who would be on the 16 man practice squad....LOL. I posted threads like this in past and they got buried fast cause no body replies. Its a hard-core die hard type of fan thing. Honestly thats why I love the board this time of year, in my view the real fans are still posting here during this dead time.....I post much less during the in-season games.

[Michael G]

6 hours ago, BlitzMonster said:

I wouldn't be that surprised if Oscar Draguicevich were our starting punter next year.  

Maybe- Charlton really struggled in training camp last year- but he seemed to settle down and punt well during the year.  He even pulled off a fake punt and completed a pass for a 1st down. Early in mini-camp, however, it came out that he had some trouble holding for Slye (Couldn't get his spot right sometimes, or something), and could have been partly responsible for some of those missed FGs. Blackburn and Slye both said they are working better now. It could be a legit competition.

Edited July 3, 2021 by Michael G

[BlitzMonster]

8 hours ago, Michael G said:

had some trouble holding for Slye (Couldn't get his spot right sometimes, or something), and could have been partly responsible for some of those missed FGs.

I forgot about holding for FG / XP.  I was only thinking about punting where Draguicevich has a cannon for a leg.

So yeah, at least it will be a real competition at punter this camp .  Which is good.  That brings out the best in the players.

[MHS831]

About Paddy Fisher:

He is not here by accident.  What you all say is true--Fisher is a "C gap" to "C gap" ILB and will never be more. They said the same thing about former Penn State Linebacker Paul Posluszny who had a 10-year career.  In our 3-3-5 he is a run stuffer, but not a sideline to sideline or coverage guy.  I am not sure that is enough, but he is a quick-reading tacking machine, so with 5 DBs on the field, there may not be a need to cover the deep seem route.  He isnt a Tampa 2 MLB, that is for sure.  He can drop back and cover the middle, to maybe stop crossing, drag, and perhaps dig routes, but he would have to be in the right place at the right time--and that is more important for a LB than 4.5 speed.

In other words, he has to be smart.  No false steps.  Quick reads.  It got him this far, but the big 10 is not the SEC, so we really have to PS him for a season or two to see how he fits.  Once he learns the system, he could offset his weaknesses by being the smartest guy in the film room and the first on the field to read the play. 

[BlitzMonster]

Paddy Fisher is going to be an interesting case study.  

His RAS was abominable at 3.36, putting him in the bottom 1/3 of LB drafted in the modern era. 

https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1382405795749445639/photo/1

But the guy had over 400 career tackles and won the 2020 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.  That didn't happen by accident.

I think MHS831 is correct in that there may be a role for Fisher as a run stuffing MLB strictly between the tackles.  His good size and great instincts may allow success there.   No sideline-to-sideline stuff, just  stay in the 10 yard box.  

The real question becomes what will the Offensive Coordinators do when they gameplan for the Panthers.   Do they run lots of pass plays right through the middle to exploit Fisher's lack of mobility ?   Can Fisher adjust & keep the game in a phone booth, where he will excel.   Does he have enough athleticism to succeed at special teams (where young backups need to play) ?   I am curious how it will all pan out.  

[BlitzMonster]

As to Paul Posluszny - he was actually fairly athletic with a RAS of 8.7.   

https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=7961

He had a 40 of 4.7 which means he could run with the TE.  And his vertical and 3 cone were excellent.   The biggest knock against him was his height at 6-1.  So Posluszny was a lot more NFL ready than Paddy Fisher.

[MHS831]

20 hours ago, Basbear said:

This is how bad I am, days after the draft I wanted to talk who would be on the 16 man practice squad....LOL. I posted threads like this in past and they got buried fast cause no body replies. Its a hard-core die hard type of fan thing. Honestly thats why I love the board this time of year, in my view the real fans are still posting here during this dead time.....I post much less during the in-season games.

The disease is terminal.

[MHS831]

4 minutes ago, BlitzMonster said:

As to Paul Posluszny - he was actually fairly athletic with a RAS of 8.7.   

https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=7961

He had a 40 of 4.7 which means he could run with the TE.  And his vertical and 3 cone were excellent.   The biggest knock against him was his height at 6-1.  So Posluszny was a lot more NFL ready than Paddy Fisher.

Good post.  And with that, I am going to change the topic.

Sullivan was a WR to TE project at LSU and he was developing as a TE in Seattle.  He could become the third or fourth TE--assuming that Tremble is a FB/TE (like he was in college).  I think he has as good a chance to make the roster, based on the competition.  Is he better than Ian Thomas? 

[MHS831]

6 hours ago, BlitzMonster said:

I forgot about holding for FG / XP.  I was only thinking about punting where Draguicevich has a cannon for a leg.

So yeah, at least it will be a real competition at punter this camp .  Which is good.  That brings out the best in the players.

And many punts are finesse placements--who is better at dropping one inside the 10, for example?

[Michael G]

4 hours ago, MHS831 said:

Is he better than Ian Thomas? 

Great question? How does he compare to Thomas and C. Thompson or Giovanni Ricci. He had some value on Special Teams at Seattle and LSU. He is most likely cheaper than Thomas.  I Think the question that decides that 3rd spot will be how Good Arnold and especially Tremble are in Training Camp. If they fill their needed roles it will be easier to let Thomas go and save that cap space, by going with a developmental guy like Sullivan or one of the others as the 3rd TE.