Grade the Panthers Day 1....

[Bama Panther]

What do you people want? All the "Know It All's" attempt to educate the unedumacated about "drafting for value/BPA, don't draft for need" yadda yadda yadda. "You can't pass up value. You can't pass someone that is high on your board that falls. Increase the overall talent level."

What do the Panthers do? With Clausen, they draft BPA and value. How do you beat getting a projected top 15 pick at 48. You don't. With Lafell, they draft need and fairly high value. With Edwards, they draft a guy that, obviously, is highly regarded among people in the know (notice how none of jokers work for ESPN, NFLN, an NFL team, your local semi-pro team, etc.).

So, what is you jackasses want? Value/BPA or strictly need. Or do you just want the Panthers to pick your favorite player from the school that you never attended but are a huge fan of? Make up your freakin' minds.

BTW, my grade, which is ridiculous to do at this point, is a B/B+.

[top dawg]

Exactly. Folks who say we could pick up Edwards in the 5th or 6th obviously haven't been paying attention. Edwards was listed as the 11th receiver on the board but the 4th or 5th rated quarterback. He would have not been there in the fourth so we moved up to get him. I remember last year when we got Martin people were complaining that it was a waste of a pick. The same thing with Irvin. Both guys are going to be expected to contribute this year.

Edwards is the same kind of pick. You may have found guys who can contribute more in the here and now but Edwards may end up being a great pick down the road. Ithink it is a pick that I may not have made but in the end it may be a solid one.

My grades for where we picked them=

Clausen- A+ for where we got him

LaFell- B+- I think there were better guys still on the board

Edwards- Incomplete- hard to grade yet.

Overall- B+

Quite reasonable, though I would probably give them a solid B that could easily turn into an A. Don't get me wrong, I love the Edwards pick, but next year's second rounder...I don't know. I am thinking after next season we may get that (the 2nd rounder) back, and then some, with the depth of talent that we have at certain positions. Hopefully Edwards will turn out to be the positive X-factor that many think that he will be.

This draft will either be looked upon as nothing special, or the greatest ever.

If everyone is as advertised---particularly Clausen---then we got great value for the buck, and there's nothing to complain about that.

[rayzor]

wrote this somewhere else...didn't feel like reliving it.

2nd round: jimmy clausen....steal of the draft? maybe. not who i was hopping for. went from having a QB that i hated to love to getting QB that i love to hate. he could be great...dan marino great. he could be bad...ryan leaf bad. much of it depends on how he grows up. he's landing into a good situation... got a stud WR, an elite running game, an great oline. the TEs are pretty good receivers. he knows the offense apparently (fox told him that it was the exact thing he ran at ND thanks to our OC being a charlie weiss protege). i'm a fan of matt moore and hope he's the future but ultimately i want the best QB to have the job. i can't stand the guy but i'll be pulling for him because, well, he's muh...muh...muh quarterback.

3rd round: brandon lafell....meh. could be an boldin type reciever...could be moose...could be another dwayne jarrett. i'm in wait and see mode here. i'd say i'm cautiously optimistic but there isn't much optimism there.

3rd round: armanti edwards.... i like the guy a lot. we got ourselves a football player. he can play QB. he could play WR and be a decent KR/PR. would have made sense to me to get someone with experience to play WR/KR/PR but that isn't the panthers. they love finding players who play one position and try to make them play another one. like i've said elsewhere...i'm not unhappy with him being on the team and like it quite a bit but to give up a 3rd round pick this year and a 2nd round next year? c'mon. upside he could be josh cribbs. he could also just be this little guy that we gave up two early draft picks for because he had potential only to realize that potential will never be realized.

grade so far: C.... rather 'See' as in 'we'll see.'

i do like that they made some bold moves without giving up too much. i also like that they are showing an interest in improving the offense. it could be good. i hope it is. we all should. like it or not...they are panthers. jimmy clausen is a panther. painful to admit (and a little embarrassing) but i've got to get used to it.

[ThPantherFan]

I would give the a C. Just average. Nothing to scream about, but good potential.

[Khyber53]

I'm giving it a B at this time.

And remember, next year's second round pick might never see a game until 2012.

[mick eye]

I have to admit Jimmy Clausen looks like a spoiled brat. But he is talented. He also was a STEAL and huge value. Their was talk of moving up to get him. If that had happened i would have dropped my grade a letter. Love the Edwards and Lefell picks. Obviously our FO liked them. We will see. I give the Panther's a solid B+.

[mr beauxjangles]

Clausen and Lafell in the 2nd and 3rd - that's an A-

Edwards reach + trade a 2nd rounder to reach - that's an F

Average: B-

[Udogg]

Could be a A could be a F, just like all drafts.

[Yaboychris28]

A+

[theyhateme45]

Right now I am giving the draft a 8.0/10

Yesterdays outrage level 10/10

Clausen- I absolutely HATED this pick at first. I went ape poo. After thinking about it, it was the right pick and the front office would have been crazy to pass him over. Why? Clausen has the potential to be the Franchise QB of the future. Usually when you draft a QB of his skill level you have to pay first round $$$$ for that talent.... Getting him in the 2nd makes him low risk.... and he is going to have to play hard to earn his $$$.

Yes I believe in Moore, but having 2 young QB's we only need to hit on one. Both of them show out, then we can trade one for great value. I'm actually not as worried about his "leadership" issues as everyone else. Being in our locker room I believe he will man up quick. A+

Lafell- This is the apparent Moose replacement. I give the FO props as this is their type of #2 WR. He is big, a great blocker, has decent speed. I believe he can be Moose or Jarrett 2.0....But there is a question mark with many WR's drafted in the middle rounds and how they would perform in the NFL. B

Edwards- This will either make them a genius or complete idiot in a couple of years. I am more pessimistic about this pick. We are drafting him to compete as a returner, which he has never done... a WR, which he has never ran a route, and Hurney said this is a developmental project. Then we gave up a future 2 round pick for him (Even though it shouldn't be that bad since 85% of this board said how weak next years draft class was, so we don't really need those pick). I believe we could have taken a fast slot WR who all ready does return... this kid is a complete project for a high price. C-

[Montsta]

LaFell isn't necessarily the receiver I had my eye on, but the more I read the more I like him. I think he could really thrive in our sytem. Will be light years ahead of Jarrett after the 2nd week of training camp I think. B+

Tough for me to say right now. Didn't like trading next years two for Edwards, but NE really likes versatile players and I'm convinced they would have grabbed him, so you gotta do what you gotta do to get the guy's you want. I firmly believe it's the players, and not the lack of ability to develop talent from the staff, that has hurt us when searching for a #2. The guy is a playmaker, and I think he will shine once he permanently settles into whatever role they put him in. And that won't be a handful of gadget plays either IMO. B-

Was initially quite befuddled by the Clausen pick, but the longer I digest the more I don't hate it. In the past, Fox & Hurney would have called up someone like CLE or OAK to trade up to get him, costing us next years 1st. So the fact that they stayed put and went with there BPA, well that's fine by me. My other minor concern here is that you've got Matt Moore who is starting to feel good about himself, feeling like it's his team and then your coach drafts a guy who is clearly meant to be a franchise QB. Moore was finally in a position to not feel like he'll lose his job if he has a couple bad outings. Competition is good, but that could hurt Moore's confidence. Also, it might be tough to re-sign him if he plays lights out as the starter next season. Best case scenario is similar to McNabb/Kolb in Philly, where we have two serviceable QB's on our roster. Worst case is more like Anderson/Quinn, where the wine and cheese crowd chants "Clausen" everytime Moore does bad. I just hope Fox doesn't flip flop throughout the season like Crennel did, but I don't see that happening. B-/C+ for now.

All in all, I'd say we did well in this draft so far. If we pick up a DE and DT today, I'll be thrilled.

[NanceUSMC]

Right now I am giving the draft a 8.0/10

Yesterdays outrage level 10/10

Clausen- I absolutely HATED this pick at first. I went ape poo. After thinking about it, it was the right pick and the front office would have been crazy to pass him over. Why? Clausen has the potential to be the Franchise QB of the future. Usually when you draft a QB of his skill level you have to pay first round $$$$ for that talent.... Getting him in the 2nd makes him low risk.... and he is going to have to play hard to earn his $$$.

Yes I believe in Moore, but having 2 young QB's we only need to hit on one. Both of them show out, then we can trade one for great value. I'm actually not as worried about his "leadership" issues as everyone else. Being in our locker room I believe he will man up quick. A+

Lafell- This is the apparent Moose replacement. I give the FO props as this is their type of #2 WR. He is big, a great blocker, has decent speed. I believe he can be Moose or Jarrett 2.0....But there is a question mark with many WR's drafted in the middle rounds and how they would perform in the NFL. B

Edwards- This will either make them a genius or complete idiot in a couple of years. I am more pessimistic about this pick. We are drafting him to compete as a returner, which he has never done... a WR, which he has never ran a route, and Hurney said this is a developmental project. Then we gave up a future 2 round pick for him (Even though it shouldn't be that bad since 85% of this board said how weak next years draft class was, so we don't really need those pick). I believe we could have taken a fast slot WR who all ready does return... this kid is a complete project for a high price. C-

Good post.. Well thought out and clear headed...

[blackcatgrowl]

Sadly, Friday was the Panthers day 1 in the draft.

Here are my thoughts...

Clausen - Physical prototype for an NFL QB. Will have the strongest arm in camp by a mile. Biggest concern is his mentality. Everything I have heard from the guy in interviews tells me he will have a rough time being a leader in the huddle with older vets. Has much growing up to do. Physically could start right away, but maturity will hold this guy back..

Brandon LaFell - aka mini-moose. Projected by many as a second rounder, a good bargain in the 3rd. Would be very happy to see him start this season and showing Jarrett what he was supposed to do years ago. I do like this pick.

Armanti Edwards - When I learned we traded next year's second rounder to move up and pick this guy in the third round, I thought it was a joke. Then when I learned it was not, I stabbed myself in the scrotum with a dull spoon to help distract me from what a god awful move that was. It didn't help.

Zod's day 1 grade : D

Zod's day 1 outrage level : 8

99.9999% agree....

that 0.00001% is Clausen. I watched some of his highlights... he looks a little like Tom Brady.

This could prove to be the best move Fox and Hurney ever made. But its a hell of a risk to take without giving both QBs better support.

[Matt Foley]

As an impartial observer, it sure looks like the Panthers are winging it on draft day lately. Trading away their first round pick, putting them behind the eight ball. Then trading a two next year for a three this year? That player better be a difference maker.

Davidson had an undrafted guy (Anderson) and a Notre Dame prodigy (Quinn) at Cleveland, and it looks like he's got the same thing now in Charlotte. Neither one of these guys looks like a future top 10 QB. Yes, Moore went 4-1 down the stretch for the Panthers, but as I've said before, so did Rodney Peete in 2002.

If you want to look at what's wrong with this draft, simply look at the players they Panthers could have had and the needs they could have filled. You spend all offseason saying Moore is your guy, then you cut him off at the knees on draft day. Doesn't make much sense. If Clausen was all that, why did teams with terrible QBs pass on him multiple times?