Taking the 15th ranked player with the #1 overall pick doesn't make much sense...

[Mr. Scot]

We do not need to draft linebacker first overall, no matter how grim a forecast you have on what the talent level will be.

It's not my first choice, but there is some logic to it.

If that's the route they go, I'll be okay with it.

[C47]

Truth be told... After being on this board, hoping to get juicy rumors... All I've gotten are massive headaches to the point that I hope we draft a damn kicker with the #1 overall pick!

Too bad the headaches aren't bad enough to keep you off the computer....

[frash.exe]

I think Miller would be better than Anderson but I'd rather have Anderson as he never quit playing hard and I really liked that.

no dude here's most panther fans' opinion on defensive players

he wasn't originally drafted top ten? Why the fug is he starting?!

[TruCatzFan]

It's not my first choice, but there is some logic to it.

If that's the route they go, I'll be okay with it.

No logic! A DT makes more sense, that way we can free up Beason and TD!

[Mr. Scot]

No logic! A DT makes more sense, that way we can free up Beason and TD!

Davis - two major injuries in the course of a year, also not under contract (expected to sign, but has said he may test free agency)

Connor - there was some chatter last year that his hip might be worse than thought

Anderson - has developed very well, but if the CBA is fixed he'll likely be a free agent and might get a better offer elsewhere than we're willing to give; can't count on keeping him

Basically, the only sure thing we have coming back is Beason.

My top choice would be Peterson though I'd be okay with Darues (chose Peterson because the DT pool is deeper) but if they went with Miller, I wouldn't scream about it.

[Marguide]

Back to the original argument...

Let's consider a situation where Atlanta has the 1st overall pick. They happen to need a LT in the worst way. Two other teams are sitting in the top 10 that are also desperate for a LT. In this hypothetical situation they still have Matt Ryan.

The draft class in this pretend year is average, with no clear standout. The highest rated player is a QB. The highest rated left tackle is at 15.

Would they be stupid to take their guy at 1? They could trade down just to come out better from a value standpoint, but if they miss filling this key position their draft is a failure.

This situation is not unlike what we face, and we would be equally justified in taking the 15th best player at number 1.

[frash.exe]

Back to the original argument...

Let's consider a situation where Atlanta has the 1st overall pick. They happen to need a LT in the worst way. Two other teams are sitting in the top 10 that are also desperate for a LT. In this hypothetical situation they still have Matt Ryan.

The draft class in this pretend year is average, with no clear standout. The highest rated player is a QB. The highest rated left tackle is at 15.

Would they be stupid to take their guy at 1? They could trade down just to come out better from a value standpoint, but if they miss filling this key position their draft is a failure.

This situation is not unlike what we face, and we would be equally justified in taking the 15th best player at number 1.

but but but BPA

[mav1234]

Back to the original argument...

Let's consider a situation where Atlanta has the overall pick. They happen to need a LT in the worst way. Two other teams are sitting in the top 10 that are also desperate for a LT. In this hypothetical situation they still have Matt Ryan.

The draft class in this pretend year is average, with no clear standout. The highest rated player is a QB. The highest rated left tackle is at 15.

Would they be stupid to take their guy at 1? They could trade down just to come out better from a value standpoint, but if they miss filling this key position their draft is a failure.

This situation is not unlike what we face, and we would be equally justified in taking the 15th best player at number 1.

There is virtually no way that a team has only one hole and gets the first overall draft pick. There are ALWAYS holes on a team, and while a bad LT can handicap a team it shouldn't make them the worse team in the league.

LT may be their biggest hole, but if it's not their only one, they should fill one of their other needs. Now, what if they have a 2nd round LT that disappointed but their management still believes in? What if they had a FA who did very well in the past but disappointed before getting injured last year? Sounds like they are better off shoring the position up in other ways than reaching for an LT at #1 when they invariably have other needs that they can get... It may not be the #1 player on their board but it would almost certainly be in the top 5.

[C47]

Back to the original argument...

Let's consider a situation where Atlanta has the 1st overall pick. They happen to need a LT in the worst way. Two other teams are sitting in the top 10 that are also desperate for a LT. In this hypothetical situation they still have Matt Ryan.

The draft class in this pretend year is average, with no clear standout. The highest rated player is a QB. The highest rated left tackle is at 15.

Would they be stupid to take their guy at 1? They could trade down just to come out better from a value standpoint, but if they miss filling this key position their draft is a failure.

This situation is not unlike what we face, and we would be equally justified in taking the 15th best player at number 1.

But we have several holes that need serious attention not just one like in your Atlanta scenario....

[Marguide]

But we have several holes that need serious attention not just one like in your Atlanta scenario....

Guys, please...I had to oversimplify it or it would have been too long to read.

The point remains that certain positions carry a premium and you can't just go by BPA.

To take it to an extreme, you could be a once-in-a-century center, and be the BPA, but nobody is going to take you with the 1st pick.

[mav1234]

Guys, please...I had to oversimplify it or it would have been too long to read.

The point remains that certain positions carry a premium and you can't just go by BPA.

Some people seem to lack understanding that BPA isn't pure BPA, it's "best pick available that fits a need." That is to say, it's one of the players at the top of your board that fits your biggest need. Dareus may be #3 on our board but we could still end up with him if Green/Peterson were above him and we decided they weren't as big a need as Dareus. I do think that if Newton is close to the top of our board (aka not #15) the likelihood of us taking him is very high. I just don't see Newton as being all that high.

[Icege]

lol at people still thinking there's a "right way" to roll dice I mean draft football players

[SorthNarolina]

Back to the original argument...

Let's consider a situation where Atlanta has the 1st overall pick. They happen to need a LT in the worst way. Two other teams are sitting in the top 10 that are also desperate for a LT. In this hypothetical situation they still have Matt Ryan.

The draft class in this pretend year is average, with no clear standout. The highest rated player is a QB. The highest rated left tackle is at 15.

Would they be stupid to take their guy at 1? They could trade down just to come out better from a value standpoint, but if they miss filling this key position their draft is a failure.

This situation is not unlike what we face, and we would be equally justified in taking the 15th best player at number 1.

That hypothetical doesn't really make sense to me. I understand that you take your guy no matter where you are, but if you were trying to convey anything beyond that I don't get it.

It's not a matter of value, it's a matter of the return on the investment. A guy ranked at 11 is going to be less likely to return on the investment than #1. Taking a boom/bust type at #1 is risky and unstable. I don't think it's worth the #1 pick to see if yet another hyper-mobile QB will make it in the NFL.

I think going BPA is the most stable way out of the cellar. You need franchise QBs to get to the SB, if they feel Newton is the guy then that's great. He's not my favorite prospect but the panthers are my favorite team and that's all that matters. They've done great in the 1st and they've had the BPA strategy before so if they take Newton then he's probably the best player on their board.

[JawnyBlaze]

Something tells me they see a little bit of Julius Peppers in Newton in the sense of the freak of nature sort of ability(maybe the ears too).

lol I like the comparison, except they're polar opposites. Peppers was Dumbo, Newton is Shrek.