Round 5: WR Hawaii Kealoha Pilares

[Sword]

have to wonder if proehl was in the draft room telling them to draft this guy lol

[scarface]

So on the first page one review says he catches with his hands, the other say's he's a body catcher. Which is it?

And I don't think I agree with average speed, 4.42 and the videos show him burning past guys.

I noticed that too.:confused:

[panthers55]

I can't say that I am disappointed in Pilares assuming he doesn't have any knee problems going forward. He ran a 4.42 which is quick and looks good in the open field. I just think we could have gotten equivalent or better talent in the six with Dwayne Harris. He will be ever bit as good as Pilares and is a better returner. He ran a pretty slow time at the combine but improved it on his pro day down to between 4.44 and 4.38 by all accounts. He is excellent after the catch getting yards and is great in the open field. He is really hard to bring down and is a great returner. I hope Pilares is healthy and can contribute. I just don't know why we always take projects and guys with question marks at receiver. We need guys like Harris who isn't a guy who converted from another position and is still learning the position.

It does look like we are going to have an offense which will run whether by design or after the catch.

[Stumpy]

I just don't know why we always take projects and guys with question marks at receiver. We need guys like Harris who isn't a guy who converted from another position and is still learning the position.

It does look like we are going to have an offense which will run whether by design or after the catch.

People said the same things about Gettis this time last year...

i can't see him making the team. practice squad and hope no one else grabs him is best i can imagine for this season...

There are at least five guys that I put ahead of him right now. Unless he completely blows up in camp, I think practice squad is the best case scenario.

I see the Panthers keeping Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarrett, Brandon LaFell, Kenneth Moore and Armanti Edwards. I'm sure they will stash him on the practice squad since they used a draft pick on him.

Truthfully, I don't see Gettis getting out of the practice squad this year. He is a project, the kid just traps the ball to much to play in the NFL his first year.

At this point, Gettis sounds like Drew Carter...

Wright will be on the field before Edwards if Edwards doesn't win the PR job. I rate them this way:

Smith

Lafell

Moore

Wright

Edwards

Jarrett

Gettis

Camp fodder

He's another small(ish) school guy, didn't get a lot of press with Salas there. But he put up good numbers and has intriguing measurables. Hopefully he can be another hidden gem for Hurney.

[uhfan]

Aloha Panthers fans,

As a long time UH supporter I was curious what the reaction was to drafting Kealoha Pilares. Interesting so far. Everyone has their own opinion but here's my view after watching him play the last 4 years. Hawaii fans, if you think I'm wrong on something please correct me.

He has improved each year. He has always been extremely shifty and can stop on a dime and make defenders whiff. I think that's what makes him exciting to watch.

Like some of you I laughed seeing the opposite descriptions of his hands from scouts. From my observations, most of the time his hands are great . . . but he does seem to have that one game where he drops multiple catchable balls. Again, it's maybe one game a season where this happens, but that game can still be frustrating as a fan. I don't know if it's a matter of just having an off day coordination wise because otherwise he has been consistent catching the ball.

The one characteristic of Pilares that I think might have made your office want him is that he's very good at coming back to the ball as well as catching low or off-target balls. It doesn't bother him to have an inaccurate passer. He is very workmanlike that way. Some of the knock on Newton is that he's not always that accurate. So, a hard working receiver who will come back to the ball and stay alive is probably a good fit for where Newton is developmentally.

Finally, Kealoha (btw he's Native Hawaiian not Samoan . . . "ke" means "the" and "aloha" means "love", so his name means "love" as in the noun, not the verb. I know some of you don't care about Hawaiian culture but . . .) is really smart. He just won the campus-wide academic athlete award at UH, carrying a 4 year cumulative GPA of 3.63 in Kinesiology. He is a modest, humble guy---but lets his passion and drive shine in whatever he does academically and athletically. He's not going to talk about his achievements or himself even if you try to get him to. Don't mistake that for not caring.

I will be watching and cheering him on. I have no idea how he will do in the NFL but I think he has as good a chance as any to be very good, especially because of his drive, work ethic, and athleticism. Just my two cents.

[monstercat]

Besides that, it's the 5th round. This guy has PLENTY of value here, IMO.

[Darth Biscuit]

Based on uhfan's description he sounds more and more like Steve Smith. Catching poorly thrown balls was always his specialty.

[jramsey4]

I'm telling you this will end up being a solid pickup (outside of Cam was my Fav pick literally was jumping up about it when I first saw the pick). He is good in just about every phase of the receiving game (and could even takes some plays out of the wildcat or as a RB). If it wasn't for that PCL injury he would have went probably in the 2nd-3rd area.

[Razzy]

I like the pick. Hope he pans out.

[klumme]

I have no idea why but i LOVE this pick.

The Love will get a SB to Charlotte:hurray:

[Stumpy]

Aloha Panthers fans...

Nice write up, glad to hear a Hawaii fan's perspective. Hopefully we can all cheer him on on Sundays. :cheers2:

[uhfan]

After checking again with some friends, Kealoha might mean "Beloved". Aloha has multiple meanings including love, compassion, beloved, etc. So it just depends on what his parents were going for. Maybe your media can ask him when he gets there. Anyhow, I agree with folks on here, it's a great name.

Best wishes in 2011, Panthers!

[mav1234]

whatever the name means I am pumped to see him play!

feeling great about this year!

[ChucktownK]

Was it just me or did that write-up sound contradictory?