A Big Reason Behind Defense Issues

[Fiz]

it's stupid to bring up undrafted players that have done well as a counter to this argument. If you take that line of thinking to its natural conclusion, there'd be nothing wrong with trading all your picks for 7th rounders and just making hay from there. "Hey James Harrison am I right?"

Its no surprise that the Panthers best units heading into this season were the ones with the highest invested picks: linebacker (2 first) and offensive line (2 firsts, two seconds).

Players drafted in the first rounds are safer bets because of a number of reasons. They're typically physically more developed, they typically played against better competition, they have different mental makeups, they're more naturally skilled, whatever the case may be.

The Panthers defense line woes, the emergence of Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy not withstanding, are symptomatic of a team that A.) annually avoided investing high draft picks into the position and B.) has spent the last 6 years or so plugging in replacement level players and hoping that the levees hold.

It's a strategy that has come home to roost.

You get what you pay for, and the draft is just a different form of NFL currency. If the Panthers want to fix their defensive line, they need to approach FA/the draft like they want to fix it, and not just hope some flier develops because it happened another time lol amiright guys

[NCstoner420]

LOL, like being picked in the 1st round guarantees you'll be a beast.. Come on man.

You want to go there?

2008 - 23% of first round players made the probowl. 2% of all other rounds combined made the probowl

2007 - 31% of first round players made the probowl. 4% of all other rounds combined made the probowl.

2006 - 47% of first round players made the probowl. 7% of all other rounds combined made the probowl.

So if you count the probowl as a level of success and talent of the NFL, you have the best chance to draft a "beast" in the first round.

[Achilles]

Most of the holes are things we all knew ahead of time, yet were not properly addressed in the offseason. DT and CB in particular were both obvious holes and discussed to death. How we went from using the 2nd lowest amount of capspace to the 3rd highest and barely touched these positions is beyond me.

2 words: D... Will...

[bleys]

without a doubt DWill's money could have been spent MUCCCCCCCCCH more wisely..

[Ivan The Awesome]

You want to go there?

2008 - 23% of first round players made the probowl. 2% of all other rounds combined made the probowl

2007 - 31% of first round players made the probowl. 4% of all other rounds combined made the probowl.

2006 - 47% of first round players made the probowl. 7% of all other rounds combined made the probowl.

So if you count the probowl as a level of success and talent of the NFL, you have the best chance to draft a "beast" in the first round.

It's still not Guaranteed. Nothing is. There have been so many draft busts in the 1st that it's not even funny..

Now how does this equate to OUR team?

Our D-line is what. 3rd-6th rounders. LB core, before beason and Davis went down was what. 1st 1st, 3rd? (Can't remember if anderson was a 3rd of 4th.)

Linebacking core is all 3rd round at the current moment.

Secondary. Gamble is the only 1st we have back there. 2nd, 3rd, then Cap at 7th round.

Other than Gamble we don't have a 1st round beast in the defense at the current moment. We're doing ok, not so great. Given the talent we have of course. Could we use a Suh? fug yes, but when was the last time we've drafted a DT that high? I seriously don't remember.

[car5nc]

You want to go there?

2008 - 23% of first round players made the probowl. 2% of all other rounds combined made the probowl

2007 - 31% of first round players made the probowl. 4% of all other rounds combined made the probowl.

2006 - 47% of first round players made the probowl. 7% of all other rounds combined made the probowl.

So if you count the probowl as a level of success and talent of the NFL, you have the best chance to draft a "beast" in the first round.

That was kind of my point with the post. Yeah you can have some bust #1's but you have a btetter chance of success with 1st rounders than hoping 3/4/5 rounders become pro bowlers. Yes there is an exception to every rule good defenses have nice suprise players who become beasts ( i.e CJ) but you still need "first round talent" on each level of your D.

[rodeo]

Jesus why did this thread upset people? Panthers fans for some reason have had a long standing resentment toward high draft picks. During mid season last year I posted somewhere that god help us if we get the #1 pick, because all of the trepidatious workaday sadsacks were going to freak out and post a million threads about how we should trade down for mid-round picks so we can stock up on Adam Sewards and Nate Salleys.

The OP has a point. We invested a lot draft-wise in the offense, and it shows. We didn't in the defense, and it shows.

[X-Clown]

For the most part we've been hitting homeruns with 1st rounders, but it's the 2nd round busts that have been killing us outside of Ryan Kalil and Sherrod Martin

[Louie]

For the most part we've been hitting homeruns with 1st rounders, but it's the 2nd round busts that have been killing us outside of Ryan Kalil and Sherrod Martin

That and trading away our 2nd round picks to move up to draft busts.

[NCstoner420]

The OP has a point. We invested a lot draft-wise in the offense, and it shows. We didn't in the defense, and it shows.

No not really, we have invested draft-wise the same on both sides of the ball for the past five drafts. With the first picks of each draft you have three offensive players and two defensive players. If you look at the first three rounds, which I think most of the talent is, you have nine defensive players. In those same rounds you have eight offensive players.

[j2thak169]

It's still not Guaranteed. Nothing is. There have been so many draft busts in the 1st that it's not even funny..

Now how does this equate to OUR team?

Our D-line is what. 3rd-6th rounders. LB core, before beason and Davis went down was what. 1st 1st, 3rd? (Can't remember if anderson was a 3rd of 4th.)

Linebacking core is all 3rd round at the current moment.

Secondary. Gamble is the only 1st we have back there. 2nd, 3rd, then Cap at 7th round.

Other than Gamble we don't have a 1st round beast in the defense at the current moment. We're doing ok, not so great. Given the talent we have of course. Could we use a Suh? fug yes, but when was the last time we've drafted a DT that high? I seriously don't remember.

1998----Jason Peter, and he retired in 2001 because of a chronic neck stinger. Although we did take Kris Jenkins in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft, that worked out pretty well for us for a while.

[Fiz]

1995----Jason Peter.

interesting way to spell Kerry Collins.

[Yaboychris28]

without a doubt DWill's money could have been spent MUCCCCCCCCCH more wisely..

It's not like d'wills contract is going to win or lose us a super bowl. As john Fox used to say, it is what it is.

[CatMan72]

That and we have NOTHING at DT.

I'm pretty sure I could rush for 100 yards against this defensive line.