Mock Draft Mania

[Lout]

Round 1 - Devon Still, DT, Penn State: If you haven't read the thread I made about him, Still is my new man crush, guys great and will eventually start commanding double teams in the middle, can also play the edge when we go 3-4 schemes.

Round 2 - Dwight Jones, WR, UNC: Kind of a homer pick, but this is a really solid pick, Jones is a big, tough physical WR who's pretty fast for his size. At the top of the second this'd be a great pick. He's hard to bring down and he can get physical and make catches over most DBs.

I really wanted to give us a LB, namely Travis Lewis from Oklahoma, but his injury is kind of a concern as well as his attitude. But if he s available here and our FO is willing to take the risk, get him. But for right now, mocking Jones here.

Round 4 - Nigel Bradham, OLB, Florida State : I think his stock drops a bit because he's had a bit of an off season, but the kid can play, he has good size and is good is good in coverage as well as rushing the passer. He's a sound player and tackles well. I think we get a value player at this slot

Then again we might be wary after our last FSU pick...

5th Round - Chris Rainey, RB/KR/PR, Flordia - I'll change this pick if Hogan, or someone, shows any life to our special teams, but we need someone who can create a spark there, Rainey is a playmaker and can hopefully finally give us a special team returnman we desperately need. Not to mention with Goodson seemingly in the doghouse with our coaching staff, Rainey could maybe be a back on passing downs that Goodson was looking to be early in the season, because he's great in open space.

6th/7th round: Depth, I can't be assed to pick someone right now.

I am not opposed to Devon Still, but there is no way we take him in the 1st round with a Top5 draft pick. I am actually seeing Still being taken at the top of the 2nd round in several mocks. 2nd round would be more realistic (as of now). I LOVE Travis Lewis, but his toe injury will make him slide down to the 3rd round with a 2nd round grade. Too bad we don't have a 3rd round pick!! I hope we are able to aquire one via trade down.

Love the Chris Rainey pick! The guy is shifty and fast.

[MadHatter]

1st round-Matt Kalil OT, I think we can still keep gross on the left side for a little bit while he develops

2nd round-Devon Still DT, good penetrator,holds the point pretty well and could come into the rotation immediately

4th round-Nigel Bradham OLB, depth maybe even a starter depending on the TD situation

5th round-Harrison Smith S, special teams and could be an upgrade over pugh

Devon Still will definitely be a Top 15 pick.

[HoFBound90]

bpa is always better then reaching for a need position, anyone who says otherwise is joking themselves.

Insert random example of a team reaching for a player that worked. Premptive counter repsonse from me stating that is one example out dozens of attempts.

[GamecockSmitty4]

Let me preface this by saying that this is what I would do and not what I expect the Panthers to do.

I'm placing the Panthers in the 7th slot. This is simply a an average that I have them picking. They could go much higher or lower depending on how the second half of the season finishes. With the first pick, I am trading down with a team in the 15-20 range and picking up their 1st, 2nd, and 4th round picks. Now...

1st Round (15-20): Jonathon Martin or Riley Reiff (OT). It's possible that neither of these picks are available (although I've seen mocks with both going this later or later), in which case I would trade back down. But in the sake of this mock draft, we'll assume Reiff is available. Reiff is a force on the offensive line that can take over the RT spot on day 1 and can be groomed into the future LT, possibly as early as his second season. Our offensive line would be complete and give Cam enough time to pass as well as open up big holes on both sides for the ball carriers.

2nd Round (7): Stephon Gilmore (FS). Call me a homer all you want but IMO this would be a solid pick. Look at the things I've said on here about Gilmore and you will see that I've called him one of the most overrated CBs I've ever seen. He's not terrible, but he's not an elite CB that draft experts make him out to be. And while he's a CB full-time at USC, this is pure speculation. But I think he has the potential to be an amazing FS. When it comes to the skills needed to be a FS, he has them all and some. His speed is not amazing (although pretty good for a FS), but he makes up for it with his instincts and athleticism. When he is in zone coverage, the way he flies around the field reminds me of Troy Polamalu. He is always around the play and when the ball is in the air he is flying into the screen to make a play. Not to mention that he is one of the best open-field tacklers that I've ever seen and can rock receivers coming across the middle and lay out RBs who choose to take him on. He can also return punts and kicks!

2nd Round (15-20): Casey Hayward (CB). Some may think that this is an overdraft but this guy is playing himself into possibly even a higher draft pick. This guy is the Ed Reed of CBs. He simply makes plays on the ball. He had 6 INTs last year and has 5 so far this year. With a little work on his hands he could have many more. He's not a complete shutdown CB but has the ball skills to make up for it. Against Arkansas, he had 0 INTs but 6 passes defensed. That goes back to his hands though. With a little work he could have easily turned at least 3 of those into picks. But whether he catches the ball or not makes no difference because he can get his hands on the ball and knock it down.

I would then trade my two 4th round picks (and possibly 7 if necessary to get higher) to get into the 3rd round and pick up Sean Spence (OLB). The guy is a monster of an OLB. He's a bit undersized but, simply put, he can make plays. He can be groomed to take over for Thomas Davis if he is injured or is no longer on the team at some point in the future.

All other remaining picks are spent on BPA on the OL and DL.

[Lout]

Devon Still will definitely be a Top 15 pick.

Show me a credible mock draft site that has him in the Top 15.

He might be a Top15 after the combine, and pro day, etc, but as of right now, I see him as low as the top of the 2nd round in most mock drafts.

[DaCityKats]

if we dont go with a WR in the 1st i would love to ****** up Travis Ben from da U.PR and KR plus a speedy deep threat.

[Matthias]

1st round: Matt Kalil

6 ft 7 in 295 lb

Jeff Otah, as we've have witness throughout his career, is injury prone to the max. We know what its like to operate throughout a season only having one good tackle. So, it's time we part ways with the big fella, and bring in a more consistent cat. Matt Kalil is the best tackle in college football, so he would definitely be an immediate impact player. Plus, the Panthers organization is all about family, so let's reunite the Kalil brothers!

2nd round: Manti Te'o

6 ft 2 in 255 lb

Thomas Davis has blown out his knee 3 times in 3 seasons. There's no way we go in expecting him to start the season healthy next year. That is why we bring this guy in. Manti Te'o looks to be the real deal. He should be a first round pick (and probably will be), but because this draft is so deep, he my end up going in the second round. What's great about him is if Beason is unable to go, he can move into the MLB slot and pick up the slack.

3rd round via trade: Joe Adams

5 ft 11 in 190 lb

We need a punt returner desperately. We haven't had a threat at returner since Smitty was running things back there, and with Joe Adams, things will once again be where they were. He also has good receiving skills.

4th round: Kendall Reyes

6 ft 4 in 296 lb

Here's a guy who has potential. For a DT, he is very athletic. Although he needs to work on his tackling in gaurding against the run. I think in free agency, the Panthers will bring in veteren talent, and Kendall will sit and learn from them.

5th round: Robert Blanton

6 ft 1 in 200 lb

I always found it good to sign at least one college teamate of one of our earlier picks, to give both (especially the earlier pick) some level of comfort as they transition to the big leages. The players in this case are Manti Te'o and Robert Blanton. With that said, Robert is definitely no scrub. This cat's stock is rising faster than....nah I won't go there.:D Check out what he did to Kirk Cousins, who himself has NFL quality talent

[DaCityKats]

after the process i doubt Robert B gets taken in the 5th with his size and skills. and he is a local talent right here from the charlotte.

[kdrh5]

Show me a credible mock draft site that has him in the Top 15.

LOL there's no such thing

[scarface]

1) Matt Kalil [OT - USC]

2) Jared Crick [DE/DT - Nebraska]

4) Sean Spence [OLB - Miami]

5) Jayron Hosley [CB- Virginia Tech]

what are the Panthers compensatory picks?

[Jackofalltrades]

Don't know yet, but I doubt they'll be very good.

I don't see us taking OT in the first.