Given the choice next season, do you...

[panthers55]

this is my order

DL

<big gap>

Secondary

LB* I think this gets overlooked by many. Davis is as good as gone and realistically we don't know how Beason will recover

OL

WR

Agree with you on Secondary and linebacker. As for D line I think unlike most that DE is a bigger need than DT. Other than Johnson, none of the rest impressed. I still think Edwards will come back and do a good job at NT and between all the guys we rotated in, there has to be someone who can do the 3 technique tackle.

I think that once we cover those positions we should go BPA at areas of need like OL, WR, TE, RB, etc.

[mick eye]

Otah can not stay on the field. Elite prospects like Jonathon Martin or Riley Reiff could be there at our pick. Our Dline showed improvement and the rotation was decent. Neblett, Kearse, Fua, and McClain all are young and improving. Hardy and Keisel stepped up big on the end. If Quinton Coples is there i would look at him because Hardy was good but Coples has a much higher ceiling.

To be honest i don't see a huge amount of talent in this DT class. I think it will picked over by 3-4 teams looking for NT and DE. Guys like Still, Ta'Amu, Josh Chapman and Dontari Poe are all gonna be swiped up quick. Worthy, and Brandon Thompson fit the 4-3 better but all are reaches at our pick. Micheal Brockers is the current flavor of the week but in my opinion is also a huge reach.

I know i will flamed for the following statement but adding a WR like Alshon Jeffrey, Micheal Floyd or Kendall Wright for Cam to grow with in the future makes more sense than reaching in a shallow talent pool for a position we addressed TWICE last draft.

[carolinarolls]

Linebacker would be a great pick if you can get the right guy. Hate to be a homer here but I really love Zach Brown. You wanna talk about pursuit and a hard hitter he's the guy. I think he has been discussed already on here, just not sure what the opinion was. Plus I am not sure he fits in any of our pick windows. I think he will go late 1st.

I trust the trainers on TD. I know he has broken himself several times already but I don't think that he will be cleared and counted on unless several very smart people who went to school a lot longer than I ever thought about declare it sound.

I know that same protocol was followed previously and it definitely did not give us any guarantees but something tells me that TD is gonna be ready this year as well as Beason. For the first time in several years I am REALLY happy about where both units are (at least potentially). There are some spots that are glaring but some that just need some polish. This off season of acquisitions will be a much better test for our FO than in recent seasons when BPA would almost always work.

I am a fan off BPA most of the time but as slots get filled with guys we can count on the fine tuning of the rest of the team limits the immediate impact of BPA. I'm popping my popcorn.

[Guest Bwood15]

Otah can not stay on the field. Elite prospects like Jonathon Martin or Riley Reiff could be there at our pick. Our Dline showed improvement and the rotation was decent. Neblett, Kearse, Fua, and McClain all are young and improving. Hardy and Keisel stepped up big on the end. If Quinton Coples is there i would look at him because Hardy was good but Coples has a much higher ceiling.

To be honest i don't see a huge amount of talent in this DT class. I think it will picked over by 3-4 teams looking for NT and DE. Guys like Still, Ta'Amu, Josh Chapman and Dontari Poe are all gonna be swiped up quick. Worthy, and Brandon Thompson fit the 4-3 better but all are reaches at our pick. Micheal Brockers is the current flavor of the week but in my opinion is also a huge reach.

I know i will flamed for the following statement but adding a WR like Alshon Jeffrey, Micheal Floyd or Kendall Wright for Cam to grow with in the future makes more sense than reaching in a shallow talent pool for a position we addressed TWICE last draft.

I saw one of my favorite scout's mocking Jonathan Martin to us for these exact reasons. I wouldn't be against it all, I just think D-line is crucial.

[Clicheking]

fwiw, i would like the 2013 draft to concentrate on the secondary and also filling in what ever holes we have on the Oline.

honey badger from LSU is the CB i've got my eye on. the dude is a beast.

5'9 and can't cover. Get your sight checked

[DaCityKats]

DL. and i wouldnt be surprised if multiple picks were DL.

[CRA]

Agree with you on Secondary and linebacker. As for D line I think unlike most that DE is a bigger need than DT. Other than Johnson, none of the rest impressed. I still think Edwards will come back and do a good job at NT and between all the guys we rotated in, there has to be someone who can do the 3 technique tackle.

I think that once we cover those positions we should go BPA at areas of need like OL, WR, TE, RB, etc.

I agree w/ you on DE. Big need. Hardy is more of a depth guy and if CJ misses time we are really in trouble.

[savage]

Defense. No question. all of he big shootout teams with mediocre ds are out of the playoffs except for new england. cam can work with an average oline because of his playmaking ability

[jarhead]

I think with a pick this high, top 10, it has got to be BPA regardless of O or D.

#8 pick needs to be an immediate impact player and no reaching.

It has to be a game changer, be it O or D.

Just how I see the draft anyways...Panthers have 5 other rounds, mercifully, but that #8 pick needs to be big time.

I'm always amazed at the Giants, if there is anything ole Ernie seems to always do right its DL and WRs....year in, year out.

I agree.This draft from what I can see does not have alot of DL prospects at number 8.They must get a pass rusher from FA in my opinion.

[jarhead]

Oline. I've very little faith in the right side of the Oline. Even when we get a few players back from injury, I'm still unsure about it. What good is a good Dline if our qb gets murdered before he has a chance to do anything?

Not to mention the running game evident by the fact that during Otahs few days of health we could run all day on the right side of the line.

[DaCityKats]

how bad the DL looked in the saints game when CJ was out?

[jarhead]

how bad the DL looked in the saints game when CJ was out?

No doubt, but it begs to question who in that catagory is worthy of a 8th pick.My opinion is we have the greatest need getting pressure on the qb but it is really a better 2nd round play.I see a 1st round play for Kirpatrick or a OT in the 1st and either a cb,DTor de in the 2nd.

The fact is we need a number 2 cb,OT,FS,DE,LB and dt.We cannot possibly field all those starters with the draft

[panthers55]

No doubt, but it begs to question who in that catagory is worthy of a 8th pick.My opinion is we have the greatest need getting pressure on the qb but it is really a better 2nd round play.I see a 1st round play for Kirpatrick or a OT in the 1st and either a cb,DTor de in the 2nd.

The fact is we need a number 2 cb,OT,FS,DE,LB and dt.We cannot possibly field all those starters with the draft

Given Johnson himself was a third rounder and Hardy was a 6th rounder and Keiser was undrafted, the old we have to get our guy in the first round may be overated. If there is a shutdown corner at 9, I think we should at least consider him. On the other hand if you can find a DE or LB at 9 who is a game changer and still get a great corner at 41, then maybe you go that direction. I don't think we need to go O line in the top of the draft. We have had luck finding gems much further down the draft.

As for whether we can find a number 2 corner, FS, DE and linebacker in the draft, why not??? On the other hand expecting a rookie to come and dominate outside of the first 2 rounds is ambitious at best.

[frash.exe]

Given Johnson himself was a third rounder and Hardy was a 6th rounder and Keiser was undrafted, the old we have to get our guy in the first round may be overated. If there is a shutdown corner at 9, I think we should at least consider him. On the other hand if you can find a DE or LB at 9 who is a game changer and still get a great corner at 41, then maybe you go that direction. I don't think we need to go O line in the top of the draft. We have had luck finding gems much further down the draft.

As for whether we can find a number 2 corner, FS, DE and linebacker in the draft, why not??? On the other hand expecting a rookie to come and dominate outside of the first 2 rounds is ambitious at best.

Johnson and Hardy were both valuable picks at the time we picked them. Normally I don't like talking reach/value because people get obsessed over it to the point that if drafttek thinks someone's a -1 at 8 or 9 people want to trade down, but they were good enough talents that they shouldn't have been there when we picked them where we did. ...we haven't been able to find that kind of value in the last few drafts when it comes to DT. Last year there was a huge run on defensive linemen in general. In 2009 we picked Corvey Irvin in the third round