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Wide Receiver

ClarkCam

By ClarkCam,
in Carolina Panthers

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ClarkCam Newbie

ClarkCam

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Yes, I am an OP, but that is just on this board.... I've always been a huge Panthers fan, but didn't realize that this forum existed. But on to the topic at hand, Wide Receiver.

It does not seem that upgrading at WR seems to be a priority to everyone else, but in my mind, it is a weakness of ours. Naanee, sucks. Watching him start games as a Panther was painful. There is a reason we did not go resign him.

Next on the list is Lafell, this guy could not even pass Naanee on the depth chart, which does not make me feel optmistic. He has the size, he just does not seem to have the speed or sure hands. Because of these things, I'm not so sure if he's the answer opposite Steve, and definitely not an answer in the slot.

One player giving me some hope is Gettis. It is a shame we only got to see him with Clausen. It makes me wonder what he and Cam could have accomplished, or if it will end up working out between them. Maybe he could be the answer opposite Steve, but that still leaves the slot open, and an aging Steve Smith with not real replacement in sight.

Then we come to Pilhares and Armanti. Neither are WR worthy, as much as I wish Armanti was. This leads me to come to the conclusion that something must be done.

These are the three options I see:

Braylon Edwards- Yes, he had a pretty terrible year with the 49ers, but Alex Smith isn't exactly a vertical passer. He completed one pass to a WR against the Giants (pretty sad). And they had Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree, which aren't shabby WR's. This guy would be a big playmaker who we could probably get pretty cheap. I was hoping for Manningham, but I think this guy has some gas left in the tank.

Kendall Wright- If he is available at the end of the 1st I might trade up to get him. He is fast, he is quick, and he put up good numbers with Griffin at the helm. 1600 yards and 14 touchdowns is pretty damn good if you ask me. The plus with this guy, is that he is a natural slot receiver, and can also play outside. This is a big deal because if Gettis does end up breaking out, this guy can be put in the slot and its a great trio of WR's. He could is even Steve Smith esque, and could replace him down the road.

Brian Quick- Another Appalachian State guy, but this guy is a freak that we could get in the third, maybe even get at the end of the second. I have seen this guy play firsthand on multiple occassions and this guy is a freak. He is bigger, faster, sure handed, and everything what Lafell should have been. I saw Lafell play Penn State in his last game, and I could have told you his flaws before he was a Panther and in the NFL. Quick would have went to a bigger D1 school if he had played more football in highschool, but he only played 1 year and so he had to go to App, which has worked out. He jumps over people, with his freakish height and wingspan. The man can't be stopped. It was a clinic out there with him. I would be so confident that this guy would work out to pick him with out second round pick, much more sure of a pick than Armanti (who was drafted strictly as an athletic player with no credentials).

Wide Receiver needs to be stressed more than it is. Yes, we had a great offensive year, but our widereceivers really killed us in some of our games. Giving Cam more weapons is huge, and getting better is a must. You can even take note of the Patriots, who had Wes, Gronkowski, Hernandez, and a serviceable Branch. They went out and made all kinds of WR signings because they strive to be the best. The Panthers must do this as well.

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EMSMedic79 Newbie

EMSMedic79

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Welcome to the Huddle!

I think it'll be addressed in the draft, but not until after the 3rd round. Gettis has the potential for a huge upside barring no setbacks from his injury. LaFell is a good fill-in and has shown flashes at the position. I have a feeling they will be targeting another big TE in the draft before they go after a WR.

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ClarkCam Newbie

ClarkCam

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I think you're wrong on LaFell. His hands weren't an issue last season and you could clearly see his progression as the season went on.

Don't get me wrong, he definitely showed flashes... But for example, in Houston, he was targeted a multitude of times and failed to come up with a single catch. And if you can't get ahead of Naanee except when he gets injured, I'm not impressed.

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EMSMedic79 Newbie

EMSMedic79

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Don't get me wrong, he definitely showed flashes... But for example, in Houston, he was targeted a multitude of times and failed to come up with a single catch. And if you can't get ahead of Naanee except when he gets injured, I'm not impressed.

Don't forget that a lot of Naanee's playing time came because he was familiar with the San Diego (Carolina) coaching staff last season. He was Rivera's comfort/go-to guy.

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PhillyB Grand Master

PhillyB

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i would love to see us address wide receiver with a high pick next year if neither lafell nor gettis step up and look like future number one's the year. smitty does unimaginable things for this offense and without him we'd be in wideout hell (look at the bears' last decade for a comparison.)

can't poo on lafell though. he actually DID surpass naanee on the depth chart towards the end of the season, and made a ridiculous amount of clutch catches, and also recorded the longest touchdown reception in the history of the franchise.

one could actually argue that this is our most questionable position on offense so i agree we should monitor it... i'm just not sure this is the year to permanently upgrade options at the position when we are lacking in so many other places.

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Keep Pounding Contributor

Keep Pounding

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Yeah but vs Greenbay and the Vikings he was clutch, LaFell and Gettis will take heat off of Smith, especially if we line them up as wideouts and let fearless smith work the slot, also with Olsen as a receiving threat at TE, and not even to mention our backfield, we still have a powerhouse offense, just hope the line gels and protects Cam and open holes for the running game, also Pilares was a rookie last year, I think he can be the scat back all of us want, he played slot WR and HB at hawaii and the last rookie to run a KO back for a TD for us, was our very own Steve Smith,

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Ivan The Awesome Mentor

Ivan The Awesome

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I bet if Braylon doesn't sign with anyone soon, he will take anything thrown at him. That's when the Panthers can nab him dirt cheap. I know a lot of folks are down on him for his 'drops', which he has fixed through the years. I know he's 29, coach chudzinski and Cam (mostly cam though) would revitalize his career. I wouldn't mind it if he takes the minimal amount.

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