It's Really Interesting...

[Catalyst]

How similar the reaction to Kuechly is to the reaction to picking Jon Beason 5 years ago.

[Udogg]

I was thinking that same thing.

[FoxcroftHoodRat]

Same caliber player (hopefully). We needed depth at the position during both of those drafts so it just made sense.

[PantherPhann89]

Personally, I don't hate the pick but I would've probably went:

1st) Melvin Ingram

2nd) Janoris Jenkins or the next best CB

[section543]

I think he will be a similar player- solid but not spectacular. Either staff is more worried about our guys coming back from injury, or the DL class is weaker than they were being hyped.

[Kurb]

I loved the Beason pick.

[Ja Rhule]

[Catalyst]

My point is that whenever Hurney goes for the legitimate BPA people tend to freak out because we didn't address a perceived need.

When we took Beason it was "oh, we already have Dan Morgan. We need a safety. We should've taken Reggie Nelson or Brandon Meriweather!"

When we took Ryan Kalil the next round it was "we just signed Justin Hartwig, why did we take a fuging center?! Wasted pick. We should have taken a safety!"

Now they're two of our best players. The "need" issues worked themselves out in the end, as they will with Kuechly. As Hurney has said, if we keep adding the best possible football players to the team we're going to continue to improve.

Fact is Hurney has been awful when drafting for need. His best picks have all been either straight BPA picks (Beason, Kalil) or BPA's that happened to fill needs (Gross, Gamble, Stewart, Cam). I hope we take the same approach in the 2nd, TBH. Take the best player on our board and the rest will take care of itself.

[GotSwag?]

This will be one of those picks that people will end up loving if we draft a CB and DL with next 2 picks. Personally, I cant see why anyone would hate this pick. If healthy, we have the best LB core in the NFL. If Beason and Davis arent healthy, we have Kuechly and Anderson to lead at LB.

Excellent, smart and safe(if thats what you want to call a future pro bowler) choice.

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

Merriwether, Reggie Nelson and Greg Olsen were the huddle player that were coveted. Beason was late first and early second projection and lber may not be a sexy pick.

More loyalty on the huddle to injured stars than JR to Dan Morgan.

[pantherj]

I think we all have some kind of idea as to what we need to add to our defense to be able to contend in the brutal NFCS. Our rivals have been loading up with elite talent, while we brought in some jags and a FB. The problem, or the reason I'm feeling bummed, is that picking at 9th in this draft was never going to give us chance to add a dominant defensive player. That's not to say Luke can't be a solid starter for us for many years to come, but he never looked dominant in college, and he doesn't appear to have a lot of upside, seems sort of maxed out. That's not to say that the Panthers made a mistake in selecting him, but more that this draft didn't have much to offer once certain players were off the board.