Gleaning Rivera's pulse on the draft.

[top dawg]

Thanks to Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com, we have plenty of quotes to try and guess which way we're going in this draft. Between G-man and RIvera, we can get a pretty good idea of what we're looking for at the Combine that fits within our overall draft philosophy as laid out by G-man.  Luckily for the Panthers, Rivera believes that this draft is deep at our positions of need.

 

"Wide receiver, offensive line, defensive secondary, defensive line - it is deep," Rivera said of the draft class that he's checking out in Indy. "You've got to look at all the options going forward.

 

It may surprise you that he mentioned the D-line.  Our D-line is stout, but we're apparently not going to overlook possible upgrades or replacements if it comes to that. This kind of reinforces The Panthers-BPA-philosophy (i.e., the developing Panthers way). Of course there may be some implications in reference to Hardy rolled up in that statement as well.

 

 

Rivera began with WR, which could mean that when it comes down to it, that WR will finally get the attention that it has needed for years. This has even further importance with Smitty's status yet to be determined (if you take G-man and Rivera at their word).

"The biggest thing is to go through the Combine right now, evaluate the talent that's out there, see who they are. And then say, 'OK, this guy is going to be that kind of guy,' or 'There's not that kind of guy.' And we'll also look at the list of free agents."

 

One thing that I found a little telling is that Rivera has basically said that Smith will probably be part of the plan going forward, but it appears to me that when you get right down to it that Smitty's role could be markedly diminished going forward as G-man has obviously been discussing Smitty's future "impact" within the grand scheme of things in the future.

 

 

"We're going through our process, and Steve is a part of what we're doing going forward," Rivera said. "How big of an impact he's going to have for us, that's going to be determined as we go through the draft process and through free agency. We'll see.

 

And, free agency is going to be part of that equation.

 

While I don't necessarily think that the Smitty talk is a smokescreen per se, I do think that 89 is going to be here regardless. It sounds like G-man is thinking about the end game for Smith as our number one, and  how he (G-man) is going to handle that transition.  Of course a lot of it will be determined by Smitty's production, and I believe Smitty is going to transition on his own terms and not allow himself to become too much of a shell of his former self. That being said, G-man and Rivera are obviously searching for his successor.

 

"We're going to look for a guy that's very dynamic and that can come in and contribute right away," Rivera said. "A lot of these guys were in offenses where they played one position and one position only, and they run a combination of routes, and that's it. As you get out and watch the wide receivers, you try to find guys that can run different combinations of routes.

"We as a coaching staff have to come away feeling really good about these young receivers that are draft-eligible. Were they in the kind of system that gave them a chance to grow and learn how to do those things, or are these guys that are going to have to start from scratch? We have to find guys that we believe understand what we do so their transition into our offense can be easy."

 

From listening to what he has to say, it doesn't sound like we're going to necessarily be looking for "projects".  This may not bode well for those of you wanting Kelvin Benjamin (for example). Benjamin is going to have to do well enough at the Combine to show that he can be ready to contribute from the beginning to be our first round pick, but not well enough that he gets snatched up by someone else. Interesting.

 

All-in-all I believe that WR is a top priority, but again we're going to take the BPA. Of course our board is obviously going to be filled with WRs, O-linemen and CBs, but we're still not abandoning  the chance to nab a quality D-lineman if warranted. 

Being that Rivera believes that this draft is deep at those many positions, who knows what's going to happen in the first round? For those who want play-makers at WR, remember that our coach alludes to the fact that we may be able to get one a little later than you may think.

[davos]

Nice to internet-meet-you Bryan Strickland

[Ruff]

Thanks to Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com, we have plenty of quotes to try and guess which way we're going in this draft. Between G-man and RIvera, we can get a pretty good idea of what we're looking for at the Combine that fits within our overall draft philosophy as laid out by G-man. Luckily for the Panthers, Rivera believes that this draft is deep at our positions of need.

It may surprise you that he mentioned the D-line. Our D-line is stout, but we're apparently not going to overlook possible upgrades or replacements if it comes to that. This kind of reinforces The Panthers-BPA-philosophy (i.e., the developing Panthers way). Of course there may be some implications in reference to Hardy rolled up in that statement as well.

Rivera began with WR, which could mean that when it comes down to it, that WR will finally get the attention that it has needed for years. This has even further importance with Smitty's status yet to be determined (if you take G-man and Rivera at their word).

One thing that I found a little telling is that Rivera has basically said that Smith will probably be part of the plan going forward, but it appears to me that when you get right down to it that Smitty's role could be markedly diminished going forward as G-man has obviously been discussing Smitty's future "impact" within the grand scheme of things in the future.

And, free agency is going to be part of that equation.

While I don't necessarily think that the Smitty talk is a smokescreen per se, I do think that 89 is going to be here regardless. It sounds like G-man is thinking about the end game for Smith as our number one, and how he (G-man) is going to handle that transition. Of course a lot of it will be determined by Smitty's production, and I believe Smitty is going to transition on his own terms and not allow himself to become too much of a shell of his former self. That being said, G-man and Rivera are obviously searching for his successor.

From listening to what he has to say, it doesn't sound like we're going to necessarily be looking for "projects". This may not bode well for those of you wanting Kevin Benjamin. Benjamin is going to have to do well enough at the Combine to show that he can be ready to contribute from the beginning to be our first round pick, but not well enough that he gets snatched up by someone else. Interesting.

All-in-all I believe that WR is a top priority, but again we're going to take the BPA. Of course our board is obviously going to be filled with WRs, O-linemen and CBs, but we're still not abandoning the chance to nab a quality D-lineman if warranted.

Being that Rivera believes that this draft is deep at those many positions, who knows what's going to happen in the first round? For those who want play-makers at WR, remember that our coach alludes to the fact that we may be able to get one a little later than you may think.

Seeing as Benjamin isn't a project and will be gone before we pick, I don't think any of us have to worry.

[top dawg]

Nice to internet-meet-you Bryan Strickland

 

LOL.

 

 I have no doubt that I could do Bryan Strickland's job, but I'm not Bryan Strickland.

[top dawg]

Seeing as Benjamin isn't a project and will be gone before we pick, I don't think any of us have to worry.

 

Well, that's debatable.  There are more than a few who don't believe that Benjamin is necessarily anywhere near pro ready, but of course there will be someone who doesn't care, being attracted to Benjamin's physical stature and measurables. 

[DaCityKats]

the last quote really stuck out to me about wanting a WR that was dynamic, and that could run the entire tree.there are several guys that can do that in the group of WR.

[Ruff]

Well, that's debatable. There are more than a few who don't believe that Benjamin is necessarily anywhere near pro ready, but of course there will be someone who doesn't care, being attracted to Benjamin's physical stature and measurables.

I mean, are you asking him to run different routes precisely? If you're just wanting a dude to go down field and win 50-50 balls, then he's more than ready.

He and Mike Evans are very similar. If you think one of them is a project then you think the other is as well.

[davos]

LOL.

 

 I have no doubt that I could do Bryan Strickland's job, but I'm not Bryan Strickland.

 

I had some deja vu with you starting 3 threads off the same way.  

[top dawg]

I mean, are you asking him to run different routes precisely? If you're just wanting a dude to go down field and win 50-50 balls, then he's more than ready.

He and Mike Evans are very similar. If you think one of them is a project then you think the other is as well.

 

I get what you're saying, but Rivera basically told us how they're thinking. I don't know if that sounds like Benjamin or not.  Personally I'm going to accept anyone they pick with open arms, and if that's Benjamin I'd be fine. But remember that some aren't sure about Benjamin:

 

rotoworld (Feb 21);

We always knew Benjamin was a big receiver, but this is massive. He really came along during his redshirt sophomore season, winning at the catch point in contested situations and showing long speed, but consistency on easy catches is still Bejnamin's biggest question. He has been called a boom-or-bust prospect. 

 

 

I started a whole thread about it last month.

[cgarsmoker]

LOL.

I have no doubt that I could do Bryan Strickland's job, but I'm not Bryan Strickland.

I'm not trying to be a jerk but everybody thinks they can do somebody else's media job. The truth is, they can't. Zod is a photographer but because I can work a camera, does that mean I could do his job? The answer is no I can't because I don't have an eye for capturing the right shot....maybe I don't have the patience or the timing. Everything looks much easier than it is.....people like Bryan Strickland come and go all the time because getting a job and being good enough to keep it and much harder than it seems. There's a ton of people on this board that think they're scouts, coaches, or GM's. We are all amateurs and assuming we could all be professionals and actually get paid to do those jobs is a very naive way of thinking.

[top dawg]

I had some deja vu with you starting 3 threads off the same way.  

 

Just giving the man his props. People tend to overlook that on these boards sometimes.

[Ruff]

I get what you're saying, but Rivera basically told us how they're thinking. I don't know if that sounds like Benjamin or not. Personally I'm going to accept anyone they pick with open arms, and if that's Benjamin I'd be fine. But remember that some aren't sure about Benjamin:

rotoworld (Feb 21);

I started a whole thread about it last month.

What I'm saying is that, it won't matter about what you, or Rivera, or Bryan Strickland thinks about Benjamin, he won't be there when we pick. The guy is dynamic to the word, and teams love receivers who can get the jump balls (Benjamin is almost 6'7) and can score in the red zone.

I'd say Benjamin will be a top 15 pick depending on his catching drills.

[Ruff]

How is Benjamin NOT a project? He lacks the fundamentals and experience.

Again, calling Benjamin a project is the same as saying Evans is a project. Sure, right now he doesn't really know all the routes. But he's not going to be a guy you install into your offense to run precise routes, he's just going to run a vertical route and beat your DB with size and strength.

[MV%doe]

hes not a project form a gene standpoint. a real 6'5, 240 lbs, and he should be around 4.6-/+ speed. plus hes a beast in the weight room. its a passing league, hes a TE body with WR speed and has LB strength. even if he had stone hands and runs a terrible route tree, some team would pick him early.  ill be shocked if hes at 28, nearly star at 14 shock.