With the news of Jordan retiring, how does the Panthers proceed in the Draft?

[GolfRasta]

I don't think this changes our draft at all.  We're still going to need to draft OT anyways.  The only thing this does is almost guarantee we sign a tackle via Free agency.  I don't see Gettleman spending the kind of money Brandon Albert will be going after, but maybe a 2nd tier guy. 

 

[carolina-chuck]

Still BPA.

[Jmac]

Dont think that DG hasn't known this was coming all along...with the voided contract and all. DG has had a season to plan for this.I'm sure he has a game plan to fill the void.

[El Chingon]

Trade for Jonathan Martin?  

[panthers55]

Keuchly was a position of need with TD and Beason questionable.

 When you reach for busts get busts when you reach for a good player he is still a good player. Where one is drafted doesn't change how he will play.

The expectation was that Beason would be fine with the only person questionable being TD.  That is why Kuechly started at Will not Mike.  Again we brought him in because he was BPA when everyone was saying we were going defensive tackle.  I said he was the BPA on defense bar none and we couldn't pass it up.  Which has borne out.  We didn't reach for him but we have for others players like Brown a few years ago.

 

When you reach for a good player and play him as a rookie before he is ready because you need him to play, you end up sometimes ruining the player or at least delaying his progress not enhancing it.  Where you draft him impacts the expectations and how you use him which can impact how he turns out for you.  For instance Sedrick Ellis was not a bad DT he just wasn't worth the 8th pick.  Where as if he had been a third rounder he would have been a bargain and might still be with the Saints.

 

Do you think Byron Bell would still be here if he were a 1st rounder and paid according for how he played the past few years.  He is still around because he was cheap and worth a roster spot given he was a UDFA.

[Ruff]

1st - Morgan Moses OT

2nd - Jordan Matthews WR

3rd - Ju'Wuan James OT

4th - Chris Davis CB

5th - Kevin Norwood WR

6th - Howard Jones OLB/DE

7th - Connor Shaw QB

And pick up a RB as an UDFA, preferably Henry Josey.

Morgan Moses looks awful. Also, Matthews solidified that he'll be a top 40 pick. We won't get a chance to draft him in the 2nd.

[Growl]

run the ball, stop the run

[Growl]

games are won and lost in the trenches

[Growl]

defense wins championships

[Growl]

oh im sorry i thought we were parroting 1980's espn cliches

[Growl]

remember arizona

[Peppers90 NC]

i think we have to use the free agency approach to some extent, whether it be WR or OT.  our biggest FA acquisition in the last decade i want to say was Keyshawn, that was like 8 or 9 years ago, have to do something

[jptaylor84]

Morgan Moses is calculated a -7 for a first roud evaluation so we wont be reaching for a second round talent, free agency will set up how we draft, do you not think the team planned for this? As soon as the season ended there probably have been lists of scenarios drawn up and gross not coming back wouls of been one of them, also the projected free agents would have been listed and this week after assessing the draft crop in Indy you can bet they will be discussing the free agency more so and what plan to go with.

it sucks that gross has left, even with him here the line was already poor, bell is depth at best not a starter, chandler same did ok but not going to win you games, wharton and gross actually performed well, but realistically we need both a new RT and LT and probably one guard if amini holds up, kugbila who knows, but I'm not going to worry until I see who we sign and you can bet your bottom dollar the front office and gettleman will do there best, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

[PantherFeez]

I still think you take the best WR available in the first. Unless a top OT falls.  

 

Regardless what happens to the line Cam needs weapons. We can scheme around an offensive line and at least have some patch work bullsht ready to go. At WR, talent is talent and we basically have none.

I just have a few thoughts on that

 

If an opposing secondary holds up coverage for that extra second a DE needs for a sack, then a patch work line is going to fail. Interior pressure will make Cam's accuracy suffer. And the run game will suffer because we won't get decent push and that forces us into obvious passing situations. 

 

I keep writing out scenarios but because we haven't had our FA pick ups yet, it's almost pointless to decide how we should go. I'm not worried about Amini at LG or Kalil at C. I would like to sure up that RG spot with a road grader to give us better push in the run game, that way we can be more balanced. It would also keep interior pressure at bay and keep defenses more honest. LT in FA for sure cause there isn't going to be someone who slips to 28; that doesn't mean it's a long term solution, just a 2-3 year band aid. And i'm not minding Bell for 1.3M at RT for another band aid year. He's not the core going forward but he will do in a cap strapped situation. 

 

Happy for Gross, but it throws in a wrench in our ideas as fans; DG was probably already planning for if he retired