Carolina Panthers 2010 Draft review

[MaddenBalla]

My draft dream was to trade 2nd round pick to the Giants for Osi Umenyiora and then pick up Tony Pike in the later rounds. Half of that dream came true when they did draft him in the 6th round.

Jimmy Clausen was chosen and I remember, in my hotel room I did not have ESPN 2 so me and my friend watched the computer screen as the draft dwindled down to Carolina Panthers 16th selection in the 2nd round. Biting my finger nails, trying not to blink my eyes as I awaited for the pick. I was hoping Jimmy Clausen and like that, I got my wish! I did not expect him to be around and we snatched him. Just like the the Notre Dame QB before him, also a #7 - Steve Beuerlein, we have Jimmy Clausen who operated in an NFL system in college, his coach was a offensive coordinater for the New England Patriots Charlie Weis, he will strive with success early on because of the familiarity and decision making that will be brought upon him. To me, he is already prepared and will just need to learn the playbook and practice with his new team mates. The Panthers aren't rebuilding, they are ready to go and all we needed was a QB, another WR (Brandon LaFell), and support for our decaying Defensive Line (Greg Hardy).

In the John Fox-era, we were never good at drafting a WR who can stand side-by-side with Steve Smith. Since the departure of Muhsin Muhammad, we tried Keary Colbery who was the most successful of all the WRs we drafted, only did good in his rookie year - after that he was a bust. Drew Carter was Sonic The Hedgehog, able to run deep quickly but he had no hands! Walter Young, 6' 5" red zone threat couldn't run routes properly and was mainly warming up the bench on the sidelines. Jason Carter, Ryne Robinson, and last by not least Dwayne Jarrett who cannot contribute at all to the team. Enter Brandon LaFell, Armanti Edwards, and David Gettis. Brandon LaFell is about 6' 3" 200 lbs, resembles Muhsin Muhammad - can he be the answer? Armanti Edwards, Quarterback/Wide Receiver hybrid, if LaFell doesn't fall through I know Edwards would be the most successful, because he will have use in the Wildcat formation. David Gettis, I have no idea who he is - can he be another Anquan Boldin and come out of no where? It is all wait and see.

Defensive Line, the one area that was once our strong point - from 2003-2005 we had the best four-man rushing unit in the league: Mike Rucker, Kris Jenkins, Brentson Buckner, and Julius Peppers. All have departed and now our best defensive lineman was a 1st round draft bust Tyler Brayton. I am hoping to see Everette Brown get some more playing time this season, he did show flashes later on in the season as a pass rusher. Some rookies need time to develop, and I think if Everette ever can develop he can resemble John Abraham. Defensive Tackles are all garbage, I have nothing to say about them. Ever since big Kris Jenkins left, the opposing Offensive Line who faced them did more work to do while they were sleeping. Ma'ake Kemoeatu was sluggish, and a good run stopped but only effective if the runner hits his gap. Damione Lewis was more of a pass rusher type and he couldn't even do that. Nick Hayden, I do not know how he is still on the team. I just hope defensive end Greg Hardy can step in and provide that Cat Sack Defense that we are all accustomed to. Oh, by the way - being that I am a huge Julius Peppers fan, he wasn't a diamond either. Although he was the best, he was not very good. Devastating pass rusher mixed with speed and agility made him a threat against offenses, his weakness was his lack of stamina and inconsistent play. He never would go all out like Jared Allen, Mario Williams, or Jason Taylor in his prime. He became tired very quickly, and was only good for maybe two-three plays before he was drained of energy. Chicago will see his true colors.

To our quarterbacks, and a coincidence between Matt Moore, Jimmy Clausen, and QB Coach Rip Sherer. While in Cleveland, Rip Shier was QB Coach when Derek Anderson (Oregon State) and Brady Quinn (Notre Dame) were present. Now, Rip is in the same predictament with Matt Moore (Oregon State) and Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame). It is good that Rip is familiar with Oregon State and Notre Dame playing styles after previously dealing with Quarterbacks who worked in those systems while attending college. Could that be the reason for Matt Moore's success? The same for Derek Anderson in 2007? Notice how Derek Anderson has declined since Rip Sherer's departure. Jake Delhomme foiled aswell, but Matt Moore picked up on it very quickly and was able to play like a polished pro. Now, enter Jimmy Clausen, who like Brady Quinn is from Notre Dame, coming from Charlie Weis' offense. Rip Sherer already coached a QB from that offense, so whatever he taught Brady Quinn (which was not very much since he departed to Carolina the year after), can be handed down and groomed into Jimmy Clausen.

Sorry if I typed a lot, but this is my review of the Panthers 2010 draft and so far I think they did well. We will only know three years from now if they made the right decisions and those players we selected blossom into elite playmakers.

[z Revis]

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...rs-thread.html

or one of the draft threads.

[MaddenBalla]

Thanks, didn't even know that existed