Just found this board. I am a Chiefs' fan, but on our board, we are doing a full, 7 round NFL Draft, where different people pick for different teams. We are currently in the 4th round, and I just completed the pick for the Panthers. Wanted to get some feedback from you guys to see if you like the direction I have gone in. Here are the picks:
2nd Round: Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech - thought this was a no-brainer. IMO, this guy could be one of the elite WRs in this league. Think Brandon Marshall or Vincent Jackson. An absolute freak with unbelievable measurables. Will definitely take him some time to learn the route tree, etc.
3rd Round: Austen Lane, DE, Murray State - Again, a position of need for you guys, and I like his upside quite a bit. There were some other pure pass rushers on the board at this pick (Worilds, Misi, Hardy) and a couple guys like Alex Carrington, but I love Lane's size and speed and pretty decent rush moves.
4th Round: Rennie Curran, OLB, Georgia - Undersized, but fast and an absolutely relentless linebacker should fit in your 4-3 well as a weakside linebacker. This would allow Connor and Beason to man the middle and strong LB spots, and could give you a solid LB corps for years to come.
6th Round: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia - This kid has huge upside, and I can't believe he is there at the 6th round pick in this mock. Huge arm, great size. Will need some time to learn to take snaps, and throw in an NFL system, but he can sit behind Moore, and either replace him, or at the minimum offer a nice backup or trade ammo down the road. Was thrilled with this pick.
6th Round (Supplemental): Blair White, WR, Michigan State - an NFL ready receiver who should be able to come in and compete to start at the slot from day one. He knows the routes, and was productive at Michigan State. I think this is awesome value here, and Blair White along with Demaryius Thomas and Steve Smith gives you guys a legitimate set of receivers to pair with DeAngelo and Stewart in the backfield. Suddenly, you are full of offensive weapons.
6th Round (Supplemental): Brandon Banks, KR, Kansas State - Tiny, but electrical. This kid made a ton of plays at K-State, and he is an explosive player with the ball in his hands. He will be a kick return specialist, and using this 6th round supplemental pick would be worth it to improve field position. Plus, your special teams' coach is familiar with him after coaching him at K-State.
7th Round: Jeff Byers, C/OG, USC - Very good value here, and this is a guy who can play any of the 3 interior line spots. He has a ton of talent, but had trouble staying healthy at USC. If he can stay healthy, he can add awesome depth, and could realistically take over at one of the spots at OG or C.
7th Round (Supplemental): Nate Collins, DT, Virginia - The one position for the Panthers I wanted to address in this draft that I didn't is defensive line. It just never seemed like the value matched where my pick was. Anyway, we'll add some depth here and see if the kid can make the team. He had great production in college, was a first team all-ACC player with 77 tackles, 10.5 TFL and six sacks as a senior, but is a bit undersized at 6'2", 290. Could be a penetrating undertackle though.
All in all, I feel really good about this draft. I feel that your offense was upgraded exponentially with these picks, and with Lane and Curran, there is some help at two other positions of need. I know some will hate that there wasn't a DT taken until the 7th round, but honestly in this draft, they went too high, and there wasn't ever a round where that position met value. I refuse to reach for a need when there are player who offer much better value at that pick. Plus, with Lane's size, I think he may be able to move inside on passing downs while you bring in other pass-rushers on the outside.
Would love to get some feedback on this now that it's completed.
Thoughts?
Edited by doomy3, 08 April 2010 - 10:54 AM.
