top dawg

It's just too much work for me to take a stab, but I will leave you with this: If Ladd McConkey is somehow available at 33, we'll likely take him above all. Look for us to capitalize on a faller and trade back. And, if we don't trade back, we will pick a legit first round faller at 33. If we pick at 33, we will definitely use 39 to trade back, and whatever the first pick after that is, we will pick Xavier Legette if he is there.

Seriously though, I think if one of those first round graded CBs slide, they will be the 33rd pick. I was looking into Wiggins, and now I m thinking that if either he ir Kool-Aid falls, all the people who want offense at all costs are going to be upset.

Well damn, talking about offensive...

Because a scout has to deal with less players and can get more specific with not only the players, but how a player fits that team's individual scheme. The scout knows intimately what that team is looking for. I mean, honestly man, these media big boards and mock drafts are mainly for entertainment purposes. They want to keep all of us engaged and making their own companies, their employers, and themselves money.

And it's a damned shame...all that capital we spent... The life of a Panthers fan since Tepper has taken over...

Any QB worth his weight in gold is going to get his guys the ball. Of course he has to have the protection, coaching and experience to do that. Moreover, it has yet to be determined what type of situation this is for a rookie wideout. The most important thing that will determine that is coaching.

"A wasted developmental year..." It's just part of the process of rebuilding, changing the culture and the narratives surrounding a franchise that's been circling the drain. Better to be pulling yourself out than in the tank. This may be our last chance to not become the new version of the Browns or Jets for the next 20 years.

Smitty and Lance Zierlein see eye to eye on the top four, then they start diverging a little bit. It's an hour and 18 minutes. Link only (due to NFL content.) https://youtu.be/LDzLS0viRX4?si=P5JkRNA8eqevnpHc Again, if you like hearing about receivers, give it a listen. I know at this point that it's easy to get overwhelmed and/or simply tired of too many opinions. That being said, I found the discussion about some of the receivers pretty interesting. Tidbits: Both have Nabers WR1, but you can't go wrong with Harrison or Odunze. Smitty has Ladd at 8, Zierlein at 5. Smitty has Worthy at 5. Sixth is AD who needs to work on route running. Zierlein said two ex-receivers that Smitty knows have expressed concerns (and, just guessing, it could be Keyshaun & Irving). Legette is 9th. Which Legette are you getting? Many of these receivers, including Odunze will have to play in specific roles for them to shine. Pearsall is 14th. He can play outside but eats in the slot. The most interesting thing to me about watching these many analysts is that they all agree that where a guy is drafted and how he is deployed absolutely matters. It can make or break careers. Sure, you have some guys that can do it all, but those aren't as prevalent as we'd like to think, that's why putting guys in the best situations to succeed is so crucial. At the same time, you may not even know all the guy can do based upon the offense he was in on the collegiate level, so you at least have to explore the possibility that he can do more. Coaching is so important.

Damn it if I hadn't been telling y'all this in other words: "So, making a four-year decision (which is effectively what drafting a guy is) based on what could be a one-year circumstance isn't the wise play." "At every pick this year, the thought needs to be about the best player available rather than the best player available for the 2024 Panthers." This too, really: "Size can matter for receivers because, in a perfect world, you'd have a complementary group made up of different styles. It's more important to have an improved group, though." Yes, I've also said that I could see us picking Ladd (but that they might see it as redundant). It just depends upon who is available and what they want to do. I don't know how I feel about thinking like Gantt.

Well plow her with Mimosas before you ask.

I mean, you can't hate Kiper and love Jeremiah. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/amp/how_did_they_do_grading_mock_drafts_from_four_of_the_top_experts/s1_13132_38765511 I mean, come on. Jeremiah had John Ross as #27 in his top 50. He had Corey Davis and Mike Williams as his top two receivers. Cooper Kupp was his 14th rated receiver in the same draft. Jeremiah didn't even have Mahomes in his top 50. Come on, man. Edit: And, BTW, most scouts had Mingo rated as a 3rd, so that's not really saying anything. Hell, I was surprised when we picked him so high myself, as were many. Fitterer over-drafted him.

There's no way for you to know that. The sky stops falling at some point.

@Leaky_Faucet, huh? I must remember that.

There's a bit more to Legette than just contested catches. His ability to climb the ladder and get balls, as well as his game speed are evident. His fastest recorded time last year per Next Gen Stats was 22.3, which was the fastest in college and would've been the fastest in the NFL. His physicality is really second to none in this draft class. Of course all of that speed, strength and vertical ability may have been a good crutch in regards to actually mastering the nuances of route running, but there's a lot of clay to work with there. He also has a great wingspan and good hands. There is a reason why people are having a difficult time with evaluating him, and a lot of it is because his Senior season was his breakout season, but the other part is that he may be laterally challenged, but possibly vertically and athletically elite. Even without the lateral movement of some, he still has high upside regarding production after the catch. In regards to Bryce, I just have to see him behind a competent O-line before I put the last nail in the coffin. Running for your life can lead to a lot of bad things. It can. Off target throws, bad footwork, trying to play the hero by holding on to the ball too long...those don't have to be solely based upon inability. And we still must remember that transitions to the NFL consist of curves of varying degrees.

That's great, but I've read too many profiles that said he can be rerouted and knocked off balance too easily. Just about every---well every profile I have seen said that the slot is where he best fits, even on vertical routes.

I've certainly noticed attempts at closing the pipeline of rumors---hell, all information---down since Tepper bought the team. @Zod obviously no longer has the access that he once did (and maybe not even the inclination to find anything out since the teams have sucked during this era), and those "little birdies" seem harder to come by in general, but they still do. Last year, we didn't have to hide anything, and the franchise even purposely leaked that Bryce Young was the pick in order not to have a great fan upheaval on draft night. I don't keep up with some of the Huddle's Panthers insiders like some of you, so I don't even know all of their names, but feel free to tag 'em in this thread. Other than Zod and @Verge I really haven't paid attention. I know that there was some other guy that brought the juice. Then there was some guy on YouTube that had it on good authority (obviously) that we were picking Horn if he was available. Certainly, like all this stuff---perhaps moreso this year due to the fact that we're presumably not picking until 33---it depends on who slides and falls, but has anyone actually in the know heard any rumors?

Yeah, he was a tough customer to try and handle, and even better corners had their work cut out for them. There would be no cakewalks facing Kelvin Benjamin. He was genuinely big and strong. He was a boom-then-bust receiver.

Oh, I agree for the most part. Perhaps Pearsall could be more, but I don't think that guys like Harmon, as well as other analysts and scouts who've helped create these draft profiles, are basing their opinions on stereotypes.

In theory, and based upon mainly fans' assumptions, you may be right. But, I've said it many times now, I just can't draft or not draft a WR based upon perceived and real limitations of a QB that could gone in a season. One other thing that I would mention is that we need a legitimate outside X receiver to help clear the way for our other skill positions. Lastly, I'd add that there is a belief by some that your WR corps should have done versatility (as in different types of receivers). We arguably have at least two slot guys on the team now (granted, maybe not for long). I think that Mingo needs to be in the slot, and that's how some teams (e.g., the Steelers) were looking to use him.

Harmon likes Pearsall. But, don't miss it even Harmon mentions "underneath." Pearsall is projected to be a slot receiver. That doesn't mean that he won't tear it up though, but I'd rather have that X receiver with top 10 potential.

Not me. He's been compared to Metcalf and Gordon. The upside is there. If he bombs, well, it's just a miss---a cost of doing business. But if he succeeds to anywhere close to that level and we don't draft him at 33 and especially 39, we will look like fools. Hell, we will be fools.

They aren't low on him either. Tell the whole truth now. They just don't know what to make of him. Comparing him to Josh Gordon (not the off-field issues) isn't exactly a bad thing.

Honestly, I haven't looked into TE at all, but as the Harmon & McDonald vid (that I posted in the other thread) was coming to an end, they said they would do TEs next and McDonald said in passing that, "There is only one, maybe two tight ends that matter." I said that because basically it's a dart throw. We may have more upside on the roster. That's the general feeling that I get. As for RBs, I really haven't looked into them either. Maybe I'll get around to it and maybe not.

Benjamin was actually pretty good until he got hurt. Then his mom died and he became a head case.

I love Matt Harmon's analysis of receivers because he puts in the work. He and a couple of others are probably the best out there as far as analysis is concerned. The problem is he makes us pay for what used to be free, and I'm cheap. So, I try to get a hold of those free tidbits. In the following vid, he and Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports talk some of the wide receivers that we may pick. It's well worth the listen if receiver is your thing.