SCO96

Darnold and the O-line are the key. If were are successful on these two fronts the future looks bright. Here's the one thing I admire about how we handled the situation. "If " Sam fails, we still have plenty of draft capital to trade for a better QB or pick a promising draft prospect. If you look at our roster as presently constructed, this would be a desireable place to place for any QB to play. If I'm not mistaken, aren't we going to have one of the highest cap spaces heading into the 2022 season? We should be able to absorb almost any QB salary next season.

Thank you for the correction. I meant to say he hasn't won. Sorry about that. Ironcially a guy from the Seattle FO that helped build those back to back conference winning team is calling the shots in Carolina. If he could repeat that here I think we could all live with that...but I want more...

You correct sir. But let's remember Jimmy Johnson and the Dallas Cowboys were 1-15 that first year. The next year they were 7-9. By year three they were 11-5 and in the playoffs. The won the Super Bowl back to back in 1992-1993 with regular season records of 13-3 and 12-4. We were 5-11 in Matt's first year. Eight of those loses were by 8 points or less. Tampa spanked us pretty good both times they played us but their 7 time SB winning QB won't be around too much longer. New Orleans got us pretty good to end the season, but Brees is GONE now. I'm not too afraid of any other Saint QB lighting us up the way Drew used to year in and year out. Matty Ice is always a problem but he isn't quite as good as the former two QB's. I respect him, but I don't fear him. We were a lot more competive in general than Dallas was in JJ's first year.

It's way to early to say we are gonna win 3 superbowls in 4 years, but I'm getting a deja vu feeling about the Carolina Panthers. This is quite long, bit hear me out. We have a new /charismatic/somewhat eccentric owner who is desperate to win. He seems more excited talking to his new draftees on draft day than making money (Who does that sound like?) We have a young HC who just left the collegiate ranks and replaced the most successful HC in the franchises history.(Our previous coach was HC of the year twice in case you have forgotten...2013 and 2015...and the only guy to get us in the postseason 3 years in a row). Rhule was successful at different college programs...just like Jimmy Johnson. He's well acquainted with all the talent in NCAA and is able to find talent in all over the draft and among the undrafted guys. I don't think it's a coincidence that Matt Rhule even spent some time this off-season on Jimmy's fishing boat to pick his brain. Our GM loves playing chess on draft day. Jimmy Johnson( HC/GM on those 89-93 Cowboy teams) did as well and had some stellar drafts to build the championship foundation. A special emphasis was placed on building a fast/athletic defense and a powerful offensive line with a large number of draft choices. Rhule had a losing season out of the gate (just like JJ), but it was obvious from day 1 that his guys play hard for him. Like Johnson, the team immediately improved on paper heading into year 2 with a very strong draft class. The team had a great OC (Norv Turner) who quickly became a sought after candidate for a head coaching position (Joe Brady anyone?) The QB who led the team, Troy Aikman, had a bumpy ride the first couple of years in the NFL. Don't forget he was 1-15 his first year. At one time he was benched for Steve Walsh (I bet most of you guys forgot that). He appeared to be a 1st round pick who wouldn't live up to his draft slot. Does that sound like anyone on our team? Once all the pieces were in place, Aikman put things together in a hurry. Tom Brady is still QB I fear the most in the NFC but he's almost 45. Russell Wilson is great. Aaron Rodgers is the most physically talented guy in the conference. But neither of those guys have been able to make it back to a Super Bowl since their lone championship win. And, both guys appear to literally hate their front offices and would leave in a heartbeat if the right opportunity arose. Besides those three What other QBs in the NFC do you actually fear? The best young QBs are in the AFC now ( Allen, Jackson, Mahomes. Herbert, Mayfield, Burrows, Watson) What does all of this mean? Perhaps nothing. But as the saying goes "history tends to repeat itself" I think this Carolina will be a playoff team by 2022, if not next year, and the dominant team NFC by the middle of the decade. Thoughts?

KC is serious about rebuilding that offensive line. The Super Bowl showed us first hand what happens to even the best QBs when he doesn't have protection. I hope we don't regret letting a couple of good O-line prospects slip by because of the trade backs.

This is why trading back can backfire at times. You plan to get a guy at a certain spot and right before you get on the clock another team nabs him. But, there are 31 other teams in the league. If you like a guy, chances are one of the other front offices around the league will feel the same way.

If we could do that to pick up an extra 2nd round choice that would be nice.

I agree with you...but I can understand if we took Barmore. He had 8 sacks last year as an interior d-lineman. That's a lot for a DT. You put him next to Derrick Brown as our 3 technique pass rusher and we could end up with the best pash rush in the NFC South.

Anything possible, but I don't think we have to worry about that. In our lifetimes the Chicago Bears have NEVER produced a superstar/franchise quarterback. Just take a look at their history since the superbowl era began in 1966. In our lifetimes, the OHiO State Buckeyes have NEVER produced a superstar/franchise quarterback. The coach/gm combo of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace doesn't send the proverbial chills up my spine. If Fields doesn't become a baller, both of those guys will be out of a job by 2025...possibly sooner. If history shows us anything, Fields went to a franchise where QB go to die. If ...or more likely when...Nagy and Pace are fired Fields will be shown the door for Chicago's next "franchise" QB to repeat the cycle. PS...I actually want Fields to succeed in Chicago. It'd be nice to see Chicago finally draft a good QB. I just hope he's less successful than Sam Darnold or whoever the Panthers have behind center while he's playing there.

Great comment. Some people on this board seem to under the impression that getting a QB in the top 10 of the 2021 draft was the only way the Panthers could be successful for the rest of the decade. 1) As some have pointed there's no guarantee Fields (or any of these guys) are going to be championship winners in the NFL. 2) We have drafts every year. We can get a QB in 2022. Some are saying "next year's class sucks!". It's too early to say that. Zach Wilson didn't become a top prospect until his last season. Joe Burrow didn't set the world on fire until his final collegiate season. Mac Jones wasn't a first round prospect before 2020. Chances are a couple of good QBs will be in the 2022 draft class...and unlike some teams that have traded away all of their high choices we'll have first round choice next year if we need to pick a QB. 3) This team is young and a lot better than our 5-11 record indicates. A strong draft in 2021 should makes us better and a more desirable place for a QB that we could obtain via free agency or trade.

One of these guys will be available when we pick at 39. https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft/bestavailable Trevon Moehrig (Safety) 1 POS RK 17 OVR RK 90 GRADE Moehrig excelled in a Cover 4 heavy scheme at TCU that frequently left him on an island working against slot receivers. He's a playmaker who shows good burst breaking on the ball and good timing breaking up passes. He's an above-average open-field tackler. Moehrig was voted TCU's Special Teams Most Valuable Player by his teammates in 2018. -- Steve Muench Andre Cisco (Safety) 2 POS RK 50 OVR RK 82 GRADE Pre-Draft Analysis Cisco is an interchangeable safety with a blend of size, length and range. He's a ball hawk and natural hands catcher. He appeared to make strides as a tackler on 2020 tape, but it's still a concern. -- Steve Muench Richie Grant (Safety) 3 POS RK 53 OVR RK 82 GRADE Pre-Draft Analysis Grant is undersized with good instincts, long arms and average top-end speed. He doesn't catch everything he gets his hands on, but he's a playmaker who tracks the ball well and picked off 10 passes in college. He's a solid tackler and a tough run-stopper who does not shy away from contact. -- Steve Muench

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft/bestavailable Pre-Draft Analysis Owusu-Koramoah is an instinctive, agile and fast weakside linebacker who always seems to be around the ball. He's fluid, smooth and fast in coverage. He flashes the ability to pressure quarterbacks with his closing burst and suddenness. -- Steve Muench According to ESPN, he's the highest rated player still on the board. They have him at #12 overall. He's considered to be a 3 down player so he isn't a liability in the passing game. We need playmakers at every level of the defense. We really don't have an impact guy in our LB core. I would prefer a LT in round 2, but if this guy could play I wouldn't jump out of a window. He would make the defense better from day 1.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft/bestavailable/_/position/ot The top 3 OL left are ranked among the top 40 players on the draft board according to ESPN. We pick at 39. We should be able to get one of these guys without reaching for a player. I'm gonna post the top defensive backs a little later.

I personally wouldn't do it...but I could see the logic if you had a bonafide starter on the board tonight. On defense in today's NFL you cannot have too many pash rushers or DEFENSIVE BACKS. If we took a corner in the 2nd round and he turned out to be as good as Chris Gamble or Josh Norman for the next 4-5 seasons it would be a good move. I don't think we have a sure thing there though so I'd address another need. We are in position to get a solid LT early in the 2nd round.

I didn't realize Jacksonville had 2 picks in round one. But, I told a guy last week at work that I could see the Jags taking Etienne as the first pick in the 2nd round.

The Steelers' first four picks in the 1974 Draft ( Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, Mike Webster, and John Stallworth) all made the Hall of Fame. They even found a Hall of Fame SS in Donnie Shell who was undrafted. Hey if it happened for them...who says it can't happen for us . Then again, I'd be content if we could get FOUR solid starters/Pro Bowlers from your perfect scenario.

We only had 7 INTs as a team last year. Donte was the only CB to get a pick on the 20/20 roster (He had 3). We've got to deal with Tampa, New Orleans, and that trio of beasts in in Atlanta (Jones, Ridley, and now Pitts) twice a year. I may have gone with the LT Slater to help our QBs stay upright...but this was not a bad pick. Jaycee balled out in the SEC. He's not a scrubb. We needed a cornerback. To be honest, we could use a couple of more, but I do hope we grab a LT in the 2nd round.

I think cornerback is a more demanding position in terms of physical ability. As you pointed out it's easier to dominate in the NFL as a WR than a CB. That's why I made my statement. But, I have to admit that you posted a good argument and it actually made me see things a little differently.

Gotta disagree with you on placing higher value on a WR than a CB. It's a lot easier to find quality WR's than CB's. PFF has 10 receivers in the 2021 draft ranked in the top 71 players. https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-nfl-draft-wide-receiver-rankings https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-nfl-draft-cornerback-rankings. They have 10 cornerbacks in the top 72. But, after the 2nd round there is a steeper dropoff in talent than with the WR's. I don't think either of our starting wideouts would rank among the top 10 in the NFL. But, both played well and racked up over a 1,000 yards on receptions despite playing with a mediocre/average QB. DJ and Robbie would be solid starters on over half the teams in the league. Last season with the possible exception of Donte Jackson (the only CB on our team with an INT) none of our corners could start for the upper echelon teams in the NFL. I think a couple couldn't even make their rosters as backups. I'm not saying we should draft a CB at 8, but if we did I can at least understand the reasoning. I'd prefer a LT, or a trade down. I wouldn't even consider taking Justin Fields at #8 after trading for Darnold so I hope Mr. King is wrong on this one.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/type/team/name/car We scored an average of 21.9 points per game last season. Our Opponents averaged 25.1 per game. That's almost exactly a 3 point per game difference. In six of those losses we gave up over 30 points. We gave between 25, 27, and 28 points in 3 of the other losses. Yet, we only lost 3 games by more than a score. We were competitive in all of our defeats last season except the 2nd losses to Tampa and New Orleans. We were able to do so despite having a mediocre pass rush and a secondary that only picked off 7 passes the entire season. Only one CB on our roster had an INT last season (Donte had 3). The pass rush already looks to be significantly better. But, an improved pass rush can only do so much without help on the back end. With all of our offensive woes on the O-line since Jordan Gross retired, I would prefer to get a franchise LT at #8. But, if we got a CB there, or chose a CB with our 1st pick after moving down a little in the draft, I wouldn't be appalled. If the guy turned out to be as good as Chris Gamble, Josh Norman, or James Bradberry then he'd fill a major hole on the team and make us better immediately.

My fear is that we take Pitts, or Chase, in round 1 with the strategy of picking a LT (as you suggested above) in round 2. Then, right before we pick some shrew GM jumps ahead of us and grabs the LT we covet. If we think the guys mentioned above will drop, other GMs around league probably feel the same way. I could see someone trading back into the latter part of the 1st round to snatch a guy if they felt he could do the job which could leave us empty handed. I remember our disastrous draft in 2016. We ended up drafting 3 CB's in a row coming because Gettleman played hardball with Josh Norman and rescinded the franchise tag. Worley and Sanchez turned out to be wasted picks. Bradberry was good, but he's no longer with us. I recall G-Man saying something along the lines of "the board didn't fall the way we thought". I say grab the LT in round one "IF" you feel he's a can't miss prospect. I wouldn't even be opposed to grabbing another Tackle in round 2 because RT will be a position of need if we can't sign Moton to a long term deal after the 2021 season. If we do resign him, we could use the other guy for depth or move him inside to guard.

I don't doubt you can find some good interior lineman later in the draft. We need an good-great LT to hold things down for the next several year no matter who is behind center. They are a lot harder to find than Centers or Guards. The analyst are also saying that this is a very deep draft for receivers. I know we can find a quality WR later in the draft. I'm in agreement with everyone who says we need to take Sewell or Slater if they are available. I can see the reasoning for Pitts b/c he's such a freak of nature as a TE/WR. If he lives up to his potential I think we'd all be pleased with the selection. No way, would I use pick #8 for one of the receivers in this draft with all of our needs.

That last line sums it up. I mentioned Kilmer in one of my post. He's far from an all-time great, but I don't think he ever had a losing season while he was with the Redskins...oops...WTF...and He had them in the playoff hunt year in and year out. His HC, George Allen, NEVER coached a losing team in the NFL. The Redskins were no joke back in the 70's. You have to be "old school" like me to remember Billy Kilmer ...and I don't even remember him as the Redskin starter. When I really got into the NFL he was being phased out in favor of Joe Theisman

No doubt. Fortunately the teams that drafted them didn't have as much invested in them so when they failed it didn't set them back as much in terms of money and the overall success of the franchise.