LinvilleGorge

CAROLINA PANTHERS R1 (6) — G Ikem Ekwonu, NC State R3 (94) — QB Matt Corral, Mississippi R4 (120) — LB Brandon Smith, Penn State R6 (189) — Edge Amare Barno, Virginia R6 (199) — T Cade Mays, Tennessee R7 (242) — CB Kalon Barnes, Baylor Day 1: The board couldn’t have fallen much better for Carolina, with all three of the top offensive tackle prospects still on the board. The Panthers opted for the top run-blocker in the class in Ekwonu. The N.C. State tackle earned PFF run-blocking grades above 85.0 in all three of his college seasons, with grades above 90.0 in each of the last two years. It’s worth noting that the Panthers didn’t trade back to add another pick or two, given that they aren’t on the clock again until the fourth round. Day 2: Corral wouldn’t have been a good pick in Round 1, but he provides value late on Day 2. Corral’s offense at Ole Miss made his projection to the NFL a little more difficult, as it was full of RPOs and simplistic reads. Despite the quarterback-friendly offense, Corral was consistently on time and delivered accurate throws while showing off an exceptional deep ball. Corral’s 2021 season took a nosedive midseason due to injury. His 91.1 PFF grade through Week 7 was the fourth-highest in the FBS, but that mark fell 20 grading points to 70.6 from Week 8 on. Day 3: Smith is an athletic project, but he’s a project well worth taking at this stage of the draft. The production profile isn’t overly impressive. Smith earned PFF grades below 60.0 in each of the last two years at Penn State. But the NFL is always going to look for 6-foot-4, 250-pound linebackers who test above the 90th percentile in the 40-yard dash, broad jump and short shuttle. Now, the Panthers just need to figure out how to use him. Draft Grade: A

If he looks good in camp and preseason I honestly expect us to bite the bullet and release Clowney. I don't think we're going to find a trade partner.

I hate seeing this. I'm not sure he was ever going to make it in the NFL without the injury but that injury knocked FSU out of the college football playoffs and cost him and them and opportunity on the biggest stage in college sports. The injuries are the worst part of this game. They've created a nearly unending list of "what ifs". Hell, every HS, college, and pro team out there has a long list of them. It's also a good reminder that there's no such thing as a routine major injury. Even though sports medicine has improved dramatically in recent decades, major injuries are still somewhat of a coin flip on how a guy is going to emerge from it.

It wasn't a great safety draft but I was disappointed in the type of safety we drafted. I just don't understand why the Panthers have always been caught up in the idea of playing two strong safety types as the league has evolved more and more into a passing league. We're starting to see the running game make a comeback but still, the ball is in the air a LOT more than it was back in the '80s and we have always taken an '80s approach at the safety positions.

Blackmon would be a nice fill in. I'm surprised he's still available.

College Station is a complete hell hole. Yeah, so is northwest Indiana but it's not like he left to go to Shangri-La. LOL He left because TAMU offered him a bag. That's just the reality of college sports now. It's NFL free agency but there's no contracts. It's a complete poo show.

Please understand that our head of analytics as of last May is the former head of analytics for PFF. There is probably going to be a lot of praise from PFF for most of our roster moves simply because we're probably using a lot of the very same analytical metrics. And PFF sure is rooting for our success because if we keep going down our flailing path it's really going to devalue PFF's analytical system.

I take it you've never been to College Station, TX? LOL

Probably 729k reasons https://www.si.com/fannation/name-image-likeness/nil-news/four-of-the-top-five-nil-athletes-within-the-state-of-texas-are-longhorns

TAMU had such a weird draft. Usually you'd be bragging your ass off about three DL drafted in the top two rounds except that the narrative around all three was about how badly they were misused by TAMU. LOL

There's nothing normal about a 73 year old dating a 24 year old and a wildly successful NFL coach going to the college level in his twilight years is unprecedented. Yeah, raving success or absolute clown show. We'll see how it plays out on the field but this is why I was always very apprehensive about going after Belichick. The odds of it going the clown show route seem to be increasing by the day.

Who didn't see entertainment coming? It's either going to be a raving success or an absolute dumpster fire of a disaster. There's was never any gray area.

Careful now chucking those rocks here in this glass house.

Over 30 coming off a torn Achilles is rough. I'm not surprised. I wouldn't be opposed to bringing him in and giving him a workout to see if he could help us.

I lived in Evergreen for 14 years and never made it to Shelby's but in all fairness I fuging HATED Denver.

Yeah, sure he's going to walk away from millions in a hissy fit... LOL, c'mon man... nobody believes that poo.

Mel Kiper can't be wrong. He can only be failed by prospects he liked and prospects he didn't like can only be carried by great circumstances but either way, just know that Mel Kiper was not wrong.

That motherfuger said Jamarcus Russell had the same skill set as John Elway. LOLOLOLOL

Mel Kiper's long illustrious history would also indicate that neither does Mel Kiper. It's almost like this poo isn't an exact science or something and that there's a lot of different variables that go into whether or not a guy is successful. It's just that according to Mel Kiper, everyone else is an idiot and he's perfect. LOL

This. Both were dumb and disrespectful of the pre-draft process in different ways. You're going on job interviews for potentially massive multi-million dollar gigs. Don't go out and get hammered the night before and if they send you a sampling of the playbook put in some time to get to know it.

Anyone who thinks Hunter is going to be a full time two way player in the NFL is delusional.

Sounds like a potential 3-4 DE to me

And constantly posting about his MMA fights until he started losing them all. LOL

Why not just get rid of the 30 visit limit? Seems dumb and arbitrary and it seems like you'd want to give prospects the opportunity for as much exposure as possible. Borderline draftable guys probably aren't getting much attention at all on top 30 visits but that would likely change if you get rid of it.

Derek has always looked up to his big bro and I think that's really cool. Never had any issues with either. Sucks Derek went to the Saints but whatever.