MHS831

I try to keep up and project the roster with color-coded charts. You can see priorities and gauge who has the best chance of making the roster--you can see the priorities as well. Here, Yellow is a 2025 draft pick, green is an undrafted free agent, and orange is a free agent. The depth chart will obviously change and I am not sure about roles (positions in all cases), so that is not the real issue at this time, but yellows and oranges show how the team focused on which aspects of the defense: In the front 5, there were 3 draft picks, 3 free agents (not including players we re-signed), and two undrafted players signed. In the back 6, there was 1 draft pick and 2 free agents (LB, S), and four undrafted free agents. The undrafted free agents are always long shots, but by identifying them, you can tell which longshots might make the roster.

we are thin in a few areas. I still think they think we are set at edge. We still have DJ and Barno and one could go to the PS. Edge is one of those positions, for some reason, where if you do not draft the right guy or break the bank, you gotta go with what you have. Personally, I think our 2 draft picks will be fine. SEC kids. Jones and Wonnum are adequate vets who are not so good they will steal playing time from the toddlers. Three rookies (including Mwansa, who could play special teams while developing as an edge) behind 2 vets is huge, but don't forget, we had a veteran group of DTs, DEs, and LBs. On the back end of the defense, all veterans (starting) except maybe Ransom.

No need with Dowdle and Etienne behind Hubbard.

Yeah, he was removed from our bingo cards when that second knee injury went down.

6-2 230--so he will probably add 15 lbs of muscle--he has bend, natural speed, and is still learning-at combines (not NFL--CFL and one down in Florida, I think) he blew away the competition at Edge. I think I read that he has already been given #96--so our five Edge players are in the barn.

could be--I read several articles about him. This is not a foreign relations project--they think they have a rough gem here. Would that not be awesome? In my mind, edge is set. Barno and Johnson are history. That roster spot savings for a fifth DE is huge. It means we can add a guy somewhere else.

Yeah, we are gonna be raw. Wonnum, for the past 3 years, has been averaging 8 sacks a season (4 in one season when he missed half a season). I am OK, but yes, they will be thrown to the fire.

I was saying he should go and I am a lifelong Gamecock fan--but I don't care who wanted him to stay. Why is that important? I see both sides--but Clowney was gone by round 3 of the draft.

wonnum/jones?

Y'all forgetting about Maz Mwansa. He would be the fifth DE IF the cut Barno and DJ Johnson. He would not cost us a roster spot--and that is the key. "Carolina’s pass rush is being reshaped under new outside linebackers coach AC Carter, and recent addition Patrick Jones II. While Mwansa won’t count against the active roster thanks to the IPP slot, his upside is significant. He’s been likened physically to Eagles pass rusher Nolan Smith Jr. and already shows flashes of edge-bending potential. Panthers Director of Player Personnel Cole Spencer summed it up: “Anytime you get a raw ball of clay like that, and the league affords a roster spot, it’s pretty cool.”

You need to play these young guys as much as possible. Hard to replace production like this (sarcasm):

I used to get frustrated with moose. He dropped key passes---I remember one in the end zone that cost us the game-like XL. He is going to be fine. Realistically, next year will be a bit developmental again. Steve Smith had 154 yards during his first season and I recall him fumbling a few times on punt returns to cost us a game or two. It takes time-

Moose Muhammad was known for drops too. He had 724 yards during his first two seasons combined and only 1 TD. His catch percentage was below 50%. He had a 14-year career and played in 2 pro bowls.

Yeah, Fitzgerald was smart to sign with the panthers--not sure how many NFL teams were in the Market....I was surprised to see Morgan re-sign Tuttle and Ray--even if Ray's contract is completely unguaranteed--but with Brown, Wharton, Brown III, Robinson, Cam Jackson--maybe Crumedy--Tuttle could be excellent depth--but at DE, not DT, imo. Once again, it appears that Morgan may have found UDFAs who have a shot making the team--last year, there were 2 who contributed in a meaningful way. This year, I see CBs Thornton and Reid with a legitimate shot to make the roster. I also think LB Nomura has a legit shot (Morgan has to love this guy) as well as LB Bam Martin Smith from USC. Finally, I think one of the safeties will stick. In all, I expect 1-2 CBs, 1 LB, 1 S, 1 OL, 1 K to make this team. Predictions: CBs Thornton and Reid make the 53-man roster. LB Tuasivi Nomura makes the 53-man roster as a ST ace and ILB depth OL Michael Tarquin may make the roster to groom as a potential RT replacement for Moton. Moton, BC, and Nijman are on expiring contracts. While I like what I am hearing about Kandra, the OG room is very crowded. Lewis, Hunt, Zavala, Kingston--but he could compete for the 4th G job. S: Trevian Thomas, Isaac Gifford are probably the front runners, but Jack Henderson from Minnesota might be able to win a S spot as well. I expect all three will not make the 53, but the darkhorse name to watch is Henderson. Henderson's Pro day: Minnesota DB Jack Henderson had arguably the BEST overall workout of any Safety in this entire draft: 40yd. 4.47 vertical. 40” Broad. 10’8” Shuttle. 4.15 3cone. 6.70 Bench. 12

He said he was looking for productive college players.

ILB is a concern of mine- but if the IDL does the job I think they will, our LBs should be better.

I have heard that before--when standing in front of a full body mirror at Old Navy. I said it, actually. Seriously, Let's go on what we know. There is reason for optimism that exceeds random opinions and negativity: 1. Last year, the offense was the priority and the interior offensive line was the focal point. Morgan addressed it in free agency and the draft. They improved. 2. Last year, Canales pulled Young after 2 games and replaced him with an established veteran. Instead of giving up on Young, he developed him, primarily focusing on his footwork and timing. Continued development in his fundamentals should result in improved play. (this is significant because some athletes rely on natural ability and do not adapt well. They resort to old habits. This means that Bryce is "teachable" and is willing to face adversity and fight through it. That is what you want in a QB.) 3. Morgan drafted a raw talent at WR; and we all knew he was raw. Huddlers are already calling it a bust, but his productivity numbers were in line with the other WRs drafted around where he was drafted. So, yes, he was a bit disappointing, but what part of "Raw" is not understood here? Evil Bryce, then inconsistent Dalton, then good Bryce--all while facing the top defensive backs--and let's not forget about his lingering injuries--and we should understand XL's productivity. Morgan was looking for a home run based on XL's 1-season productivity and his freakish athleticism, but I always thought we would not know what we have until year 2. TMac alone will make XL better--a solid #2. 4. If you blame Morgan for drafting XL, you must give him credit for making Coker a priority free agent. In my view, he addressed WR in 2024 pretty effectively in the long view. 5. Let's look at the rest of the draft. Brooks? The best RB in the draft in round 2? Morgan was attempting to build a solid run game behind Bryce. Wallace was a very solid third round pick at LB. Sanders is a strong TE for a fourth round pick. 6. Not much is being said about the development of Chau Smith-Wade. His improvement mirrors Bryce Young's, actually. In his first 8 games, his PFF rating was 36.5. In the final 9 games, his PFF rating was 66.7. 7. With so many needs, Morgan hit the UDFA market with success. In addition to Coker, Demani Richardson got 400+ snaps and had a 60.1 PFF grade, including an interception. 8. In free agency, Morgan spent big bucks on Guards, a move that made his QB better. He added David Moore, Nijman, He signed Clowney, Wonnum, Robinson, Jewel, Chaisson, Fuller, Scott, D. Jackson, Dionte Johnson, etc. A few years of Fitterer left him with more holes that players. Some did not work out, but he did all this on a budget (after he splurged on Lewis and Hunt). It is hard to get a free agent to come to a team that loses--so in some cases, Morgan had to overpay or accept questionable players. Morgan's first year as a GM demonstrated an understanding of the game like we have not seen since Polian, before his lost it. Canales, on the other hand, should be rated by the improvement of players. Zavala, Ekwonu, Mays, Young, Smith-Wade, Coker, Wallace--all improved. He had to overcome major losses such as D. Brown, Shaq, Dionte Johnson, Corbett--and we saw growth. Despite all this team went through, after 8 games of disarray, This team finished 4-5 with close losses to both Super Bowl teams. Frankly, I do not know how he did it. This year was better. The WR room is solid with depth. The OL room is solid with depth. The TE room is as good as it has been in a while. The RB room has the potential to be as good as it was when we had 28 and 34. DBs? Better. DL? Better. Edge? better. The bottom of the roster? Much better. We really don't know what we have yet, and that makes this offseason exciting.

I think we will see a rotation of all 3 TEs, each with his own particular set of skills.

Sorry missed this. I was not really wanting a WR in the first--yes, it makes me better knowing the Rams and Cowboys and (another team) wanted him. Those teams are pretty good judges of WR--except Mingo.

It is probably wise not to start guzzling the Bryce Kool-Aid. This is a great year, as you say, to see if he has what it takes. The signs are good, however--because he played average (at times, slightly above) for 8-9 games. On the other end of the spectrum, Darnold played great for 15 games and sucked for the last 2, and he is gone--funny how only a few games can change your mindset. In October, I was mocking QBs to us---and it was scary--at least this lets us enter the 2026 draft, one that has a chance to be one of the best drafts in history at QB, knowing what we have.

Wrong is what we do--no shame in it. You are right--it was a bold move.

Thanks. Morgan sorta reinforced this when he said he had McMillan targeted in January. Later he downplayed WR by saying something like, "We will get one at some point..." which made it seem as if it was not a priority. To me, that tells me this--Morgan is not showing his cards again. He will bluff. If everyone knew he was targeting TMac--and a few other teams were as well--they would have leapfrogged him, possibly.

Maybe a mod can lock this

I have heard nothing else about it--probably is fake. Apologies if it is--I trusted my friend who sent it to me. He may have been fooled too. I did not verify it like I normally do--and I am not on X. My bad.

It could be. A friend of mine from Ohio (an hour below Cleveland) forwarded it to me--it was apparently making the rounds up there---he believed it.