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Nick Cross is a safety out of Maryland, he is truly a star in the making yet he is being projected mostly around the third round to early day three in the draft. He could very well fall into our range even without a trade back for extra picks(I hope we do trade back), I have a feeling that teams are probably much higher on Cross than the media but regardless I would even be happy taking him in the second round if we had one. I came across Cross watching the combine and man did this kid stand out, first off he's absolutely jacked very much like our fan-favorite Chinn. But more importantly, his movement and fluidity are special. I was watching the DB combine testing expecting Hamilton to shine but Cross took away the show. This led me to watch as much tape of Cross as I could find and man he didn't disappoint. He has great range, his speed really does show up on tape he is a natural ballhawk on the field and tracks the ball very well. Keep in mind this kid is only 20, if you let him develop at FS and really learn the position his range would grow with experience. He needs to learn more about route concepts/play recognition better so he can react and anticipate faster. Furthermore, his run defense is awesome. He is a fugging rocket on the field, he lays wood like he actually blows people up. If you wanna see some big ass hits watch his highlight tape which I will link below. In college, he was so much faster than everyone so he wouldn't always take the best angles but he still always made an impact in the run game. His speed especially shows up when he's chasing down WRs or running backs on big chunk plays, he actually catches up to them this is not Roman Harper or Tre Boston getting burnt. Pairing Chinn with Cross would be a perfect combo at the backend for the next decade and would allow Chinn to play SS. Cross reminds me a lot of Chinn but built a bit smaller for FS, both athletic freaks/big hitters and play with passion. Lastly he's just a great guy, intelligent and a hard worker just the type of player you want on your team. The draft is so close, keep pounding! Physical Attributes: 6'0 Foot, and 212 Pounds 4.34 forty yard dash 37-inch Vertical Only 20 Years Old Highlight Tape-

Only QB I could stomach at #6.

https://theathletic.com/2547734/2021/04/28/panthers-draft-scenarios-the-have-to-take-targets-justin-fields-and-which-cb-fits-best/

8. CAROLINA. The Panthers are in an intriguing spot. Smart money says one of the five quarterbacks will still be on the board at eight, so new Panthers GM Scott Fitterer could be in the luxurious position of having three options: Picking the quarterback and giving him a comfy redshirt year behind Sam Darnold, or trading to a team desperate for, say, Justin Fields here, or taking a very solid player to continue the Carolina rebuild. One thing I do know (and not just because Matt Rhule just spent a learning day with Jimmy Johnson, who always had a trove of picks to work with) is Carolina wants to come out of this draft with more picks than the seven it currently holds. The average team has 8.1 picks in an NFL draft, including Compensatory Picks. Over the last eight drafts, Carolina has averaged 6.3 picks per year. Knowing Rhule and Fitterer, that’s got to burn them. Particularly after trading three picks for Darnold, look for them to work to gain more April 29-May 1 https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/04/18/nfl-draft-rumors-fmia-peter-king/

Even after they spent three draft picks to acquire quarterback Sam Darnold in a trade with the Jets, the Panthers haven't checked the position off of their offseason to-do list. Carolina is still open to picking a quarterback with the No. 8 pick in this year's draft, according to SI's Albert Breer. The Panthers' sense of urgency to find a long-term solution at that position increased when San Francisco traded up to the No. 3 pick. The team has other needs—specifically cornerback and offensive tackle—but would still consider taking the right quarterback if he was still on the board at No. 8. General manager Scott Fitterer has a history with stockpiling at quarterback. The 47-year-old first-year GM spent two decades working with the Seahawks, both as a scout and in the front office. During his time there, he saw Seattle GM John Schneider add three quarterbacks in the 2012 offseason, all while still employing veteran starter Matt Hasselback. That year, the Seahawks traded for Charlie Whitehurst and signed Tarvaris Jackson and Matt Flynn as free agents, with Flynn signing a three-year deal worth over $20 million that many assumed meant he would be the team's new starter. Instead, the job went to the rookie the Seahawks took in the third round: Russell Wilson. The Panthers still have Teddy Bridgewater under contract, and picked up Darnold's fifth-year option following the trade. Bridgewater started 15 games for Carolina last season, throwing for 3,733 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Darnold completed 59.6% of his passes in 12 starts for the Jets in 2021, with 2,208 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/12/carolina-panthers-sam-darnold-quarterback-nfl-draft

I was super high on Fields in 2019 and have been going back to him and then rolling with the Wilson buzz. So, I finally decided to give his QB life a finer look. And I have to say, I think this is the man to get. Maybe in a trade up, whatever way works. So why? Here we go: Justin Fields 6'3 227 Before the 2021 season, Fields was seen on par with Trevor Lawrence. Heck, rewind to his senior year in HS--he was seen as a future NFL QB coming out of HS. 5 star recruit, baseball stud, even seen as a potential MLB star/high pick. He was the guy colleges wanted. Now, fast forward post-PSU de-commit & UGA, he goes to OSU and just blows the lid off. He gets rave reviews by coaches before his season even started, after the UGA racist rumor thing, he doesn't talk trash, he simply acts like a man about it all. And a greater take from this is let's not think he's some OSU quarterback. He's not Haskins or like any of the past Buckeye starters. And it's not some cursed position-school connection. If you look at his recruitment, he received offers from Alabama, Florida, Miss State, PSU (his OG choice), UGA, Auburn, MSU, virtually every top school. And a fun factoid: Our very own Matt Rhule recruited him hard and the Baylor Bears offered him a scholarship in his first year at HC. Funny enough, Baylor recruited 2 QBs heavily in this draft class and offered them scholarships: Justin Fields & Kellen Mond. Just food for thought. His performance against Clemson in 2019 was damn good. That game really set the tone for the next few years with a fun Clemson/OSU/Bama dynamic at the top of college football world. Now this video is a pretty sober look at him. If you don't want to watch, the short: It shows he does make progressions, superb accuracy, great mechanics. The narrative that there's only one or two plays where he threw to his second read during the season is hyperbole but yes, it does hold some water given the offensive system: Also, feel free to watch him in duress with the OSU line depleted against Bama. I'd prefer to watch him at his lows versus looking at all the highs (which are pretty superb). That game and the Indiana one were his "bad" career performances. I just don't think there's as many question marks as people think there are with this guy. The other thing is that he's gotten beat up a few times in games (not just that Clemson one) and he's proved to be one tough SOB. And furthermore, he actually responds to getting knocked down by elevating himself and his team even more. You can't teach those qualities IMO. If you really have time: I think he could very well be our draft target, not Zach Wilson, not Trey Lance, not Mac Jones. He showed a lot of great leadership abilities with the pandemic situation with a weird schedule and a lot of players out at times. He seems patient when he needs to push in the pocket versus just bailing out and running. I just see a lot of superb traits with this kid. Love his in game presence, there's a lot to like. And in looking back at him more closely, I really see why he was viewed so closely to Lawrence. Our coach likely knows him well already versus some of the other QBs in the draft. This is my Justin Fields endorsement. Thanks for reading.

Ove the Cap's Nick Korte analyzes how incentives have changed the comp pick formula.

http://footballgameplan.com/fbgps-2015-nfl-draft-special-inside-the-war-room-carolina-panthers/ Good morning Panther fans! Here's my inside the war room special for you guys. Enjoy! Em

One of the more intriguing defensive players in this years draft is Shaq Thompson out of Washington. While reading up on his abilities, I couldn't help but make comparison's to the Panthers own Thomas Davis. Davis is in the twilight of his career, and now would be the time to groom an eventual replacement. Shaq Thompson might be the perfect candidate. Here is why... View image | gettyimages.com First, the measurables ... Thomas Davis 2005 Draft Profile Height - 6'1 Weight - 230 40 yard dash - 4.6 3-Cone - 7.10 Vertical - 36.5 20 Yard Shuttle - 4.01 Shaq Thompson 2015 Draft Profile Height - 6'0 Weight - 228 40 yard dash - 4.64 3-cone - 6.99 Vertical - 33.5 20 yard shuttle - 4.08 As you can see, the two have a similar size, with Thomas Davis being slightly taller. Thomas Davis has slightly faster straight line speed, but Shaq Thompson was faster in the 3 cone (a more important measurement for a linebacker, imo). Most NFL scouts have Thompson playing a OLB in a 4-3 scheme but have some concerns about his size and ability to keep enough weight on. Thomas Davis had these very same concerns surrounding him, enough so that coach John Fox tried him at safety early in his career. I am not so sure if Shaq Thompson's case that is of real concern to the Panthers. They have a good history of keeping guys bulked up through their training staff. Like Thomas Davis who played safety and linebacker at Georgia, Thompson also played outside and inside linebacker and safety on occasion. He also played running back, which is pretty incredible. This tells me this kid is just pure football player, and if there is one thing that Dave Gettleman loves, its real football players. Shaq Thompson is all over the place on the mock drafts. Most agree he is a first round selection, but no one knows where he should fall. It is hard to project with a player like Thompson. Many teams may pass on him due to his uncertainty. It will take a strong defensive mind to take him and put him in a place of success. Should Shaq fall to the 25th pick, don't be shocked if the Panthers pull the trigger on him.

The following is my best guess at what will transpire in rounds 1-3 of the NFL Draft next month as far as the Panthers are concerned. All three picks are not only the best players available, but also players whose football talents line up perfectly with what the Carolina Panthers do on the field. So, without further ado... 2015 Panthers Mock Rounds 1-3 Round 1 , Pick 25 Landon Collins - S - Alabama Gettleman practices what he preaches in picking the best player available, but also fills a need. Landon Collins is one of those guys that is projected high but could drop in the first round. He ran a good 40, but other than that had a rather average combine. He won’t drop out of the first round, but he could drop to the mid 20s where the Panthers will select him if available. Collins is a prototype Ron Rivera strong safety. He punishes runners and has sound tackling technique. He is the best run defense safety in the draft, and as Dave Gettleman always says, you have to first defend the run to be able to rush the passer. Round 2, Pick 57 Jake Fisher - OT - Oregon FIsher had arguably helped himself the most at the combine out of all offensive tackles, which will bump him up into the second round. Fisher isn’t the physical stud that the first round tackles are, but he is a true football player. The Ducks offensive line performance decreased drastically without Fisher in the lineup. Throw in the fact that he is accustomed to protecting a mobile QB, and this is a no brainer for the Panthers. Round 3, Pick 89 Nick O’Leary - TE - FSU If there is one thing Ron Rivera and Mike Shula love, its an H-Back. A guy that can line up as a tight end or fullback opens up plenty of matchups that would be favorable to the Panthers. They tried this with both Ed Dickson and Brandon Williams last season, but had limited success. Nick O’Leary is the best H-Back this year’s draft and a good value in the late 3rd round. In addition, even though he is not much of a deep threat, he is a reliable receiver with solid hands for Cam Newton to target in mid to short yardage situations. He was a safety outlet for Winston at FSU, he can be one for Newton in Carolina.

Justin Coleman - CB - Tennessee 5'11 , 185lbs This year I expect the Panthers to address their need for a nickel in the mid to late rounds of the NFL Draft. Last season we saw the Panthers adjust to not having a solid nickel option by often going with their "buffalo" package, which placed safety Colin Jones in the nickel spot. While this had positive results in run defense, it was a liability at times against the passing game. A guy they could be targeting is Tennessee corner Justin Coleman. The Panthers met with Coleman at the East West Shrine Game and were impressed with him. Coleman is a perfect fit for what the Carolina Panthers look for at the nickel position. Namely, tenacity and run stopping ability. Coleman spent most of his senior year at nickel for the Vols, and had his best college season to date. Coleman helped himself greatly at the NFL Combine when he ranked as one of the quickest corners, posting top 5 results in both the 20 and 40 yard shuttle. He posted a 4.5 40 yard dash which gave his straight line speed the 6th best ranking. Throw in the fact that his 20 reps on the bench press was the third best in the group and it is clear Coleman has the physical skills the Panthers look for at nickel. These impressive combine numbers could possibly take him out of the sixth or seventh rounds and up into the fourth or fifth. The Panthers are expected to have at least one compensatory draft pick in the area Coleman is projected to be selected. This only increases the odds of Gettleman pulling the trigger on him.