Carolina Panthers will target offense in round one

[Jeremy Igo]

With the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, the Panthers are finalizing their draft board and preparing for their own first set of internal mock drafts. 

In round one, I feel the Panthers will be targeting offensive players. Yes, yes, I know, right now you are screaming "Best Player Available". That is a platitude that gets spread around far to often. Ever notice how over the last three Dave Gettleman drafts, the round 1 selection was also in an area of great need? Funny how that works.

Gettleman has said in the past that first round picks need to contribute their first year. This doesn't exactly make sense if the "BPA" mantra is true. What if the BPA is a quarterback? Or a middle linebacker? Or one of many positions on the team that a rookie has no chance of real playing time.  

In 2016, the Carolina Panthers first round selection has a much higher chance of contributing on offense rather than defense.

Yes, the Panthers do need another pass rushing defensive end, but when was the last time a rookie defensive end not taken in the top 15 had a great rookie season? In a draft full of solid defensive ends, I don't see the Panthers selecting one first. 

Two positions on offense, however, stand out to me as opportunities for a young guy to step in and immediately start making plays... Tight End and Running Back. 

Last season the Panthers kept two rookie running backs, Cameron Artis-Payne and Brandon Wegher. Clearly they know an eventual Jonathan Stewart replacement is needed. Cameron Artis-Payne did see some playing time, but he had a tendency to put the ball on the ground. That fact alone could cause Dave Gettleman to seriously consider spending a first round pick on a running back. 

Oh look, RB Derrick Henry could possibly be available at 30, and he is the big running back that would compliment a shiftier Artis-Payne or Wegher. Derrick Henry has also visited with the Panthers, who are only one of three teams to bring him in.

Now, about tight end. Yes, Greg Olsen is an amazing player and his importance in the offense cannot be overstated. But opposite Olsen is Ed Dickson. While Dickson is a serviceable vet, he could very well lose his playing time to an outstanding rookie tight end.

Enter Hunter Henry, the most complete tight end in the draft and some say in years. Equally as skilled in catching and blocking, Hunter Henry could not fill the tight end position opposite Olsen more perfectly. 

In mock drafts, Hunter Henry is a late first round to early second round pick... and smack dab in the middle of that range are the Carolina Panthers. Bingo. 

In short, I like Hunter Henry or Derrick Henry in the first round, depending which is available. If both are... watch out. A trade up and double dip of Henry boys could happen, which would make Cam Newton especially happy.  

But just in case I have not convinced you yet that the Panthers will be going on the offense in round one, take a look at Dave Gettleman's draft pick history...

2013 - Defense

2014 - Offense

2015 - Defense 

2016 - Do I see a pattern here.... ?

 

 

 

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[ctrcat]

In 2011, to his credit, Marty Hurney took the chance on the perceived riskier, home run pick, and that's exactly what Derrick Henry is.  I think he's a home run here and not sure if there's a player in the entire draft that would strike more fear on this team if he fits in as I think he would.

If we got Hunter as well I think the punting job would be the most useless, who cares position in sports.

[DOMOMAN]

Think fans tend to underestimate the difference in opinion of players from the outside vs the inside, last year not many of us thought that OLB was a need because AJ Klein had played pretty well, most of us didn't trust Oher to do anything and wanted to overdraft an Offensive Tackle. We don't see enough of CAP or Wegher to know if the front office thinks they need replacement, or if they plan to use two tight ends as much or more this year if they get a compliment to Olsen. From the outside every mock drafter in existence is saying OT or DE, but if Gettleman, Rivera and the coordinators sees another gem hiding somewhere its going to influence selections. Yes we go BPA, but going 100% BPA is ridiculous, it should say "we always go value vs need" so that we maximize snap opportunities with quality.

I would not be suprised to see Gettleman trade out of the first round this year, its a very deep, but weak at the top draft, and even though he has stressed the importance of that extra years contract in the first rounders, if he can get more ammo to move around rounds 2 and 3, I think he will take it

[Jeremy Igo]

3 hours ago, DOMOMAN said:

Think fans tend to underestimate the difference in opinion of players from the outside vs the inside, last year not many of us thought that OLB was a need because AJ Klein had played pretty well, most of us didn't trust Oher to do anything and wanted to overdraft an Offensive Tackle. We don't see enough of CAP or Wegher to know if the front office thinks they need replacement, or if they plan to use two tight ends as much or more this year if they get a compliment to Olsen. From the outside every mock drafter in existence is saying OT or DE, but if Gettleman, Rivera and the coordinators sees another gem hiding somewhere its going to influence selections. Yes we go BPA, but going 100% BPA is ridiculous, it should say "we always go value vs need" so that we maximize snap opportunities with quality.

I would not be suprised to see Gettleman trade out of the first round this year, its a very deep, but weak at the top draft, and even though he has stressed the importance of that extra years contract in the first rounders, if he can get more ammo to move around rounds 2 and 3, I think he will take it

I don't see him trading out of the first. They have a few first round grades placed and one of them will be there. They won't risk losing a first round pick. 

[Matt62881]

Which of the two henerys do you see falling further into the second giving us a better chance of trading up and nabbing him, I would love both! I really see us trading up a few times in the draft and snagging a small pool of gems.

[Panthro]

I really wish we got the 3rd for Hardy as I could almost guarantee Getts moving up in the 2nd to grab a guy he had a 1st rd grade on ala Funchess

We are teetering between higher/fewer quality players and lesser/more quantity players to fill out the roster

[stan786]

They'll both be second rounders unless we take one in the first.  If we like them both like we could probably get them both.

[Matt62881]

1 minute ago, Panthro said:

I really wish we got the 3rd for Hardy as I could almost guarantee Getts moving up in the 2nd to grab a guy he had a 1st rd grade on ala Funchess

We are teetering between higher/fewer quality players and lesser/more quantity players to fill out the roster

Guarantee we go lesser\ high quality..maybe 4 players out of the draft.

[Matt62881]

Really sold on Hunter after watching highlights, looks to have good hands and if he's really that good of a blocker....we coulda really used that in the sb.

[Dunn]

He visited with the Seahawks, and I can't see them passing on him honestly.  He is a big physical running back, and they just lost their's to retirement.  With how successful that team was over the past few years on how their offense worked, seems like a no-brainer to me.  

Yes Russell did well when Lynch got hurt, but I still see them looking at the past 3 years and what was successful and take him as their pick.  

Edited April 7, 2016 by Dunn

[stan786]

My concern with this would be what it would cost us to trade up in the second because we don't have a lot of fire power to move up.  If we traded our 2,3,4,5,7 we could get around the 10th pick in the second.  If we traded our 2,3 we could get to around the 16th pick in the second.  Trading our 2,4,5,7 would get us to around the 23 pick in the second.  May as well just stick around and see if someone else we like falls.

[CarolinaNCSU]

While a trade down is the obvious pie in the sky scenario a lot of times....don't underestimate teams wanting the 5th year option for rookies. Think of the situation we're in right now with Star and KK. 

At 30, IF Gettleman hits another home run....we'd have that player on the cheap for 5 years....not 4 years and then paying him upwards of 10 million. Could mean a lot to the Panthers with the amount of guys we have to sign over the next couple of years, and the Cam/Luke contracts ending around that time. 

[Matt62881]

24 minutes ago, Dunn said:

He visited with the Seahawks, and I can't see them passing on him honestly.  He is a big physical running back, and they just lost their's to retirement.  With how successful that team was over the past few years on how their offense worked, seems like a no-brainer to me.  

Yes Russell did well when Lynch got hurt, but I still see them looking at the past 3 years and what was successful and take him as their pick.  

I agree, and this would make me hate Seattle more then I already do, as I see derrick as a steal...big and freakishly fast for his size.

[Panthro]

Rawls is pretty good. None of it matters if their oline doesn't get better. I cannot see Seattle drafting him with all of their other needs.