What are your grades for rounds 1-3?

[Jeremy Igo]

So what do you give the Panthers for rounds 1-3?

 

Way I see it 

Burns - A

I have to believe his skill set is exactly what Rivera needs in the new defensive scheme.

Little - B-

A true left tackle, hard to be upset about this pick. It concerns me a little that Hurney is the only GM that apparently thought the guy was worth a mid first round pick. Ruh Roh.

Grier - A

Most of the QBs that are taken in the mid rounds and actually make it have plenty of intangibles. The guys with the perfect physiques and metrics go first. The scrappers with physical flaws go later. I like pulling for scrappers. I hope he becomes the best backup QB in Panthers history, possibly some day landing us a first rounder in trade.

[raz]

i'd give it 140,000,000.  i do have kind of a strange grading system though.

[top dawg]

The best backup QB, huh? O.K. ***tongue-in-cheek***

 

I wouldn't give a poo if he becomes the best---no qualification!

Mind you, I wouldn't mind if Cam stays the best either, but time is passing by, and I don't have time for sentimentalism. 

Oh yeah...Triple A! Hurney may have gotten lucky by being pushed out of his own way by fate, but he gets As nevertheless.

[Cavscout]

Burns - A

IMO Burns fits perfectly to what Rivera wants to do on defense

Little - A

With Matsko, Little has the potential to be a starter for years at LT

Grier - A+

I think Turner will have Grier up to speed quickly. Gives us a really good backup for years under Cam

[GoPanthers123]

I liked last years draft better.   There is a question if round 2 was a reach/too pricey and if round 3 amounts to a wasted pick that should have been a starter this year.  Overall a B.

[Panthero]

A+, best fit and best player we could have gotten to move to a multiple defense.

B-, this one is tough because while most will say we gave up too much, if hes as advertised then itll have been worth it. 

B-, just not sure on Grier. We need a backup that can carry the water for a few games if Cam gets dinged up. Not sure he is it. 

[Dex]

1 - B+

2 - B

3 - A-

[Proudiddy]

Burns- A : Best possible scenario at 16 considering how the board played out, our needs, his talent and upside.

Little - B- : Little himself isn't really the problem, although I still don't understand the urgency for a tackle considering we have Moton and retained Williams - two starting tackles.  So, why another one?  Seems like a waste of resources, but then to add insult, we give up our early 3rd rounder to move up and get him.  So, very inefficient use of resources...  but, he's a Panther now, the deal is done, so I'm hoping for the best!  If Matsko can get him to play mean, he very well may be a franchise tackle.

Grier - C : In regards to his value, this would be an A.  He is well regarded and I believe has the potential to be the best QB from this class.  I see some Drew Brees in his base, throwing motion, release, and touch.  But, was this pick needed?  Maybe.  It's just harder to accept it when we still could've used the traded 3rd round pick for a player that will actually play, contribute, and have a chance to start immediately.  So, I'm grading this in part, based off of the domino effect of the Little pick and trade that led up to it, fair or not.

We still desperately need a FS and more options for our 3-4 alignment, both inside and outside...

[jtm]

A

However, the Panthers seem to be drafting for need rather than BPA and this usually doesn’t work out well. 

[Khyber53]

I've got to give it a B right now.

None of the three come without some concerns, but all three come with great upside potential. I think if Burns is going to be a hybrid DE/OLB or even OLB purely, he'll succeed. If we put him on the line full-time, though, he'll get us 12 sacks, but give up 25 30-yard runs. 

Little needs work, but I think we've seen Matsko make something from nothing time and time again. Time will tell and a lot will depend on who he is lined up beside. Also, Paradis' ability to read defenses and call protections will be a big part of this.

Grier has potential and backing up Cam will help him polish and develop his game. I don't have anything against him, but I think I'd have preferred to see a S or DL here instead.

 

Edit to add: Big applause for Igo's predictions in the draft. He nailed it.

[fortyrod]

A overall. But, I would generally only give lower grades on reaches or dumb trades. The draft is a lottery where you hold your tickets for 3 years to see if they were any good. Speaking of which, I do want to see them stock up some OL bodies in the later rounds so we hopefully hit on another Norwell.

[Varking]

This draft has been an A+ for me now that I have taken my emotions out of it. None of the three are who I wanted but it works out and I trust the Carolina Panthers made good decisions this draft. 

Burns: A+. When you get a guy of his caliber at 16 when people assumed we would have drafted Little here and the guy fills a huge need for us, this is a homerun. 

Little: A. He was projected by many to us at 16th overall. To get him in the second could be a steal. This was, again, major value gained at a position of need. These two picks are chasing their QB down and protecting ours.

Grier: B. People are high on this pick because he was a stud at WVU but to me, its WVU. Pat White and Geno Smith also put up numbers playing here. And its a non-starter. We needed a backup at QB that had potential and this does tick that box. When you look around the league, most of the guys at this point in the draft don't start so its fine to take a swing on a high potential QB to replace Cam, be insurance to Cam, or get as a better draft pick in the future. No problems here but I would have wanted to see a Safety at this spot.

Overall our draft has been an A which is terrific. 

[jtm]

For people that don’t like the Grier pick, less than 25% of 3rd round picks ever become starters and the numbers get even lower after the 3rd round. 

After the first two rounds, most of the picks are for depth and many don’t make the team.  If the Panthers can get a legit back up w a 3rd round pick on a rookie contract, this is a huge win. If Grier is starter material, the Panthers just won the lottery. If the guy is garbage, you cut him in a couple years and lose very little. 

[L-TownCat]