A review of Scott Fitterer's drafts (spoiler alert: they suck)

[TN05]

2021 draft:
1) Jaycee Horn (1st, D) - When he's healthy, he looks pretty good. Unfortunately, he's never healthy, and there were better players taken around him.
2) Brady Christensen (2nd, B) - Unfortunate injury aside, solid player. Should be a good piece next year.
3) Tommy Tremble (3rd, C) - Really average player, looks okay on the whole. JAG.
4) Chubba Hubbard (4th, B) - He's improved every year and should be RB1 next year. Great value for a 4th rounder.
5) Dayvion Nixon (5th, D) - Played in 14 games with no starts and few stats.
6) Keith Taylor (5th, D) - JAG corner that is now on the Chiefs practice squad.
7) Deonte Brown (6th, D-) - Practice squad material.
8  Shi Smith (6th, D+) - JAG receiver that's out of a job.
9) Thomas Fletcher (6th, F-) - Unnecessary long snapper draft pick. Got injured in training camp and never played a game. Why.
10 Phil Hoskins (7th, D) - JAG on another team now

Overall grade - C. Decent value in early rounds, but whiffed early and late.

2022 draft:
1) Ickey (1st, F) - A franchise left tackle that can't pass block. We knew this before we drafted him, but still did it anyway. Yikes.
2) Matt Corral (3rd, F-) - Never played a snap in the NFL.
3) Brandon Smith (4th, D-) - Cut after one season.
4) Amare Barro (6th, D) - JAG backup player.
5) Cade Mays (6th, F) - Literally terrible
6) Kalon Barnes (7th, F) - Never played a snap for us, and has no job elsewhere.

Overall grade - F. Probably the worst draft class in team history.

2023 draft:
1) Bryce Young (1st, F) - Even if he pans out, the cost was not worth the sacrifice.
2) Jonathan Mingo (2nd, D) - He's looking better the last few weeks, but not the instant impact you expect from a second-rounder.
3) DJ Johnson (3rd, D) - He's still on the team?
4) Chandler Zavala (4th, F) - Oh look, another lineman who can't pass block.
5) Jammie Robinson (5th, C) - He's contributing I guess?

Overall grade: F. Life is suffering

Fire Scott Fitterer now, there is no excuse

[Wanderlai]

Nothing but incompetence drafting. A guy off the street could have done better. 

[Tbe]

Icky still has time to improve (remember Brown in his 2nd year), but he looks really bad right now. 

Wiffing on 3 drafts in a row is why we have the team we have. That and the fact that we’ve had the fewest draft selections in the league the past 3 years. Not that it matters I guess.

[Tbe]

1 minute ago, Wanderlai said:

Nothing but incompetence drafting. A guy off the street could have done better. 

A guy off the street could at leave have matched this outcome.

[TN05]

1 minute ago, Tbe said:

Icky still has time to improve (remember Brown in his 2nd year), but he looks really bad right now. 

Wiffing on 3 drafts in a row is why we have the team we have. That and the fact that we’ve had the fewest draft selections in the league the past 3 years. Not that it matters I guess.

Even his first year he was terrible at pass blocking, everyone knew he was bad at it, we picked him anyway

[catnip]

Don't leave out the trades we made moving up for some of these guys and letting go of our vets (Moore, CMC,) and others .  So bad

[Krovvy]

Now add all the picks he shipped off for nothing.

[BIGH2001]

Now do:

1. Free agency 

2. Contract negotiations with current players on the roster and in prior years

3. Throwing the head coach under the bus to try and save his ass

Edited January 1, 2024 by BIGH2001

[Sniffrey]

Let's take a look at the ACTUAL Fitterer drafts, as Matt Rhule was in COMPLETE control of the draft in 2021 AND 2022:

2023 draft:
1) Bryce Young (1st, C) - We may never know the reality of who was responsible for this pick, but we know for a fact Tepper was the one who demanded a trade to the top of the draft. There are reports about basically every scenario. Tepper wanted Young, everyone else fell in line to keep a job. Some wanted Stroud, some wanted Young. Even though I was firmly in the CJ Stroud camp, I guess I'm one of the minority who see good things from Young and haven't written him off as yet, 
2) Jonathan Mingo (2nd, D) - It was reported that "a WR really impressed the coaching staff" during the Top 30 visits, i.e. impressed Reich, Brown and Jefferson. They reached for a 4th rounder based on what coaches suggested, breaking a cardinal rule of drafting. Coaches suggest traits, GM's and Scouting Dept. get players.
3) DJ Johnson (3rd, F) - The Evero pick. The great Evero, the mastermind, the guy who had an UDFA level prospect ranked in the top 15 of EDGE rushers, and Fitterer panic'd when he was the last one left and drafted a college < JAG in the 3rd again based on a coach's suggestion.
4) Chandler Zavala (4th, B) - Oh look, a college prospect who gave up one sack in college but needs NFL strength and conditioning, but got on the field a full year early due to injury and lack of depth caused by Matt Rhule.
5) Jammie Robinson (5th, C) - He's contributing I guess? Yeah, he is, a plus for any 5th round pick.

Scott Fitterer needs to go, because the entire scouting department who was responsible for developing the "Big Boards" in all 3 drafts is still intact. It's by a wide margin the worst scouting department and pro personnel evaluation department in the league.... by a wide margin. Since he didn't blow that up, he needs to go and get someone in who can and will.

 

 

 

[4Corners]

Man those are awful

[pantherj]

Fitt's head scratching draft picks tanked this team. The Icky and Young picks are just devastating. Both look really bad at this point.

Edited January 1, 2024 by pantherj

[KatsAzz]

2 hours ago, Wanderlai said:

Nothing but incompetence drafting. A guy off the street could have done better. 

Good teams hit big on the draft and stay on top, meanwhile bad teams like the Panthers fail big time when drafting and remain bottom feeders.

[Newtcase]

We could have skipped the draft the last three years and we would be no worse.  We would actually be quite a bit better without Young.

Edited January 1, 2024 by Newtcase

[Waldo]

45 minutes ago, Sniffrey said:

Let's take a look at the ACTUAL Fitterer drafts, as Matt Rhule was in COMPLETE control of the draft in 2021 AND 2022:

2023 draft:
1) Bryce Young (1st, C) - We may never know the reality of who was responsible for this pick, but we know for a fact Tepper was the one who demanded a trade to the top of the draft. There are reports about basically every scenario. Tepper wanted Young, everyone else fell in line to keep a job. Some wanted Stroud, some wanted Young. Even though I was firmly in the CJ Stroud camp, I guess I'm one of the minority who see good things from Young and haven't written him off as yet, 
2) Jonathan Mingo (2nd, D) - It was reported that "a WR really impressed the coaching staff" during the Top 30 visits, i.e. impressed Reich, Brown and Jefferson. They reached for a 4th rounder based on what coaches suggested, breaking a cardinal rule of drafting. Coaches suggest traits, GM's and Scouting Dept. get players.
3) DJ Johnson (3rd, F) - The Evero pick. The great Evero, the mastermind, the guy who had an UDFA level prospect ranked in the top 15 of EDGE rushers, and Fitterer panic'd when he was the last one left and drafted a college < JAG in the 3rd again based on a coach's suggestion.
4) Chandler Zavala (4th, B) - Oh look, a college prospect who gave up one sack in college but needs NFL strength and conditioning, but got on the field a full year early due to injury and lack of depth caused by Matt Rhule.
5) Jammie Robinson (5th, C) - He's contributing I guess? Yeah, he is, a plus for any 5th round pick.

Scott Fitterer needs to go, because the entire scouting department who was responsible for developing the "Big Boards" in all 3 drafts is still intact. It's by a wide margin the worst scouting department and pro personnel evaluation department in the league.... by a wide margin. Since he didn't blow that up, he needs to go and get someone in who can and will.

 

 

 

He took the job to be Rhule's GM and he is complicit in all of that. The only difference in 2023 is that Tepper was holding his leash and not Rhule.