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

[Dave Gettleman's Shorts]

Fitt can't even at least draft decent backups and depth who can play special teams. most of his draft picks are gone after 1 season

[frankw]

I chuckled that someone on the first page immediately took to blaming Matt Rhule and the scouts.

Fitterer sees himself as some sort of wheeling and dealing guru when in reality he is significantly worse than both Marty Hurney and Dave Gettleman.

All that being said David Tepper is and has been in his ear pushing and prodding along the way. There's a reason he's so seemingly resistant to canning the guy.

[PNW_PantherMan]

8 minutes ago, frankw said:

I chuckled that someone on the first page immediately took to blaming Matt Rhule and the scouts.

Fitterer sees himself as some sort of wheeling and dealing guru when in reality he is significantly worse than both Marty Hurney and Dave Gettleman.

All that being said David Tepper is and has been in his ear pushing and prodding along the way. There's a reason he's so seemingly resistant to canning the guy.

Fitterer's first draft was very different to Hurney's last one.  The amount of trades was completely absurd.  To act like Fitterer had no say in it goes against the evidence of what actually happened.

[Waldo]

11 minutes ago, frankw said:

I chuckled that someone on the first page immediately took to blaming Matt Rhule and the scouts.

Fitterer sees himself as some sort of wheeling and dealing guru when in reality he is significantly worse than both Marty Hurney and Dave Gettleman.

All that being said David Tepper is and has been in his ear pushing and prodding along the way. There's a reason he's so seemingly resistant to canning the guy.

Yup. And tell me what changed in year 3 vs 1 and 2? Nothing is what I see.

[MrBubba]

Trade away all those picks, and you can't make bad picks.  

[TheSpecialJuan]

Pure filth 

[Ivan The Awesome]

6 hours ago, TN05 said:

1) Bryce Young (1st, F) - Even if he pans out, the cost was not worth the sacrifice.

Um.. if he pans out that immediately absolves the sacrifice...You can't have it both ways.

[Bear Hands]

4 hours ago, frankw said:

I chuckled that someone on the first page immediately took to blaming Matt Rhule and the scouts.

Fitterer sees himself as some sort of wheeling and dealing guru when in reality he is significantly worse than both Marty Hurney and Dave Gettleman.

All that being said David Tepper is and has been in his ear pushing and prodding along the way. There's a reason he's so seemingly resistant to canning the guy.

Yeah just rewatch the post-draft presser in 2021. It was Fitt answering all the questions about trade calls, players they were targeting, what the scout team thought of said players. Rhule is sitting they’re like a deshuffled guy just riding it out.

Fitt even mentioned how they turned down multiple calls for #8 because how much they liked Horn haha.

[Selltheteamtepper]

Tepper already said he has veto power. Meaning everyone they draft is to appease him. Scott will be fired but make no bones about it Tepper takes all blame.

[Tr3ach]

4 hours ago, Waldo said:

Yup. And tell me what changed in year 3 vs 1 and 2? Nothing is what I see.

The only difference is the bad players we draft are a lot less athletic than the bad players we drafted when Rhule was here.

[WhoKnows]

5 hours ago, Waldo said:

Yup. And tell me what changed in year 3 vs 1 and 2? Nothing is what I see.

Exactly. The bad value trades and bad drafting (especially not going at draft strengths, OL in 2021 or TE in 2023) look the same. Also, as was posted in here a ton, Rhule was on the hot seat in 2022 and Fitterer supposedly had the keys to the offseason. The trade up for Corral in 2022 was virtually identical to DJ Johnson in 2023.

It is still amazing that people cover for him still after likely presiding over the 3 worst off-seasons in Panther history all in succession.

[WhoKnows]

9 hours ago, TN05 said:

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

You missed Terrace Marshall. He was our 2021 2nd. BC was a 3rd rounder. TMJ was an F as well so won’t change the overall draft grade.

I also don’t see Hubbard as our RB1 next year. He’s a bright spot because the rest of the offense has been garbage but don’t make the mistake that he’s not easily replaced. He’s still likely the best pick in 3 Fitterer drafts which is amazing since it was Rhule’s wife who liked him. I also think BC is easily replaced as well. The scary part is that two JAG starters is the best we’ve gotten in 3 drafts. That’s why this team is 2-14 in a bad division.

We aren’t even grading him on all the draft picks he’s pissed away in 3 drafts to net us nothing. Fitterer has really put us in a horrible spot. We'll need multiple really solid drafts just to get back to a .500 team and that’ll be hard without 2024 1st overall and 2025 2nd. He really may have turned us into the Browns and Lions of the past with a decade of losing seasons.

[CRA]

16 hours ago, frankw said:

I chuckled that someone on the first page immediately took to blaming Matt Rhule and the scouts.

Fitterer sees himself as some sort of wheeling and dealing guru when in reality he is significantly worse than both Marty Hurney and Dave Gettleman.

All that being said David Tepper is and has been in his ear pushing and prodding along the way. There's a reason he's so seemingly resistant to canning the guy.

Matt Rhule (while horrific) was never the catch all boogeyman some wanted him to be.  Which is basically a pattern us fans take.  And Matt Rhule called out the bullshit narrative fans were running with that just because he had a break glass emergency line in his contract (that really all coaches should officially or unofficially have)....which people claimed meant that he was making all the personnel moves.   Everything was placed on Rhule. You are only willing to draw that line in the sand while attempting to rehab your image if you are correct.  Because the Panthers easily could of leaked and pushed back derailing his PR tour.  They didn't for a reason.  Because Rhule wasn't the all powerful calling all the personnel shots.  A lot of that bad moves under the Rhule era were because a poo coach was paired with a poo GM....and Scott has always been responsible for a sizeable chunk of the nightmare for BOTH of his coaches. 

No excuse for Fitt not to be fired with Rhule.  Tepper probably hires another bad GM but there would have at least been hope he paired Reich with a GM who shared a vision and goal.  Clearly Fitt and Reich were never on the same page.  Different visions.  Different job security concerns/roles.   Fitt and Tepper needed that #1 overall pick.  They need to sale a bunch of smoke and mirror nonsense.  Frank never had power to fully do whatever he thought should be done.  From talent to his own staff.  Frank was a Ron/Fox.  Which means he was destined to get us to .500 if you just left him alone to do what he wanted.  They were trying to rehab their stock with the fanbase/team.  Reich didn't need it. Everything under Tepper has been a predictable nightmare. 

[KatsAzz]

15 hours ago, Newtcase said:

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.

That is sad, strange and true. This shows how badly the Panthers are being run from top to bottom.