Hurney: Panthers aren't locked into needs

[Rod Butsecks]

(By Darin Gantt, [email protected]) The annual obfuscation-fest that is Panthers GM Marty Hurney's pre-draft press conference has come and gone.p/ Mostly, he talked about the fact the Panthers couldn't get locked into specific needs this weekend, because that's how teams can skew their draft boards and reach for players. They've done a good job of that in the past, landing cornerstones such as LB Jon Beason and C Ryan Kalil when viable veterans were in place.

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[Urrymonster]

This is actually pretty significant, because we could end up drafting LBs, OL, CBs or RBs.

With our first pick we will literally take the highest rated player left on our board, almost regardless of position.

[Kurb]

Pretty safe to mark off. RB/FB/Pure Center/Safety/Pure ILB with our early picks.

Pure means they can't play other spots.

[panthers55]

Don't know how Gantt or Chandler can say we picked up Beason or Kalil when we had viable veterans in place.

Beason came in to replace Morgan who never stayed healthy and Kalil was replacing a center who was old as dirt. With the exception of Davis, we have normally took our first player at a position of current need or in the very near future. In later rounds we took BPA like we did with Connor or Irvin.

Given the wholesale releasing of veterans there are very few positions really that aren't positions of need.

[carolinarolls]

The fact that Morgan, Foster, and Delhomme had such long careers in Carolina is PROOF that Panther Brass does not lock in on any positions of need.

[Kurb]

I read that headline as Panthers Desperate for WR/LB/D-line Help.

[scpanther22]

DT in the 2nd...

[KARASMATIC444]

thats just smoke screen to make teams below them feel they might take there guy, in case they want to trade down. There is no way they pick best player available it if doesn't fit a need. We dont have that good of a team and that many picks where you can just pick the best guy and it not matter where. Thats a bunch of nothing in that statement. Might as well forget it even happened.

[Zod]

I say this every year...

Anyone who pays any attention to what Fox or Hurney say about the draft is wasting their time. They will never give you any insight into what the team is really thinking of doing. Never.

[rayzor]

if any team is going to follow through on this it would be the panthers, though. it's a legit possibility that they could draft someone that was a special talent who happened to fall through the cracks even though it wasn't one of our top "needs".

[CharlotteBeer.com]

If we were to take a running back with our first pick, I would throw a temper tantrum.