At this point its Sadiq or bust... A

[TD alt]

4 hours ago, jfra78 said:

Yes, 1st rd te is pointless

That's going a little too far. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

1 hour ago, micnificent28 said:

19 isn't high at all really.. Bryce accuracy is actually one of his strong points. I m kinda not understanding your logic at all. By most people's metric Bryce had a good season. He's gonna be the guy this coming season and probably next.

Might as well make the most out of it.

I'm not sure what metric most of these people are going by, but I damn sure wouldn't trust it. 16 games to barely pass 3k yards on a Stanford band pass. Yes he had 27TD passes but the offense was stagnant a lot of the time. He never had 2 games back to back of franchise QB level play. He had moments that were good but more that were bad. He was outplayed by a backup QB in Arizona. 

Compared to his rookie year, Bryce had a good season. Compared to the other franchise QBs in the NFL, Bryce barely made it to the finish line. 

[micnificent28]

22 minutes ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

I'm not sure what metric most of these people are going by, but I damn sure wouldn't trust it. 16 games to barely pass 3k yards on a Stanford band pass. Yes he had 27TD passes but the offense was stagnant a lot of the time. He never had 2 games back to back of franchise QB level play. He had moments that were good but more that were bad. He was outplayed by a backup QB in Arizona. 

Compared to his rookie year, Bryce had a good season. Compared to the other franchise QBs in the NFL, Bryce barely made it to the finish line. 

I am by no means trying to say he's a world beater. I'm saying it's trending in the right direction. Especially when measured against himself.i think the team feel the same way or else they wouldn't have picked up his option. Plus I think there is a new idea in the NFL about these young QBs. Teams give up to soon.

Browns gave up to soon on baker same with the jets on Geno and darnold. Maybe they are who you thought they were in the draft process and they need more time to develop than you originally planned. Either way. I do think he is as capable as darnold is as far as you can win a championship with him. And something he does have that darnold doesn't is he is clutch. 

If I need one more drive and 2 mins to go I'm betting on Bryce and I am far from a homer, just going off his game winning drives. He has that dog in him on the last drive.

[SmokinwithWilly]

17 minutes ago, micnificent28 said:

I am by no means trying to say he's a world beater. I'm saying it's trending in the right direction. Especially when measured against himself.i think the team feel the same way or else they wouldn't have picked up his option. Plus I think there is a new idea in the NFL about these young QBs. Teams give up to soon.

Browns gave up to soon on baker same with the jets on Geno and darnold. Maybe they are who you thought they were in the draft process and they need more time to develop than you originally planned. Either way. I do think he is as capable as darnold is as far as you can win a championship with him. And something he does have that darnold doesn't is he is clutch. 

If I need one more drive and 2 mins to go I'm betting on Bryce and I am far from a homer, just going off his game winning drives. He has that dog in him on the last drive.

But is it about letting Bryce develop or about winning games? Bryce has not been good enough to be an uncontested starter. He just hasn't. How many times has last drive Bryce shown up for 4 entire quarters? Once in 3 seasons? You aren't going to win 9 or 10 one score games every season year in and year out. You may want Bryce in the last 2 minutes. I want that Bryce the full 60. 

No one is saying you have to give up on him, but bringing in another QB that can do anything is not hindering Bryce. It helps the team and that's where the focus needs to be. If drafting Sadiq to plague the middle of the field would help out offense, but Bryce struggles to get pass into the middle of the field, is Sadiq a bad pick? Or could he be a good pick with a better option at QB? We can't be afraid to improve. QB, TE, OL, LB, DL, CB, S. It doesn't matter. The goal is SBs, not 5 to 8 years seeing waiting to see if Bryce can develop while the rest of the league keeps passing us by. 

Sadiq is a nice option, but I think we have to address tackle if one we like is there because we are painfully thin after this year, a LB to general the field, and a true ball hawking safety that can set the tone in the secondary. Those 3 positions are bigger game changers than a TE that will likely struggle to make a round 1 impact in this offense. 

[strato]

1 hour ago, micnificent28 said:

I am by no means trying to say he's a world beater. I'm saying it's trending in the right direction. Especially when measured against himself.i think the team feel the same way or else they wouldn't have picked up his option. Plus I think there is a new idea in the NFL about these young QBs. Teams give up to soon.

Browns gave up to soon on baker same with the jets on Geno and darnold. Maybe they are who you thought they were in the draft process and they need more time to develop than you originally planned. Either way. I do think he is as capable as darnold is as far as you can win a championship with him. And something he does have that darnold doesn't is he is clutch. 

If I need one more drive and 2 mins to go I'm betting on Bryce and I am far from a homer, just going off his game winning drives. He has that dog in him on the last drive.

He has done well in spots late.

but you are forgetting there was a 4play sequence where we could have gone down and forced OT. We discussed how that went after the game and people were split, many blamed it on Canales.  Many blamed it on a receiver not catching pass. It was 4 plays every one a failure. Don’t fool yourself thinking that he does it at will. 
 

talking about the WC game. 

Edited 7 hours ago by strato

[CarolinaSock]

3 hours ago, micnificent28 said:

You just spent like 150 mil on defense... Not including the slew of draft pics not named tet last year.. defense was better than the offense last year in sorry

I could smell this excuse coming. Any starter drafted after the 2nd is a bonus, not an expectation. Oh we need more offensive help because we spent so much on defense. We spent all that because we've barely drafted any defensive starters the last 5 years. The way I see it you'll get a better return on investment in defense than offense currently with this team. We proved that last year with just a modicum of investment in the defense. I'm not the biggest believer in Evero but I trust him more than Bryce. 

The biggest factor holding the offense back wears #9. Accuracy is one of his strengths? 23rd in the league while being 30th in Y/A. Someone will claim we get no YAC but 49% of our yards were YAC which is higher than most teams in the league.  Unless he drastically improves you're going to get a bad return on investment. Yes TMac had a great rookie year but it wasn't exactly efficient volume wise. He has one of the worst catch % in the league at just 57%, probably related to that 23rd accuracy ranking.

[carpanfan96]

I don't think Sadiq is going to be on the Panthers board and the beat reporters are giving away that impression by mentioning that he doesn't fit the physical requirements of the Panthers scouting staff. 

[Cpt slay a ho]

Wouldn’t be opposed to it, either he balls with Bryce or the next qb who comes in to a loaded offense.

but I’m more on the side of draft defense since they’re closer to elite than the offense. 

[carpanfan96]

7 hours ago, micnificent28 said:

Different calibers of talent. Sadiq is 4-5 inches taller and like 45 pounds heavier and faster Still cooper isn't 6'4 240 40 in vertical. Can't block as well as Sadiq and isn't as fast. Like this isn't that hard to see. You wouldn't even have to take your main two weapons off the field in McMillan and Coker, and he would be the fastest player we have on offense...

How many guys that big run that fast and play that position? Not only are his numbers elite the tape matches up. These are talents are what push the odds in a teams favor because chances are you have to change your personal to match him.

His arm's aren't long enough for Carolina scouting staff for what the coaching staff wants for in a TE. I don't think he'll make the cut to be a selection at 19. 

[micnificent28]

6 hours ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

But is it about letting Bryce develop or about winning games? Bryce has not been good enough to be an uncontested starter. He just hasn't. How many times has last drive Bryce shown up for 4 entire quarters? Once in 3 seasons? You aren't going to win 9 or 10 one score games every season year in and year out. You may want Bryce in the last 2 minutes. I want that Bryce the full 60. 

No one is saying you have to give up on him, but bringing in another QB that can do anything is not hindering Bryce. It helps the team and that's where the focus needs to be. If drafting Sadiq to plague the middle of the field would help out offense, but Bryce struggles to get pass into the middle of the field, is Sadiq a bad pick? Or could he be a good pick with a better option at QB? We can't be afraid to improve. QB, TE, OL, LB, DL, CB, S. It doesn't matter. The goal is SBs, not 5 to 8 years seeing waiting to see if Bryce can develop while the rest of the league keeps passing us by. 

Sadiq is a nice option, but I think we have to address tackle if one we like is there because we are painfully thin after this year, a LB to general the field, and a true ball hawking safety that can set the tone in the secondary. Those 3 positions are bigger game changers than a TE that will likely struggle to make a round 1 impact in this offense. 

You already addressed tackle. Walker is 26.. and by most metrics the best tackle available. He's about the same age as ickey. As far as improving the talent at QB you and everyone else would like to do that it just isn't possible this year. There is no challenging Bryce in this year's draft out side Mendoza so that's just not feasible.

[*FreeFua*]

9 hours ago, micnificent28 said:

Different calibers of talent. Sadiq is 4-5 inches taller and like 45 pounds heavier and faster Still cooper isn't 6'4 240 40 in vertical. Can't block as well as Sadiq and isn't as fast. Like this isn't that hard to see. You wouldn't even have to take your main two weapons off the field in McMillan and Coker, and he would be the fastest player we have on offense...

How many guys that big run that fast and play that position? Not only are his numbers elite the tape matches up. These are talents are what push the odds in a teams favor because chances are you have to change your personal to match him.

Sadiq isn’t Brock Bowers. He’s not Colston Loveland. Not Tyler Warren or even Harold Fanin

Sadiq also had a 10.5% drop rate in 2025

Sadiq isn’t much of a route runner. He’s got speed but given this offense outside of the odd seam route meh

Right now we don’t really have a WR3 which is much more important to this offense than a TE. Right now if this team had to convert a 3rd down play you could make a strong case given his relationship with Bryce that Metchie would be on the field. Morgan has been aggressive in attacking our weakness in which he’s publicly stated. Pass rush and linebacker but he did also say it’s still an offensive driven league and he wants to find a speed guy that can turn a 5 yard pass into a big play… that’s Lemon and Cooper Jr

[micnificent28]

5 hours ago, strato said:

He has done well in spots late.

but you are forgetting there was a 4play sequence where we could have gone down and forced OT. We discussed how that went after the game and people were split, many blamed it on Canales.  Many blamed it on a receiver not catching pass. It was 4 plays every one a failure. Don’t fool yourself thinking that he does it at will. 
 

talking about the WC game. 

I have no retort for that. I am not 100% sold on Bryce. By my metric's at the position he doesn't meet my threshold size speed arm. But he's here now and he was a number 1 overall pick. I will bank on his talent vs say ty Simpson?

[micnificent28]

4 hours ago, CarolinaSock said:

I could smell this excuse coming. Any starter drafted after the 2nd is a bonus, not an expectation. Oh we need more offensive help because we spent so much on defense. We spent all that because we've barely drafted any defensive starters the last 5 years. The way I see it you'll get a better return on investment in defense than offense currently with this team. We proved that last year with just a modicum of investment in the defense. I'm not the biggest believer in Evero but I trust him more than Bryce. 

The biggest factor holding the offense back wears #9. Accuracy is one of his strengths? 23rd in the league while being 30th in Y/A. Someone will claim we get no YAC but 49% of our yards were YAC which is higher than most teams in the league.  Unless he drastically improves you're going to get a bad return on investment. Yes TMac had a great rookie year but it wasn't exactly efficient volume wise. He has one of the worst catch % in the league at just 57%, probably related to that 23rd accuracy ranking.

I'm not disagreeing with Bryce not being elite I think he's just middle of the roads kind of guy and maybe that's all he'll ever be but that might be enough to win after what we've seen with Donald I think you have to build around that and add people who can make him look better just like Jackson Smith did with Donald they also had an elite back in the backfield that help and an elite defense. 

I think McMillan is nice but you don't have anyone that really strikes fear and defenses deep or anything anything to keep defensive honest I understand you feel like they neglected defense in the draft when most of the time after the first pick they stuck to their defensive guns and then you spend your entire offseason market on the defense The defense isn't really the problem The defense was drastically improved in average and you added a pro bowler and another guy who could be a top 10 rusher like how much more do you want to invest in the defense 

You know what was the problem we couldn't score 21 to 28 points consistently and if you're stuck with Bryce you have to find another way to make that number look better IE playmakers somebody to is a threat to score every game that can open things up That's where you get better at not just making a strength stronger like that's not the reason you lost to the Rams

[micnificent28]

6 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

Sadiq isn’t Brock Bowers. He’s not Colston Loveland. Not Tyler Warren or even Harold Fanin

Sadiq also had a 10.5% drop rate in 2025

Sadiq isn’t much of a route runner. He’s got speed but given this offense outside of the odd seam route meh

Right now we don’t really have a WR3 which is much more important to this offense than a TE. Right now if this team had to convert a 3rd down play you could make a strong case given his relationship with Bryce that Metchie would be on the field. Morgan has been aggressive in attacking our weakness in which he’s publicly stated. Pass rush and linebacker but he did also say it’s still an offensive driven league and he wants to find a speed guy that can turn a 5 yard pass into a big play… that’s Lemon and Cooper Jr

I can agree that he's not the same traditional tight end as say Warren but he's not that different from Loveland in a guy that plays more like a slot HVAC type row I don't think they're that much there He's probably not as good a route runner but with all that said none of them are the athlete that he is so it's kind of a watch there can I save for a fact that he's going to elite player probably not 

You're asking for a wide receiver 3 and that's kind of what this would be in a way but accept bigger and just as explosive he's faster than all the guys that you would find at this point in the draft to feel a slot need and he's a red zone weapon with size verticality and such I think he's just a bigger mismatch than those guys you name Yes your banking on potential I think he's a bigger threat to make a play after the catch just based off strength size and just dog.

I can't say I know what the Panthers look for in terms of arm length at the tight end position because we haven't drafted an elite first round tight end almost ever but if I'm looking at the way they have made their moves this offseason they drafted to where they don't have to reach it need and they've addressed most of those needs and this is one of the secondary needs that fit the draft range and if available there's a good chance that's a deep will be gone by time we pick I think you're blessed if he does fall to 19