Panthers Blueprint: Draft

[CanadianCat]

14 hours ago, UnluckyforSome said:

..the pick was always going to be a LT. 

I dont want to read into this too much but I think this might confirm that we are done with Icky. 

If you are targeting a LT and not just surprised that one fell to you, then you have to be looking at that long term. 

From a team POV its not bad. They got a long term LT. Let Icky walk and likely get a 3rd round pick back and a better cap situation. 

[CanadianCat]

I also think this is exactly how you use analytics. They spent a lot of time talking about how there was a 45%, 90%, 17% percent chance a certain player would fall to them and used that knowledge to plan who they wanted to pick.

They did not use analytics to draft a 'super sleeper with traits'. Watching the last few of these with DM at the helm, I think they know what a football player looks like and use their analytics to help prepare draft strategy. 

Im very high on this FO group. 

[PanthersNCSU]

22 minutes ago, CanadianCat said:

I dont want to read into this too much but I think this might confirm that we are done with Icky. 

If you are targeting a LT and not just surprised that one fell to you, then you have to be looking at that long term. 

From a team POV its not bad. They got a long term LT. Let Icky walk and likely get a 3rd round pick back and a better cap situation. 

I think we're *smartly* acting like Icky is no longer part of the plan. If he is, great. But come back and take over for Moton, take over at guard for one of the expensive and aging guys, etc. to leave yourself options. 

Taking a LT wasn't the sexy pick, but it's what a smart front office does. 

[rebelrouser]

Sounds like they were pretty surprised Freeling was there.  What allowed him to drop was teams needing a right instead of left tackle and the Browns rolling the dice on Spencer Fano being a day one starter at left tackle w/ 32 1/8 arms. That is extremely short for a left tackle but then again, Dillon Gabriel is a left handed qb LOL.  Sounded like we were high on Bain (another short armed prospect) too and would have had a tough choice if he dropped all the way to 19.  I wonder what we do if Proctor and Freeling are there at 19?  

[jtm]

3 hours ago, CmC2k said:

Watching this confirms that this staff and front office is super high on Monroe Freeling. I wouldn't be surprised if he's gotta a real chance to win the starting LT job in camp. If he does, we can look to flip Rasheed Walker to a contender desperate for tackle help.

 

As for Ickey I still really like him and wanna extend him but based on how the staff was talking about Freeling it might be time for ickey to start taking some practice sets at guard if he wants to stay here as we are gonna have to have figure out a solution for the contracts of Lewis and Hunt. 

My preferred scenario for the Oline in 2027 is Freeling-Ickey-Hech-Lewis-Moton. 

It is a good problem to have and it is going to be very interesting to see what Carolina does with the OL once Ickey is back.   

[jtm]

28 minutes ago, PanthersNCSU said:

I think we're *smartly* acting like Icky is no longer part of the plan. If he is, great. But come back and take over for Moton, take over at guard for one of the expensive and aging guys, etc. to leave yourself options. 

Taking a LT wasn't the sexy pick, but it's what a smart front office does. 

Moton is locked in through the 2027 season and I can't imagine the Panthers letting a young tackle like Ickey walk.  Good problem to have but a solid OL player is going to be the odd man out.  

[PanthersNCSU]

4 minutes ago, jtm said:

Moton is locked in through the 2027 season and I can't imagine the Panthers letting a young tackle like Ickey walk.  Good problem to have but a solid OL player is going to be the odd man out.  

Eh, we save $15 million cutting him and with his age, injuries, retirement talk etc., could see it going either way in 2027. I'd prefer he stay, but I don't think it's any type of forgone conclusion he's here in 2027. 

[UnluckyforSome]

58 minutes ago, CanadianCat said:

I dont want to read into this too much but I think this might confirm that we are done with Icky. 

If you are targeting a LT and not just surprised that one fell to you, then you have to be looking at that long term. 

From a team POV its not bad. They got a long term LT. Let Icky walk and likely get a 3rd round pick back and a better cap situation. 

I don't think we are done with him. I do think we are done with him as a left tackle though. 

Guards and right tackles are easier to find, so I think there might be the offer presented to stay on at 1 of those positions, with the appropriate contract numbers, or to hit the market.

[SmokinwithWilly]

1 hour ago, CanadianCat said:

I dont want to read into this too much but I think this might confirm that we are done with Icky. 

If you are targeting a LT and not just surprised that one fell to you, then you have to be looking at that long term. 

From a team POV its not bad. They got a long term LT. Let Icky walk and likely get a 3rd round pick back and a better cap situation. 

I think we played the odds. While not a guaranteed career killer, it's highly possible he can never play LT again. If it was an ACL tear it may have played out differently. 

[strato]

Yeah we laid it all out before the draft.  You just can’t assume anything at all positive on Icky and Moton is aging and deconstructing and very expensive so doesn’t figure for long term. 
A single injury to Moton or Walker would have left us in a bad hole - with a QB that must be evaluated and therefore must be protected.  
I just had to be LT is at all possible.  
 

 

[SmokinwithWilly]

1 hour ago, UnluckyforSome said:

I don't think we are done with him. I do think we are done with him as a left tackle though. 

Guards and right tackles are easier to find, so I think there might be the offer presented to stay on at 1 of those positions, with the appropriate contract numbers, or to hit the market.

Icky has never really had the lateral quickness to be an consistently efficient pass blocking LT. I see him being able to slide inside to guard and thrive there where power is relied on more than side to side movement. It's not like pro bowl level guards make chump change and he has/had the power and short range lateral movement to be a dominant guard. 

[mrcompletely11]

1 hour ago, UnluckyforSome said:

I don't think we are done with him. I do think we are done with him as a left tackle though. 

Guards and right tackles are easier to find, so I think there might be the offer presented to stay on at 1 of those positions, with the appropriate contract numbers, or to hit the market.

Why would he sign here as a guard when surely someone would sign him as a tackle?  Assuming he is healthy

[TD alt]

Two things:

1. Dr. Eric Eager is central to the draft process

2. I know that it was edited, but we didn't hear "Thieneman" one time, not even before the Vikings pick.

[SmokinwithWilly]

52 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Why would he sign here as a guard when surely someone would sign him as a tackle?  Assuming he is healthy

I think it all depends on the level of healthy. He's going to need to play some sort of prove it contract before he gets a big LT payday. If he is fully healthy I expect someone will offer him a contract as a tackle, but it won't be the top 5 contact we were expecting to pay if he hadn't gotten hurt.