An Excellent Panthers Draft

Looking at how the 2010 NFL draft has gone, the Panthers can come away very very satisfied. There were very few reaches and whilst we unfortunately gave up a 2nd rounder in 2011, there is now reason to hope it will be at the bottom of that round. My assessment of the selections are as follows:

R2 - Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame.

I'm not a fan of Clausen as a R1 selection, but to grab him in the middle of R2 is bordering on grand larceny. There will be questions on why he fell, but if you look at the teams drafting No10 to No32, few had a requirement for a QB and had pressing needs elsewhere. There are many QBs who have fallen such as Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees and whilst Clausen might not reach those heights, the fact he will be playing in a Charlie Weis type offence can only help his chances. Better to grab a QB who falls than reach for one that subsequently fails. At the very least he will bring the best out of Matt Moore, who is actually a free agent at the end of the season - Grade: A

R3a - Brandon LaFell WR LSU

A Dwayne Bowe clone, LaFell offers the possibility of a decent No2 opposite Steve Smith. Whilst not the quickest he has run sub 4.50 and offers the height that other receivers like Golden Tate don't. Unless Jarrett gets his act together I would expect him to be starting by mid season - Grade: B+

R3b - Armanti Edwards WR/QB Appalachian St

A reach, but how much of one? Irrespective of the combine results, you can't teach a guy to be a football player. Will certainly allow us to use the wildcat, and may eventually become Steve Smith's replacement. Giving up a R2 in 2011 however lowers the grade - Grade: C+

R4 - Eric Norwood OLB South Carolina

A great selection considering we traded down. Fills a need at SLB, and can play OLB if we occasionally have a 3-4 alignment. Will definitely help to replace Peppers sack totals - Grade: A

R6a - Greg Hardy DE Ole Miss

Another great pick. Before injuries, Hardy was considered a potential 1st rounder. A sleeper pick who could become the starting LE much quicker than most might think - Grade: A

R6b - David Gettis WR Baylor

Another good pick, he is a big and quick target to add to the WR corps. Grade: B

R6c - Jordan Pugh CB Texas A&M

Though listed as a CB he played S in college, and whilst on the smallish side at 5ft10 and 196lbs, he has enough speed that he could develop into a decent SS. For reference, he is the same size as the great Mike Minter and we have little Safety depth - Grade: B

R6d - Tony Pike QB Cincinnati

An excellent selection. We get a guy of R2 value at the end of R6. With little in the way of QB depth, we find a potential backup to either Clausen and Moore, whoever starts, and as other teams have shown, quality backups like Schaub and Cassels can present huge trade value to their drafting team - Grade: A

R7a - R J Stanford, DB, Utah

A very rapid guy having clocked a 4.29 in the past with decent size and very very good athleticism. - Grade: B

R7b - Brandon McClain, CB, Connecticut

A short yet chunky defender, who has also proven to be a decent returner - Grade: B

Whilst I would have liked to have seen some further OL help I don't think the draft can be faulted.

Whilst some fans wanted a DT, we currently have 6 guys on the roster in Tank Tyler, Nick Hayden, Corey Irvin, Ed Johnson, Louis Leonard and Derek Landri. All are aged 26 or under, and all offer as much as some of the guys left who were available when we were drafting. Facing Brees and Ryan twice a year, we definitely needed secondary depth.

QB whoever was a much under rated need with Moore in his final year, and there being little available in Free Agency. We can at least now consider ourselves set here.

Overall Grade: A