2011 NFL Draft: The Case for A.J. Green to the Carolina Panthers No. 1 Overall

It seems that everyone thinks the Panthers should treat Jimmy Clausen the way an unknown assailant did outside of C.J.'s Pub in South Bend back in 2009 (and no, it wasn't me). Being a Notre Dame fan, I'll be the first one to throw the guy a bone, because he needs it.

Sure, the Panthers need help at pretty much every position on the team, but drafting a quarterback would be a waste pick.

Blaine Gabbert? Clausen 2.0. Cam Newton? Sure, why not? Who wouldn't want to use the first overall pick on the second coming of Vince Young?

There is nothing to lose by giving Jimmy Clausen the best receiver of the draft in A.J. Green.

Scenario One: Clausen benefits from having Steve Smith, A.J. Green and David Gettis at wide receiver and blossoms into a good NFL quarterback, No. 2 jerseys fly off the shelves and the Panthers are a good offseason away from being a playoff contender.

Scenario Two: Clausen still can't get it done despite having a solid receiving corps and gets shipped away for a seventh-round pick and a can of tuna. The Panthers get the No. 1 pick again and draft Andrew Luck, who they always wanted anyway.

If they draft a quarterback and he plays the way Clausen did in his first year, then you get another temptation with Andrew Luck in 2012, and all of a sudden you have two first-rounders and a second-rounder on your depth chart at QB.

If you're worried about A.J. Green's character issues but think the Panthers should take Newton, hit yourself in the head with a hammer, please. Green was selling his jersey for $1,000. Camp Newton was asking for 125 times that just to get a jersey.

Green got 848 yards in just nine games. He didn't even get to play against Louisiana-Lafayette and didn't get the chance to pad his stats against Vanderbilt in a 43-0 laugher back in October. The guy makes unbelievable catches and is a year of no haircuts away from being Larry Fitzgerald. Remember Fitz? The guy that went for over 1,100 yards without anyone throwing to him this year? Green can do that.

He can run, he can catch, he can bowl guys over. Type in A.J. Green on YouTube and you get treated to a bevy of jaw-dropping highlights that will make you wonder why the Panthers haven't already sent Roger Goodell a card with his name on it. It's not like Georgia is in a weak defensive conference either.

Sure, Green's touchdown total was only one lower than his Wonderlic score (nine and 10 respectively), but Roddy White only got a four, which raised a huge red flag and made him the sixth receiver taken in the 2005 draft. Besides Braylon Edwards, look at all the other amusing wideouts taken before him—Troy Williamson, Mike Williams, Matt Jones and Mark Clayton. Don't you think that the 49ers would rather have White now than Baby Hands Alex Smith? I think so.

With all that said, the Panthers should look at the last 10 years and realize that the only two non-QB picks were Jake Long and Mario Williams. Don't be afraid of guaranteed success, which is exactly what A.J. Green is.