SBN Mock Draft 2nd Round

by Jaxon on Apr 14, 2008 11:00 PM EDT in News Comment 7 comments

The SBN Mock Draft is now progressed through the 38th pick so I thought it time to put up a poll to see who my readers think I should select next. You can see who has already been selected in the left sidebar at Mocking the Draft. I selected OT Ryan Clady in the 1st round so OT is taken care of. I really think the Panthers need the best available DT with this pick and was hoping Kentwan Balmer would continue to fall. Unfortunately the Falcons just scooped him up at #37. There should still be a couple good DT's at the #43 slot, such as Maryland's Dre Moore and Auburn's Pat Sims.

I prefer Moore over Sims for a couple reasons. This pick is essentially replacing the departed Kris Jenkins, another Maryland product and Moore is also a Charlotte native. Nothing like playing in front of friends and family to motivate a kid who at times has lacked focused. This draft profile of Moore even compares him to Jenkins. Moore has been flying up draft charts since the combine when he ran a 4.82 and put up 31 reps on the bench.

There are a number of other options at this spot, including highly rated TE Fred Davis, RB Jamaal Charles, DE Lawrence Jackson and (dare I say it) QB Brian Brohm. I realize a couple of these options may be gone by the time the Panthers pick but I wanted to give enough time to get a good sampling of votes. If you don't see your preference please insert it in the comments.

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Poll

The Panthers 2nd Round SBN Mock Draft pick should be:

TE Fred Davis

2 votes

TE Dustin Keller

1 votes

WR Earl Bennett

1 votes

WR James Hardy

0 votes

DE Quentin Groves

7 votes

DE Lawrence Jackson

5 votes

RB Jamaal Charles

10 votes

RB Matt Forte

3 votes

DT Dre Moore

22 votes

DT Pat Sims

5 votes

56 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 7 comments

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Comments

DT? Maybe. DE? Nah. hmm... RB!

umm.. pick #25. I ain't bustin' your balls, I'm just sayin' is all.

So, anyway, both of the DTs Moore and Sims seem like good choices here, but I've got to go with Sims over Moore. At this point in the draft, I'd prefer someone who had more experience playing the position, demonstrated more consistent dominance and made less mistakes. Sims is a true DT, Moore is still figuring it out. Not to mention that not only did Sims go to Auburn with McClover, they went to high school together too.

Lawrence Jackson (All your second-round-USC-draft-picks are belong to us!) seems like the only option at DE, but he seems like a bit of a reach here. Groves hasn't demonstrated he'll be able to play the run against the big boys.

But since we're at least mentioning RBs, toss those other guys out and let's talk about Chris Johnson. I know what you're thinking. "But I want Stephen Davis again!" or "We can't re-live the glory years of 2003 without a big power back!" or "But DeAngelo Williams is fast, and we don't need another fast runner!" or some other bit of nonsense. The point of playing offense is to get the ball down the field. Fast people can do it, and Chris Johnson is not only ultra-mega-fast, he's also a strong runner that breaks tackles (unlike what the scouts tell me about Jamaal Charles) and is nicely aggressive at blitz pickup. But first and foremost, he's an exciting play-maker, and we desperately need more of those.

Go ahead and read what they say about him over at USA Today, along with the other kids. I've been excited about this kid for a while, and he's going to do some exciting things at the next level. I'm hoping he'll do them for us. And, if nothing else, we could consider those kickoff-return issues completely resolved.

by r3 on Apr 15, 2008 1:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not sure how I overlooked Brohm...

I thought Sims looked slow and out of shape at the combine during the position drills. Also, only 20 reps on the bench isn't good for a DT.

Chris Johnson worries me because until he ran at the combine I had never heard of him. Speed is important but I question is ability to block and break tackles at the NFL level as you say. I like Matt Forte better as he ran with authority in the Senior Bowl and was the best back in the game IMO (which pains me to say since Tashard Choice played as well). If Johnson is there in the 3rd I'd take him then (probably not).

I like the thought of taking Lawrence Jackson but I can't see spending another early pick on DE until we know if last years 3rd rounder Charles Johnson can get it done. I'm willing to give him a season and address a bigger need with the pick.

by Jaxon on Apr 15, 2008 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

RBs

I agree with not picking a pass rusher early. I really want Gholston, but if we're not picking in the top 5, then we shouldn't get a pass rusher at all until the later rounds. In fact, another DT may be better than another DE.

I would love for us to get a solid OT at 13, whether it's Otah or Williams. I no longer believe that Clady will be available that late. We could trade down and get Otah or Williams, and then pick sooner in the 2nd and make sure we get who we want, possibly Chris Johnson or Matt Forte. I've seen some rankings that have Johnson listed higher than Forte. As for the power back, I believe Nick Goings can get some tough yards, and we do have Toefield, so a true speed guy like Johnson would be perfect with his 4.24 40. He's also 5'11 200, so he's not exactly scat back size. I could see him returning kicks and giving us an extra 6 yards per possession.

I would also love to see us get Josh Johnson (43 TDs, 1 Int in 300+ attempts while learning from coach Jim Harbaugh) or Dennis Dixon, and throw in maybe an extra safety or OL/DL. We have a lot of picks, and I could see those translating into a Superbowl win.

by usana_gaines on Apr 15, 2008 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

opinions

So I'm all about hearing someone else's opinion and so I had to go read about this Chris Johnson guy. YOu gotta ask yourself if Devin Hester is worth a 2nd rd pick. If you answer yes, then why not get a guy who is bigger, FASTER and stronger. A 4.24 40 is Darrell Green speed, almost. But certainly faster than 99% of the current NFL players. Also, his 315 lb bench is only 40 lbs lighter than the 2nd rated DE whose name I forget. I would have him learn the 3rd receiver position as well as RB. D-Will is a pretty tough runner, and people tend to forget that.

I was thinking we should trade up and get Vernon Gholston, even if we have to sacrifice a lot. Gholston and Peppers would be incredible. Then we could get Johnson or another top tier RB, or Sam Baker in the 2nd. I'm dreaming, I know. Gholston ran a 4.58 40 and benches 455 lbs. He's bigger than Freeney and faster than Peppers. I would be okay with us getting Forte as well. He's an outstanding back and will perform as well as Ryan Grant did down the stretch for whoever drafts him.

by usana_gaines on Apr 15, 2008 8:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs