The Panthers DT Options for the 09 NFL Draft

I'm fully convinced that the Panthers will select a Defensive Tackle in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. I'm also convinced that Peppers will be dealt by then, so I'll go ahead and tell you guys that this article means nothing. Feel free to forget everything I say here if Julius Peppers signs his franchise tag and gets dealt. However, I find it hard to believe that the Panthers will pick anyone else beside someone along the defensive line this upcoming draft. It's just too great a need, too powerful a weakness for the Panthers.

Now, with that aside the defensive tackle position is one of the hardest positions to judge in the NFL Draft. You can find out some things at the combine, and read up on their college statistics, but it isn't a easy thing to judge how that player will fare once he's going up against the cream of the crop in the NFL. The Panthers will have to be careful. We're one or two players away from getting back to the Super Bowl. If we can grab a guy that can start as a rookie and succeed in stopping the run, it will go a long way to helping out our defense return to its 03 glory.

Here's a list of the defensive tackles that will be available in the 2nd round.

1. Fili Moala

This is a guy that most 2nd round mockdrafts have the Panthers in the 2nd round. The college website lists him as 6,5. But he's really an inch shorter. He's not particularly fast, but he has a few good moves that he can use to beat his guy. His senior campaign was pretty good, but his inablility to improve on his junior year sends up a red flag for me. The good news is that he has room to build. Even at 305 pounds at the NFL Combine, the scouts still discribed him as looking thin. Even if he generates no pass rush at all, if he was to put on 20 pounds or so he'll be a hard man to open holes against for the running back. He is well work the pick late in the 2nd round. The Panthers may consider themselves a success if they nab him.

2.  Ziggy Hood

This one will most likely be gone before the Panthers hava a chance to pick, but he's a total beast. He's the total package. He has decent size, strength, speed. He pulled off 36 reps on the bench during the NFL Combine. After being projected around the middle of the 2nd round in the beginning of the off-season, this guy had a good senior bowl and impressed in the combine, and as a result he worked his way into the late 1st round/early 2nd round projection. He might be a guy the Panthers might trade up to get, but I wouldn't count on it too much. A lot of teams have interest in him.

3. Ron Brace

This is a man who isn't trying to trick anyone. He makes his mark by mowing you down the instant the play begins. Constant bull rusher. He's already in NFL shape, but he may be a risk in the 2nd round with his teammate Raji taking all the double teams from him during his college career. He's a lot like Fili Moala in that he's not going to create that much pass rush, but he can stop the run. If Fili Moala is unavailable at the Panthers pick, I would consider Ron as a perfect substitute.

4. Sen'Derrick Marks

At 6 feet 1 inch, he's the smallest one of the DT's that I'm going to list. In my humble opinion, I hope the Panthers don't draft this guy. He'll be able to help against the run, but he's never going to be able to have the bulk to command double teams on him like the prospects above him. He's also a noted injury risk with his ankle, and it caused him to lose some time in college. As a prospect he's still a good pick, but I'd rather have someone else.

I considered putting in Chris Baker as my 5th choice, but then I remembered that John Fox doesn't like to draft people with bad criminal records. If the Panthers go defensive tackle, they will most likely choose one of these players in the 2nd round. Personally I like Fili Moala. If he had put on some more weight before the combine, he might have been taken in the 1st round.

That's it for now folks! I look forward to the NFL Draft.