The Focus of the 2009 NFL Draft

I have been contacted earlier by a guy who wished to know how the Panthers to will draft in 2009. I thought it would be a good article to write, so here you go.

Unlike most teams in the league, the Carolina Panthers are strong in a lot of areas coming into the draft. With the exception of Ken Lucas, we have retained all our starters on both sides of the ball. That's huge considering our team tied the New York Giants for the best record in the NFC last year.

However, the Panthers lost key backup players along the offensive line in Geoff Hangartner, Frank Omiyale, and Jeremy Bridges, guys that will need to be replaced. The defensive line also remains a weakness, one that may show even more if Julius Peppers is traded. We are also in need of a kick returner and a 3rd corner to develop under starters Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall. Finally, they will need to handle all of these needs with only 5 picks in the 2nd through 6th rounds. It's a tall order to put up.

In the 2009 Draft, I expect the Panthers to focus their draft on the defensive line. The Panthers rotational scheme worked wonders during the first half of 08, holding rushers like LaDainian Tomlinson, Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, and Michael Turner under 100 yards. However, the defensive line slowed and became vulnerable against the run during the 2nd half of the season, highlighted by Derrick Ward's 215 rushing total in week 16. You can expect the Panthers to try to fix this by signing a DT or DE in the 2nd round. I covered the DT options we'll have in the 2nd round in my previous article, and I expect to cover the DE positions soon.

After the 2nd round, it will be all about drafting the best player on the board. We had a nice 1st round ILB drop to us in the 3rd round last year. His name was Dan Conner, and he'll be an eventual replacement for Na'il Diggs at outside linebacker when he finishes his career. We can only be so successful with 5 picks in the draft this year, but with a few good value picks like Dan Conner we nail us some good starters and young talent that will help the Panthers remain the most underrated franchise in the NFL.

Now then, with all of that being said the X factor going into the NFL Draft will be whether or not Julius Peppers can/will be traded. In spite of telling the team a few months ago that he wants a 'solution that will work out for both sides,' he still has not signed his franchise tag. Obviously, a trade would help out the Panthers tremendously. We would get a 1st round draft pick, and it will clear up 16.7 million in cap space we can use to sign our rookies. If we trade into the first round, everything changes.

Let's say just for an example that Julius Peppers is traded to the Broncos for their 1st round pick, 12# pick overall. Depending on the flow of the draft, we might have a chance at landing a franchise QB in Mark Sanchez. If Michael Crabtree falls, the Panthers might shore up the 2nd receiver spot beside Steve Smith. There are at least 3 defensive ends in Brian Orakpo, Michael Johnson, and Everette Brown that will be more than worthy of taking at that spot. It will open the Panthers a whole lot more in what they want to do, though the Panthers will still focus their draft around the defensive line.

If anything is certain, the worst thing about the upcoming draft will be waiting for it. Be sure to tune in to Cat Scratch Reader on April 25th for the NFL Draft. We'll be here to breakdown the decisions of the Panthers and talk about the upcoming season.

Stay strong my friends. The offseason can't last forever.