Panthers 2009 Draft Pick #217: Captain Munnerlyn

by LittleKing on May 18, 2009 10:48 PM EDT in NFL Draft

Captain Munnerlyn

Finally we have the last of our draft picks, Captain Munnerlyn (from here on out refered to as "The Captain"). I want him to make the team just based on his name, but alas its about talent and numbers. He's a 5' 9" 182 lb cornerback from the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Upside: B

While he played mostly zone in college, The Captain has shown flashes of being a cover corner. He's can break on the ball and get's he hand between the ball and receiver and has the natural ability NFL teams looks for in a player. Was a solid corner for the Gamecocks and during his college career was named All-Southeastern Conference first-team by the league's coaches. He has punt and kick return experience and will probably be considered for this role as well, although is down the depth chart.

Downside: C-

While The Captain has the natural talent to play, it also may be his downfall in the NFL as he could rely to much on his abilities. He's also on the shorter side for a NFL corner, yet this could be an overrated negative. His on the field effort have also been called into question by Coach Steve Spurrier and was benched a game for missing a team meeting. Some also question his durability in missing at least one game each season.

Fit: C-

While he is a 7th round pick and isn't projected to make a starting line up, he could be be a surprise down the road. In addition, although he is on the shorter side, his strengths seem to play into Ron Meeks mold. However, there is no guarantee he will make the roster and he's just as likely to be practice squad player. Yet, with uncertainty at cornerback depth his chances are as good as any other CB currently on the roster. As with most backups on the roster his greatest chance to make the team is via special teams. Also, he will need to make sure he's mentally prepared for the NFL as missing meetings and lack of effort is a quickest way to the door. The Captain was a rising CB before this last year and thus the jury is still out on how he will make the transition. He could become a star, a dud, or nothing more than a solid nickle corner. How's that for certainty.

Scouting Reports:

NFL Combine Results

SC Gamecocks Profile

Mocking the Draft Profile

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Comments

One comment about the return...

That’s not an NFL return. Munnerlyn won’t simply outquick NFL coverage units the way he could against UK special teamers. Still, his ceiling is certainly higher than Wesley, and probably Wilson, too, since he can contribute as a returner.

by MichaelProcton on May 18, 2009 11:43 PM EDT reply actions

Is that his best return video?

I was a little disappointed he didn’t take it to the house.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on May 19, 2009 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm thinking Munnerlyn is a good candidate to...

replace Marshall as a gunner on kick coverage. He’s a good tackler, strong upper body and has enough speed to get downfield. Dante Wesley would still be the other

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on May 19, 2009 12:36 AM EDT reply actions

Agree on Wesley

I thought he played well on special teams as a gunner. I wish that wasn’t overlooked as much.

by zrjohnso on May 19, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Do we move Wesley or Wilson

to safety and stash Teal on the PS? Can we stash Teal on the PS? Because all of a sudden we have a lot of depth at corner and maybe not enough roster spots.

by Flowing Willow on May 19, 2009 3:27 AM EDT reply actions

I imagine Teal is no longer eligible for the PS

I don’t know the rules exactly but I think he has spent too much time on the active roster. Wesley, Wilson, Munnerlyn, there isn’t room for all of them on the roster. Unless Munnerlyn really shines he is probably PS bound because he is the only one eligible unless they decide to give up on Wilson

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on May 19, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions

Nope...

Teal’s eligibility is way gone, having been on the 53 for two full years. Without ever really having had much of a chance to see him play on D, I think he’s got to be a clear favorite to get cut at this point, since Dante or CeeJ can both move, as you mentioned.

by MichaelProcton on May 19, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I put up a post on Munnerlyn

on SBN’s USC Gamecock site you can find here. I always find it interesting to hear waht the college fans say about the rookies

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on May 19, 2009 10:59 AM EDT reply actions

Also, I'm not sure "The Captain" nickname works for me

“Captain” seems cool enough by itself. Yet if he truly earns the title in the defensive backfield I will call him whatever he likes

Overall nice post LK.

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on May 19, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Both highlights are against Kentucky

Damnit

Envy our past......Fear our future

by btcoop71 on May 19, 2009 11:28 AM EDT reply actions

Unless things work out really well for him in training camp...

I have this feeling Captain Munnerlyn won’t make the 53-man roster once all the cuts come down. It’s even possible he might get taken out on one of the earlier trimdowns during preseason. He’s most likely practice squad bound…and maybe not even that, depending on how many other PS-eligible people we want to keep around.

Don’t get me wrong, though. The Captain has raw, athletic talent…but I think he probably came out a year too early. Granted, he landed in Spurrier’s doghouse last year. But overall, it’s a bit of a reach for him to make an NFL squad right now. Some folks didn’t even think he’d get drafted. And we only took him in the 7th round…

Regardless, he’s got his shot now. If he can impress in training camp and do all the things required of him, maybe he stays. And even if he doesn’t, he could still impress some other scouts who’ll take a shot on him if someone wants to take him off our practice squad or pick him up as a free agent.

Just my two-cents,
—Neil

P.S. Did anyone happen to catch Deion Sanders’ “Primetime U” on the NFL Network? He worked out several DBs prior to the draft to help them improve everything from their workouts to their Wonderlic scores. And Captain Munnerlyn was among them. In fact, he showed more improvement over the course of the training than some of the other guys. So hopefully, that bodes well for him…and maybe us, too.

by NSpicer on May 19, 2009 3:37 PM EDT reply actions

Too early

I read somewhere that he decided to leave early because of financial reason regarding something about his Mom. I really do feel bad that if he had played one more year he might have been a first day pick but leaving this year dropped to the 7th and doesn’t really have a great chance at making the team if that was his true reason for leaving early.

by LittleKing on May 19, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I did see Primetime U

It obviously helped the Uconn DB Butler. Munnerlyn is one cut dude, very athletic. But the NFL wastebasket contains many an athlete that couldn’t get the intangibles that it takes to play in the NFL. Munnerlyn has a tough hill to climb for sure but he could be neat success story if he does

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on May 19, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I hate to be too doubtful, but...

…I’m not sure I buy the story that Munnerlyn left early due to financial need. Too many other factors were going on with him for that to be the only reason. I think he figured he wasn’t going to be able to show much improvement if he stayed, because of the benching by Spurrier, him missing a team meeting, etc.

I also think he left because he had an agent in his ear telling him he’d go higher. There was article recently where Spurrier talked about that. Kids are leaving too early a lot more often these days because of the influence of their agents over the advice of their coaches.

But who really knows? Maybe Munnerlyn will light it up and become the next Darrel Green? :-)

by NSpicer on May 19, 2009 3:59 PM EDT reply actions

Was it true?

I don’t know if the story about Munnerlyn is true, but I’m sure there are some that have left early for that reason but fall down on the draft board and that in general would be sad.

I read that article as well and it’s sad coaches opinions, who should know the players pretty well, are left by the wayside by so many players.

by LittleKing on May 19, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Sometimes...

…it’s all about the Benjamins.

by NSpicer on May 19, 2009 7:32 PM EDT reply actions

Sometimes?

Most of the time.

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on May 19, 2009 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey guys...

I put up a response to your question here.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans. http://www.garnetandblackattack.com

by Gamecock Man on May 20, 2009 12:40 AM EDT reply actions

Munnerlyn was projected

to go in the third round. I don’t think we could get him to clear waivers to get to the PS. I think Wilson will be the backup safety as well as corner and Teal will be cut.

by Flowing Willow on May 20, 2009 11:54 AM EDT reply actions

By whom?

And if he got passed at least four times by every team, it’s not like he was high on anyone else’s priority list.

Here are some of the projections I did find:

SI: 3rd round
Walterfootball: 3-4
FFToolbox: “Munnerlyn consistently runs in the low 4.4s in the 40-yard-dash and he has reportedly gone as low as 4.30. He needs to run near that latter mark if he wants to overcome his physical limitations. If Munnerlyn performs well at the combine, a third-round selection is not beyond the realm of possibility.” Munnerlyn ran a 4.53 at the combine, so it’s clear he didn’t do what he needed to do to make that 3rd-round projection. I’ll let you consider this a 4th if you’d like
Scouts, Inc.: #114 overall prospect (mid-4th)
Fantasy Football Jungle: #139 overall prospect (early 5th)
CDS Draft: 5th
NFL Draft Day Countdown: mid-to-late round prospect
NFL Draft Scout: #241 overall prospect (mid-7th)
Draft Countdown: * (Late round/FA, outside of top 150 overall; mid-5th at best)

by MichaelProcton on May 20, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree...

Munnerlyn would probably clear waivers unless there’s team out there whose scouts feel that he could be a good pickup for them based on his training camp and preseason performance in Carolina. Otherwise, there are enough teams that passed on him that he’d likely be an undrafted free agent if we hadn’t taken him. And I remember seeing at least one analyst criticizing us for taking Munnerlyn in the 7th round, because he believed we could have got him as an undrafted free agent instead and used that pick on someone else.

But who really knows? Munnerlyn is quite strong. He benchpressed more than the average DB. He’s quick…and there’s really not that much difference between a 4.53 and a 4.3-ish 40-time in the actual course of a game. His only major detractions (from my point of view) are a) his height (i.e., he’s 5’9" and that might not be enough for covering the taller receivers in the NFL), and b) his commitment (i.e., can he do what he needs to do to elevate his game at the NFL level, including everything from getting into his playbook to putting himself on a training regimen that hones his talent).

I thought it was really promising to see one of the short videos at Panthers.com showing Munnerlyn with his playbook. Maybe that demonstrates his seriousness now that he’s received a chance at making an NFL team. He also went through the “Primetime U” thing with Deion Sanders and seemed to apply himself a bit more than some of the others. He showed improvement by the end, basically. So, if he’s capable of all that. And, if he keeps away from the distractions and commits to being at every team activity and then some. And then if he’s able to make plays on the field in training camp and the preseason…then who knows? Maybe he shows he’s a better player to keep around than a CJ Wilson or Quinton Teal? Those other guys have a bit more experience on him, though. So, it’s going to be an uphill climb to unseat one of them.

by NSpicer on May 20, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I have to disagree.

“. . . there’s really not that much difference between a 4.53 and a 4.3-ish 40-time in the actual course of a game.”

That would be true if the 4.53 guy is very instinctive and the 4.3 guy is not. There is a reason that Deion, Rod Woodson, and Darrell Green are widely considered the best corners in league history. They were instinctive football players AND could fly.

Will Parker

by WillParker81 on May 20, 2009 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll politely disagree with your disagreement... ;-)

I think players like Sanders, Woodson, and Green had more than just their speed going for them. A lot of it involved savvy in their grey matter and not just the spring in their step.

Personally, I think too much is made of the 40-yard dash speeds at the combine anyway. You’re talking about mere fractions of a fraction of a second. And, in live-game conditions it usually doesn’t come down to just pure speed. That only happens once you’re completely in the open field trying to sprint away from someone. The DBs and WRs face that challenge more often than most, but there’s lots of technique you can use to jam or slow down a speed guy to make up the difference between a 4.5, 4.4 and 4.3 guy.

Munnerlyn ran a 4.53 at the combine. He’s done 4.4’s before. So I don’t think a 4.3 guy is suddenly going to just blow him up on the field purely because he can run the 40 a little faster. There’s more to route running, jamming, and breaking on the ball than just racing someone across the field.

But that’s just my two-cents,
—Neil

by NSpicer on May 21, 2009 8:15 AM EDT reply actions