Which Panthers would you protect?

The one change I would make would be D. Will for Smitty. D. Will and J. Stew complement each other really really well and Smitty isn’t getting any younger.

Good post. It was tough to leave off a few guys, especially #89!

Smitty, Beason, Gross, D Will & J Stew

(If we’re talking about 2011)
Let the flaming begin. Just my $0.02.

1. Jonathan Stewart – Even though he has injury problems, he hasn’t missed a game yet, so it’s hard to leave him off. He’s a top 5 back easily, with a rare size and speed combo. At 23 years old, he still has over 10 years to play if he stays healthy.

2. Jon Beason – You can’t leave off a 25 year old middle linebacker who is a top 3 talent at his position. He’s the leader of the defense, with an elite ability to predict where plays are going.

3. Jimmy Clausen – Including rookies is a gamble, but I like what I’ve seen of him from college video. If he has the potential to be a franchise quarterback, he deserves to be named.

4. Ryan Kalil – He’s a top 3 center in my opinion, and he’s only 25.

5. Everette Brown – Number 5 was a tough call. There was no one else I’d really consider a lock. I was thinking about everyone from Brown to Charles Johnson to Sherrod Martin to Captain Munnerlyn to Dante Rosario to some rookies.

1. Jordan Gross
2. Ryan Kalil
3. Jeff Otah – the game is won or lost in the trenches. These guys can make life easier for any offensive backfield. They represent 60% of what is widely regarded as one of the best and youngest o-lines in the NFL. If we’re rebuilding let’s do so with a good foundation for the O.
4. Jon Beason – the heart and soul of the D.
5. Jimmy Clausen – taking a shot at having a franchise QB for years to come with this pick.

I dont want to take any chances on some rookies or players that have yet to prove themselves as consistent. If I’m only allowed 5 I would make sure they’re proven vets.

Kalil
Otah
Gross
Stewart
Beason

I guess you could say I favor rebuilding with a great offensive line and a stud RB behind it….and Beason…well…he’s just a beast!

Jonathan Stewart
Jon Beason
Ryan Kalil
Jeff Otah
Richard Marshall

1a Double Trouble (2 of the best top 5 RB’s in the league in my book..)
1b see above
3 Beaston (Best LB in the league)
4 Smitty ( One of the top WR in the league plus i wanna see him retire a Panther)
5 Jimmy Clausen ( May be what Kerry Collins was suppost to have been) Franchise QB

He can still be a bust like other QB’s that come into the league. Just wondering, if there is a redraft then why not spend the first pick on a proven QB instead of taking that chance?

In no particular order: Moore, Stewart, Beason, Smith, Gross

Ugh…I feel sick. Only 5?

Jon Beason – There are no words. one of the best, if not THE best, LBs in the game. You have to keep him, because he is the captain of your defense no matter who you select.

Jonathan Stewart – Young and has the potential to be the best RB in the game if he had a lion share of carries. Our two back system works great, but I think we could be very effective still if we took a step back on the talent level on our #2 RB. In the redraft, there will be floods of RBs available for drafting, but we need to lockdown a sure thing at RB1.

Ryan Kalil – Again, young but plays well above his years and may be the best C in the game. Jonathan Stewart power running game will rely on holes up the middle, and Kalil is very important in that regard.

Jordan Gross – Not the youngest, but the value of a pro bowl LT is something all teams will want. He protects your franchise QB’s blindside, and is an all around dominant force on the edge.

Jimmy Clausen – He is the bubble pick in all this. We THINK he can be our franchise QB, but then again Matt Moore also could be. But I also think you have to hold onto a QB because the pickings in a redraft will be slim. Any team with a proven franchise QB is going to decide to protect them. So its not like we can go out and draft Peyton Manning or Phillip Rivers, because they won’t be available. Also, any team who does NOT retain a QB, will likely look to get their QB before anything else. While they are busy picking QBs, we could get a top selection at any other position of our choosing. Hopefully a great WR1.

After retaining those 5, my first pick would be at WR, then I would look for a shutdown CB, then work on the defensive front 7.

Even if he is 31 years old. The only WR’s who mean more to their team than Smitty, like Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, and players like Colston, Marshall, Welker, etc are all going to be locked up by their teams. Why start off with a deficit at WR when you have one of the best in the game.

So I’d say:

Jordan Gross: Left tackles are a premium commodity and he’s one of the best.
Jonathon Stewart: As good as any in the game, and younger than DeAngelo, which is the only reason he stays and DeLo goes.
Ryan Kahlil: Top 5 center to anchor the run game.
Jon Beason: No brainer
Steve Smith

Youth will be served on my team. I decided to create a young nucleus of quality players around my offense since that’s where we’re strongest this year. Essentially I went for youth, performance, and then upside.

1. Beast mode
2. Stewart
3. Clausen
3. Kalil
4. Otah

I figure I’ll pick up a good young receiver very early ‘start over draft pick’, a young penetrating DT or DE early, and a good G during the draft. Later I’ll pickup a veteran QB who used to be good but is now past his prime to tutor Clausen 1-2 years until he is ready to start. My core 5 would then be in or just entering their prime and we’re ready to roll to a SB.