The dark horse in the race for Panthers #1 Pick

During last week's CSR Radio episode, James Dator brought up the idea that the Panthers could throw the proverbial curveball and take a completely unexpected player with the #1 overall selection in the draft on April 28. While it wouldn't be a surprise that this particular player would be selected given his undeniable athletic talent and his extraordinary performance at the Scouting Combine, the shocker would stem from the fact that the Panthers already appear to be loaded at this specific player's position on the field.

I must also add, however, that the Panthers do have a history of drafting players who the front office feels will help the team regardless of how the roster is constructed. For example, no one thought in 2007 that the Panthers needed to use a 2nd round pick on a center, but Ryan Kalil was the choice when he was available with the 59th overall pick. Also, in 2008 no one thought that the Panthers needed to take another running back since DeAngelo Williams was becoming a budding superstar, but the Panthers still drafted Jonathan Stewart.

The point is, we can't look at this draft and say "we need [insert position here], so the Panthers are definitely going to draft [insert prospect here]". We have to think like the front office thinks, which is “we have to get the player who will best help this team win”, regardless of position. We've seen several times in previous drafts that the front office doesn't necessarily draft out of need in the early rounds, but rather they take the best player that they absolutely can to make the team better overall.  Let's take a look at who could be the dark horse in the race to the #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft after the jump...

In case you didn't read the caption for the picture or you haven't figured it out by now, we're talking about Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller.

Miller has been regarded by many pundits as a lock for a top-10 pick in the draft, and some analysts even have him going in the top-5. I believe these prognostications are quite possible due to the pure athleticism that Miller brings to the table, nevermind his excellent combine results and his status as a 1st Team All American in both 2009 and 2010.

Let's take a moment and examine his career stats while at Texas A&M (2007-2010):

178 Tackles (104 solo) / 33 Sacks / 0 Forced Fumbles / 1 Interception

His freshman year was (understandably) his worse statistical season, as he only made 22 tackles. He doubled his total in his sophomore campaign, and led the nation with 17 sacks in his junior season. He suffered a minor foot injury during his senior year, but still managed to record 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss, both of which were good enough for him to be awarded the Dick Butkus Award for the nation's top linebacker.

If the stats aren't enough for you, here's what Beergut (Which, for the record, is an EPIC name.), manager for Texas A&M's SB Nation blog I Am the 12th Man, had to say about Von Miller after he won the Dick Butkus award (emphasis mine):

When Von came to A&M, he wanted to help return our football program to their rightful place as one of the top teams in the nation, and to bring back the defensive tradition of the Wrecking Crew. Miller did more than that, though, bringing back the tradition of A&M being Linebacker U, and blazing his own trail, becoming the first Aggie linebacker to be honored as the best linebacker in the nation, and win the Butkus Award. When new recruits come to A&M and people look at defensive prospects, they will talk about them becoming 'the next Von Miller'; Miller has gone from an admittedly immature player his first two years here to someone other players will aspire to emulate. True freshman joker Damontre Moore talked earlier this season about how Miller was teaching him the finer points of the game, but more important than that, Miller was teaching him about being a man, and what it meant to be a true student-athlete.

(The full article can be found here.)

I don't know how anyone else feels about this kid, but to me he seems like the kind of guy that the front office would want to add to the roster. He seems to have his head in the right place, and when combined with his excellence on the field, he would be a perfect fit in Carolina. But, as we all know, college awards and great stats don't necessarily translate to NFL success, regardless of how highly regarded the player was in college (history provides us with plenty of examples). However, Miller appethears to have the talent required to succeed at the professional level, and his measureabKeyword or Call IDles (6'3”, 246 lbs.) are difficult to ignore.

One added bonus for Miller is that he has played in both the 4-3 and 3-4 defenses as an outside linebacker, so he has experience in both base formations. We all know that new Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera wants to install a hybrid defense that features both the 4-3 and the 3-4, so Miller would be a good fit for the system that would utilize his talents and his experience with both formations.

Imagine adding Von Miller to a defensive unit that already has Jon Beason, Greg Hardy, Everette Brown, James Anderson, Dan Connor, Charles Johnson, and Thomas Davis. Imagine all the formations and blitz packages that can be developed with those players, and remember that we now have Sean McDermott, a Jim Johnson disciple, as our Defensive Coordinator, and Ron Rivera, another Jim Johnson disciple, as our Head Coach. Are you salivating yet? Are you chomping at the bit to see the defensive alignments that can be created with these players?

We can line up in a 4-3 with Johnson and Hardy as book-ends on the line, with Miller, Beason, and Davis at linebacker. We can set up a 3-4 with Johnson and Hardy as book-ends on the line, with Miller, Beason, Connor, and Davis at linebacker. Throw in Eric Norwood and James Anderson as rotational linebackers to keep players fresh, and we could potentially have a historic defense on our hands.

Given the depth in this draft class at the defensive tackle position, we are more likely to find quality players in the 3rd round at defensive tackle than we are any other position on the board. With the first pick in the draft, the team must take a player who can make an immediate impact, and there is not much doubt that Von Miller can be that impact player.

The only question is, does the front office feel that he is the best fit for our team? I'm not saying that he's an absolute lock for the #1 pick, but don't count out this dark horse in the race. He just might surprise you.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this article is about Von Miller's draft stock. It is not a discussion on which quarterback we should take, and it is not an article on which quarterback is the best thing since sliced bread.

There has been a lot of debate around here lately regarding the quarterback situation and the potential draft stock of several of the quarterback prospects entering the draft, and I do not want this article's comment thread to be tainted by arguments between Camp Newton, Camp Gabbert, and Camp Clausen.

I'm asking everyone that all comments about quarterbacks please be made elsewhere. There are plenty of threads available to discuss the quarterbacks for anyone who feels that there is still something to say about them at this time. Any comments that change this thread from the topic of Von Miller and the rest of our linebackers (and/or the defense as a whole) to another quarterback discussion will be moderated.

You have been warned.

However, if you wish to discuss the defense and/or Von Miller, then by all means have at it.

Hat tip to James Dator for his comments on Miller being a potential dark horse candidate for the #1 pick during Tuesday's episode of CSR Radio that inspired the writing of this article. For the record, most of you may not know what I'm talking about, because if I recall correctly the discussion I'm referencing occurred after the radio show stopped recording. If you weren't able to hear this part of the show, you can visit this link and listen to a replay of the show that has the added conversation after we went off the air.