Current Draft Rankings

by PanthersRoar on Jan 30, 2012 10:56 PM EST

NFLDraftScout.com (www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings) and WalterFootball.com (www.walterfootball.com/draft2012bigboard.php) just updated their draft rankings today (WF just the top 130 players or so), so I thought it might be helpful to everyone to post some of the player rankings around the area where the Panthers will be drafting. These are the first new rankings after the Senior Bowl, but it's still early, and a consensus hasn't yet emerged on some players (DT Derek Wolfe NFLDS #197, WF #52 etc.).

We won't know the exact draft positions until a few weeks before the draft takes place starting April 26th, when the Compensatory Picks are awarded. The tie between the Panthers and Dolphins for the 8th pick in the 1st round will be broken a month from now at the Combine. Here is where the Panthers might be picking in each round, give or take a couple of draft slots on either side (just my guess).

1st Round - 8th or 9th pick

2nd Round - 40th or 42nd pick

3rd Round (likely +3 Comp. Picks) - No Picks

4th Round (around +5 Comp. Picks) - 107th or 108th pick

5th Round (around +8 Comp. Picks) - 144th or 146th pick

6th Round (around +6 Comp. Picks) - 183rd or 184th pick

7th Round (the rest of the Comp Picks up to #255) - 220th or 221st pick

The Panthers will likely receive either a 6th or 7th round Comp. Pick for losing TE Jeff King, which might fall around the 210th or 250th pick.

The Reason that their is another draft slot between the 2 picks the Panthers might receive in the 2nd and 5th rounds is because the Bills also had the same 6-10 record as the Panthers and Dolphins, but the Bills had a higher strength of schedule than the Panthers and Dolphins, so they draft behind them both in the 1st round, though they still rotate picks (moving up 1 slot each round, and the highest moving back) in each round.

Here are the NFL Draft Scout (height, weight, & 40 time) and Walter Football (Big Board) Rankings:

NFLDS Rank - (WalterFootball Rank) - Position - Name - Height - Weight - 40 Time

1 - (1) - QB - Andrew Luck

2 - (2) - OT - Matt Kalil

3 - (3) - QB - Robert Griffin III

4 - (5) - CB - Morris Claiborne

5 - (6) - RB - Trent Richardson

6 - (4) - WR - Justin Blackmon

7 - (18) - DT - Devon Still

8 - (11) - OT - Riley Reiff - 6-6 - 300 - 4.94

9 - (8) - OT - Jonathan Martin - 6-6 - 305 - 5.29

10 - (20) - CB - Dre Kirkpatrick - 6-2 - 192 - 4.49

11 - (14) - OG - David DeCastro - 6-5 - 312 - 5.22

12 - (7) - DE/3-4 DT - Quinton Coples - 6-6 - 281 - 4.76

13 - (9) - DT - Michael Brockers - 6-5 - 305 - 4.95

19 - (19) - DE/OLB - Melvin Ingram - 6-2 - 276 - 4.82

20 - (12) - 3-4 OLB/4-3 DE - Courtney Upshaw - 6-2 - 273 - 4.76

23 - (48) - DT - Jerel Worthy - 6-3 - 310 - 5.04

24 - (13) - DE/304 OLB - Whitney Mercilus - 6-4- 265 - 4.68

25 - (38) - DT - Fletcher Cox - 6-4 - 295 - 4.96

27 - (16) - CB - Janoris Jenkins - 5-10 - 191 - 4.46

28 - (37) - NT - Dontari Poe - 6-5 - 350 - 5.36

34 - (23) - WLB - Zach Brown - 6-1 - 236 - 4.48

41 - (49) - WLB - Lavonte David - 6-0 - 225 - 4.62

44 - (40) - DT - Brandon Thompson - 6-2 - 311 - 5.04

46 - (42) - CB - Stephen Gilmore - 6-1 - 193 - 4.52

47 - (26) - CB - Chase Minnifield - 6-0 - 185 - 4.49

48 - (78) - 4-3 DT/DE Jared Crick - 6-4 - 285 - 4.82

61 - (74) - WLB - Sean Spence - 5-11 - 228 - 4.58

66 - (47) - 4-3 DE/ 3-4 OLB - Vinny Curry - 6-3 - 265 - 4.74

93 - (112) - WLB - Terrell Manning - 6-3 - 225 - 4.63

97 - (123) - TE - Michael Egnew - 6-5 - 251 - 4.60

99 - ( - ) - OT - Brandon Mosley - 6-5 - 305 - 5.22

111 - ( - ) - TE - Ladarius Green - 6-6 - 237 - 4.64

112 - ( - ) - OLB - Nigel Badham - 6-2 - 237 - 4.67

115 - (62) - NT - Alameda Ta'amu - 6-3 - 341 - 5.22

122 - ( - ) - OG - Brandon Brooks - 6-5 - 353 - 5.32

128 - (105) - CB - Cliff Harris - 5-11 - 168 - 4.49

134 - (53) - DT - Mike Martin - 6-1 - 307 - 4.98

135 - ( - ) - DT/DE - Brett Roy - 6-3 - 280 - 4.88

136 - (64) - CB - Josh Robinson - 5-10 - 192 - 4.47

139 - (84) - CB - Donnie Fletcher - 6-0 - 201 - 4.53

146 - ( - ) - WR - Jarius Wright - 5-11 - 176 - 4.34

157 - ( - ) - CB - Michael Pellerin - 6-0 - 196 - 4.49

158 - (128) - WR - Joe Adams - 5-11 - 174 - 4.38

160 - (58 ) - DE/OLB - Jake Bequette - 6-5 - 262 - 4.62

179 - (76) - WR - Ryan Boyles - 5-10 - 188 - 4.52

182 - ( - ) - OT - Mitchell Schwartz - 6-5 - 317 - 5.36

185 - ( - ) - WR - Jordan White - 6-0 -215 - 4.54

192 - (104) - WLB - Danny Trevathan - 6-0 - 232 - 4.68

194 - ( - ) - RB - Chris Rainey - 5-8, 178 - 4.36

195 - (82) - WR - Marvin Jones - 6-2 - 198 - 4.53

197 - (52) - DT - Derek Wolfe - 6-5 - 286 - 5.19

206 - ( - ) - 4-3 DE/ 3-4 OLB - Donte Page-Moss - 6-4 - 260 - 4.67

213 - ( - ) - DT - Mike Daniels - 6-0 - 280 - 4.84

215 - ( - ) - WR - Tim Benford - 5-11 - 199 - 4.52

220 - (97) - OG - Ryan Miller - 6-7 - 326 - 5.32

224 - ( - ) - P - Drew Butler - 6-1 - 199 - 5.04

233 - ( - ) - WR - Devon Wylie - 5-9 - 186 - 4.38

255 - ( - ) - FS - Christian Thompson - 6-0 - 213 - 4.45

286 - ( - ) - QB - Darron Thomas - 6-3 - 215 - 4.58

307 - ( - ) - WR - T. J. Graham - 5-11 - 182 - 4.36

319 - ( - ) - RB - Darrell Scott - 6-1 - 240 - 4.48

337 - ( - ) - OLB - Sammy Brown - 6-2 - 240 - 4.67

Here's my guess at who the Panthers might draft:

1st - OT or Pass Rusher

2nd - WLB or CB

3rd - No Pick

4th - WLB or CB (which ever they don't take in round 2)

5th - WR or RT

6th - DT or RB Chris Rainey

7th - QB Darron Thomas, WR T. J. Graham , or P Drew Butler

Comp Pick - FS, or LB Sammy Brown (14 sacks and 30 TFL's in 2011)

Here are the picks I would make myself:

1st - DE/ 3-4 OLB Whitney Mercilus - 16 sacks and 22,5 TFL's (I expect Coples to be gone before this pick)

2nd - WLB Lavonte David (if Zack Brown is gone), or CB Chase Minnifield (if David Is gone), but DT/DE Jared Crick is very tempting, and would give the Panthers a great pass rush for the next several years. Here's how the front 7 would look with Crick, 4-3: DE Charles Johnson, NT Sione Fua, DT Jared Crick, DE Greg Hardy, WLB James Anderson, MLB Jon Beason, and SLB Whitney Mercilus. In a 3-4: Crick would move to DE, and Hardy or Johnson dropping back to 3-4 OLB. Here's how it would look with David as the pick: DE Johnson, NT Fua, DT McClain, DE Mercilus (Hardy rotating the 2 DE's), WLB David, MLB Beason, and SLB Anderson.

3rd - No Pick

4th - CB Cliff Harris or Donnie Fletcher, but hope WLB Terrell Manning is still available if they can't get David or Brown in the 2 nd round.

5th - RT Mitchell Schwartz (I feel he might rise to the late 3rd or 4th round), OG Brandon Brooks or WR's Joe Adams (probably gone).

6th - CB Michael Pellerin, WR Jordan White, or WR T.J. Graham.

7th - QB Darron Thomas

Comp. Pick - OLB Sammy Brown

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Comments

Wow Devon Still #7?

by chatoka on Jan 30, 2012 11:20 PM EST reply actions

I am intrigued by Mercilus, and IMO David is a stud.

Both could be Day 1 starters if the cards fall as they do.

Cam Newton, when a reporter asks him who will win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday: "I'll tell you Sunday."

by Son of a Newton on Jan 31, 2012 6:13 PM EST reply actions

I like your picks for the Panthers.

Don’t forget that we most likely will receive a compensatory pick for Richard Marshall as well.

by Derek Leazer on Jan 31, 2012 8:03 PM EST reply actions

Should be looking at least a 4th for Marshall.

Welcome to the Cam Cave

by jdough on Feb 1, 2012 4:53 PM EST up reply actions

Wouldn't we need to trade down for Mercilus?

Sorry, but I would be pissed if we selected him that high with better players available. If you are going to mock that pick, at least give us a trade scenario where we get a third rounder to address another need.

Integrity first. Service before self. Excellence in all you do. -- USAF Core Values

by Disciple of Carolina on Jan 31, 2012 9:41 PM EST reply actions

Mercilus Has Been Mocked As High As #10, To The Bills, & Around #12 & #13 As Well

The Jaguars, Dolphins, and Bills all need pass rushers, with the Dolphins and Bills possibly switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense.

After his Senior Bowl performance, Coples is likely to go to the Jaguars. If Coples does survive until the Panthers 1st round pick, they may jump on him, because he and Jared Crick are the drafts only 2 top pass rushers who can play both DE/DT, and that’s a top panthers need.

All the draft’s top pass rushers may well be gone by the Panthers 2nd round pick,, except for DT Derek Wolfe, but if he runs a 5.16-40 like nfldraftscout.com says, his pass rush may not translate to the NFL. Wolfe’s surprising weight loss at the Senior Bowl ( down from 300 to 286 pounds) adds further doubts. Except for some later round small tackles (280 pounds or less), the rest are just marginal pass rushers, with 4-5 sacks or less.

Coples is the top rated DE in the draft, followed by Ingram, Mercilus, Upshaw, Perry, and Curry, all of which could also play 3-4 OLB, with Upshaw and Perry almost locked into that 3-4 OLB position. All these DE’s are locks for top 20 picks, except Curry, but he and DT/DE Crick could very likely go late in the 1st round (to teams like the Patriots and Panthers). So, to be sure of getting a good pass rusher, the Panthers have to draft one in the 1st round.

What leaves me totally dumbfounded is that DT Michael Brockers did almost nothing before the 2011 season, and people are jumping all over themselves to have the Panthers draft him. When LSU has a recent draft history (DT Dorsey and DE Jackson, with the Chiefs) of failed NFL top 5 D-Line picks. While Brockers and Mercilus had almost the same number of tackles in 2011 (Mercilus only had 2 more), Mercilus had 16 sacks to Brockers 2, and 22.5 TFL’s to Brockers 10. Yet they call Mercilus a one year wonder?

by PanthersRoar on Jan 31, 2012 11:59 PM EST reply actions

Well

Mercilus IS a one-year wonder.

Follow me on Twitter at @JakeHumphrey91

by Jake Humphrey on Feb 1, 2012 12:03 AM EST up reply actions

DE and DT are different positions as far as stats are concerned.

It might be nice to compare how many sacks, tackles and TFL’s they have, but in the end DEs are almost always going to have more of each of them than a DT. Mercilus may very well be the better player, but using the stats isn’t the way to find that out between the two due to the position difference.

by Aleins4u on Feb 1, 2012 7:10 AM EST up reply actions

Your Right Aleins, & Brockers Is An Unfinished Work In Progress

However, Brockers’ 2 career sacks isn’t impressive, his 11 TFL’s (10 TFL’s in 2011), and 79 tackles (54 in 2011) are a little better, but his numbers are no match for many other DT’s in the draft. Here are the 2011 stats for some of the drafts other DT’s:

Jared Crick (6-4, 285, 4.82-40) – Missed most ot the 2011 season with a torn bicept.
2009 – 73 tackles – 12.5 TFL’s – 9.5 sacks
2010 – 70 tackles – 14.5 TFL’s – 9.5 sacks

Derek Wolfe (6-5, 285, 5.16-40) – 64 tackles – 19.5 TFL’s – 9.5 sacks

Fletcher Cox (6-4, 295, 4.96-40, age 21) – 56 tackles – 14.5 TFL’s – 5 sacks

Devon Still (6-5, 311, 5.03-40) – 55 tackles – 17 TFL’s – 4.5 sacks

Kendall Reyes (6-4, 300, 4.90-40) – 46 tackles – 13.5 TFL’s – 4.5 sacks

Brandon Thompson (6-2, 310 – 5.04-40) – 45 tackles – 6.5 TFL’s – 2.5 sacks

Alameda Ta’amu (6-3, 341, 5.22-40) – 28 tackles – 7 TFL’s – 3.5 sacks

Jerel Worthy (6-3, 305, 4.99-40) – 25 tackles – 8.5 TFL’s – 3.5 sacks

Brett Roy (6-4, 280, 4.84-40) – 63 tackles – 17.5 TFL’s – 9 sacks

Mike Daniels (6-0, 280, 4.83-40) – 62 tackles – 10.5 TFL’s – 7 sacks

Logan Harrell ( 6-2, 278, 4.81-40) – 71 tackles – 17 TFL’s – 6 sacks

www.walterfootball.com/draft2012charlie_2.php
www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings
www.walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2012.php

by PanthersRoar on Feb 1, 2012 1:18 PM EST up reply actions

Mercilus plays DE

Brockers plays DT.

There’s your discrepancy in sack numbers.

And if you are dumbfounded about everyone jumping all over Brockers for one year of production, what about Mercilus? How many sacks did he have during the other two years he played?

Yes I'm a dude.

by Flowing Willow on Feb 1, 2012 1:27 PM EST up reply actions

Congradulations FW, Now You Only Have To Find An Excuse For Brockers 1 Career Forced Fumble (Mercilus Had 9 In 2011) & His 10 TFL's In 2011 (7 Of The 11 DT's I Listed In This Draft Had More)

That was why I posted the 2011 stats for 11 of the drafts DT’s.

10 of the 11 DT’s I listed had more sacks than Brockers in 2011, and the other was out most of the 2011 season with an injury, but had 9.5 sacks in each of his prior seasons.

The point is that while several posters have called Mercilus a 1 year wonder, no one but me has pointed out the same thing about Brockers. When I pointed out that DT Fletcher Cox (the same age as Brockers) had a better year (2 more tackles, 4.5 more TFL’s, and 3 more sacks), some suggested that he had maxed out his talent, Brockers’ hadn’t. That’s something you can never know about any player in advance, any of them could just take the money and quit performing.

by PanthersRoar on Feb 1, 2012 6:52 PM EST up reply actions