I have to admit though I liked the look of this guy as well:
The Pick: Tackle D.J. Humphries, Florida
No player has moved more on my big board in the last month than Florida tackle D.J. Humphries. And this late first-round grade is 100 percent warranted on film. I made the mistake of grading Humphries early off of one game (against Missouri), and he looked bad. Shane Ray attacked him, setting up inside pass-rushing lanes with a hard sell off the edge that had Humphries getting too much depth off the line of scrimmage. But then I started watching more, and Humphries' athleticism, length and recovery in other games was the opposite of the Missouri game.
A lesson in scouting: Never grade off of one game. So I've revised, and here Humphries is with the most upside of any left tackle prospect in this class. That's great news for Cam Newton, as the Panthers found out in 2014 how important Jordan Gross was to them following his retirement.
So either Matt Miller knows something we don't or he is very guilty of moving a guy up a draft board initially set based on game tape. That is a risky business in the NFL talent world as many a GM have been burned doing just that. So do you think the Panthers might do the same or will they rely more on previous tape and player rankings? Maybe they already had Humphries rated as a late 1st round pick? Of the top 6 or now even 7 OTs in the this draft I would agree he one more suited for LT versus RT. He might have fewer weaknesses to work on. The Panthers certainly need a guy who can step in right away with the #25.
On the flip side might he instead slide into the second round where the Panthers could nab him at #57? That's the kind of gamble the Panthers took last season and it didn't work out. Would the Panthers wait until the 3rd or even 4th round before nabbing a tackle? That would be nerve racking if it played out like that. What would help avoid that would be a big free agency signing to truly allow the Panthers to go BPA. But I digress.
I've previously posted on mock drafts pegging these OTs to the Panthers at #25: Clemmings, Ogbuehi, Peat, Flowers, and Collins. For me it shows how hard the pundits are having assessing this group which should lead to at least one or two sliding in the draft. Humphries is a solid option as well though I think now think Collins and Flowers will go before #25 (and Scherff as well). I find it interesting that in this draft only Scherff and Collins have been selected meaning Miller now has Humphries ranked over Flowers, Peat, and Clemmings. I'm not so sure about a guy jumping over than many guys at the combine.
So do you like this pick?