Jim Reineking and Elliot Harrison of NFL.com took a look at the most valuable selection of all time for each NFL team in a recent article, and their pick for Carolina is rather unsurprising.
Carolina Panthers: Steve Smith Draft: 2001 NFL Draft, third round, No. 74 overall College: Utah Smith played 13 seasons for the Panthers, leading the NFL in receiving yards (1,563) in 2005 and helped lead the Panthers to their only Super Bowl appearance following the 2003 season.
Steve Smith made a strong case for this over the course of his career, leading the Panthers franchise history in every statistical receiving category, while ranking second all time in overall scoring. Not a small feat, as Steve Smith should make a strong case to be in the hall of fame once his career concludes. Smitty also received invitations to multiple Pro Bowls, was a key contributor in four playoff runs as a Panther, one of which brought the team to its first and only Super Bowl. While I agree that there is merit to this selection, there are several other names that come to mind. Jordan Gross was one of the better NFL tackles of his time, and helped protect Jake Delhomme and Cam Newton for most of the 2000s on. Mike Minter also comes to mind. And is it too early to say Cam Newton or Luke Kuechly could be the best draft picks of all time? What are your thoughts, fans?