Of course Nortman was drafted by former Panther GM Marty Hurney, not current GM Dave Gettleman. Would Gettleman actually spend a draft pick on a punter? My first thought is No but consider this as well. The Panthers 7th round pick is 4th to last in the entire draft. For some reason the NFL did not award very many 7th round comp picks, only 2 in fact. So I'm not sure that pick has much trade value and is more like a priority UDFA pick.
I have nothing against recently signed P Swayze Waters. If nothing else we will have fun with his name all season. But certainly the Panthers will bring in some compeition, if not a rookie draft pick then a UDFA. Here's the top 4 punters in the draft:
WalterFootball.com: 2016 NFL Draft: Punter Rankings
Riley Dixon, P, Syracuse
Height: 6-5. Weight: 219.
Projected Round (2015): 5-7.
3/5/16: Dixon averaged 43.7 yards per punt in 2015. That followed seasons where he averaged 42.4 and 42.1 yards per punt as a junior and sophomore, respectively. Dixon punted well at the Senior Bowl.
I love this guys size and resulting ability to keep the ball from going over his head. Of course, what the Panthers value is hang time and directional punting. Out kicking the coverage seems to piss Rivera off. So I'm thinking that might be why this guy is at the top of this list because there are guys listed below who average more yards per kick.
Alex Kinal, P, Wake Forest Height: 6-4. Weight: 205.
Projected Round (2015): 5-7.
3/5/16: Kinal averaged 43.8 yards per punt in 2015. He had averages of 43.6, 39.7 and 40.7 the previous three years. His career long was 73 yards. Kinal had a quality week at the Senior Bowl.
It will be interesting to see if any punters get drafted. Maybe one or two before the Panthers pick at the most meaning one of these guys could be a Panther.
Jamie Keehn, P, LSU
Height: 6-3. Weight: 205.
Projected Round (2015): 6-FA.
3/5/16: Keehn averaged 40.7 yards per punt in 2015 with a long of 63 yards.
8/29/15: Keehn had an excellent 2014 season for LSU, averaging 44.9 yards per punt. He made a long of 64 yards. In 2013, Keehn averaged 41 yards, and the year prior, he averaged 43.7 yards.
Trai Turner might be able to give us a scouting report of Keehn, at least on some locker room stuff.
This last one has a huge leg:
Drew Kaser, P, Texas A&M
Height: 6-3. Weight: 205.
Projected Round (2015): 6-FA.
3/5/16: In 2015, Kaser averaged 47.5 yards per punt with a long of 71 yards.
8/29/15: As a junior, Kaser averaged 44 yards per punt with a long of 60. He made more than 10 punts that topped 50 yards. In 2013, Kaser was a First-Team All-SEC selection as he led the conference with a huge 47.4-yards-per-punt average. That beat the school record of 47 yards per punt previously held by NFL great Shane Lechler. Kaser's season included a 76-yard punt and 17 punts over 50 yards.
If you think punter is not an important position all you have to remember is that Vikings game a couple seasons ago when they blocked two of Nortman's kicks. Needless to say we did not win that game.
So what do you think Panther fans, will they draft a punter?