With the 2016 draft now behind us, I feel it's pertinent to take a look back into the history of Carolina's draft picks to answer one simple question.
What is the best draft pick the Panthers have made?
On the surface, the answer to this question may be simple. It has to be Cam Newton, right? He is our franchise quarterback and reigning NFL MVP, after all. I know you're probably saying that I'm crazy for even approaching this question with an answer that isn't Newton, but I've never denied the crazy accusations. In fact, I'm outright telling you that I don't think Cam is the best draft pick the Panthers have made. He's in the top-three, for sure, but he's not number one (no pun intended) on the list.
But who could it be if it's not Cam?
One thing we have to consider is the round the player was selected in. It's easy to assume that the greatest draft pick in team history is the only one ever selected #1 overall, but what about those late-round gems who end up being really good players? Wouldn't it be fair to include them in the discussion?
Well, that's what we're going to do. Over the next few weeks we're going to decide the best Panthers draft pick in each round, and then have one huge internet fight over which of the seven winners from each round is the best pick. That sounds like a lot of fun, right?
You know it does, so who do you think is the best player the Panthers have ever drafted in the sixth round? In case your memory doesn't go back that far, here's what you have to choose from:
S Chad Cota, CB Michael Reed, WR Donnell Baker, DT Kerry Hicks, TE Kris Mangum, DT Viliami Maumau, WR Jim Turner, DB Tony Booth, LB Lester Towns, C Louis Williams, TE Mike Roberg, OG Pete Campion, DB Brad Franklin, WR Walter Young, RB Casey Moore, TE Michael Gaines, OG Will Montgomery, DE Stanley McClover, CB C.J. Wilson, DE Hilee Taylor, OT Geoff Schwartz, OG Mackenzy Bernadeau, CB Captain Munnerlyn, CB R.J. Stanford, CB Robert McClain, OT Lee Ziemba, FS D.J. Campbell, and TE Beau Sandland
Needless to say, I think we can go ahead and eliminate a lot of these guys.
Let's just cut to the chase this week. You can come up with your own reasons why some of these guys were cut, but for the most part the answer is the same—they were seventh round picks for a reason.
Here's the list of guys you can vote on:
S Chad Cota
TE Kris Mangum
OT Geoff Schwartz
OG Mackenzy Bernadeau
CB Captain Munnerlyn
CB Robert McClain
And now, here is the part where you come in. Vote for your choice below. Keep in mind that we're only deciding who we think is the best seventh round pick the team has ever made at this time. We've already covered the rest of the rounds over the past few weeks and we'll decide the all-time best pick next week.
You're obviously free to use any criteria necessary to make your selection, and I'm not trying to manipulate the vote when I say this: I'm voting for Captain Munnerlyn. Why? Because Gamecocks, that's why.
Anyway, let's get this party started. Be sure to vote and discuss your reasons in the comments below! Stay tuned next week for the final vote!
Here's a recap of the series so far: