This is the first of a series of posts where I review each of the Panthers 2008 draft picks and their potential impact on the 2008 season.

If you’re looking for a single sentence to describe Jonathan Stewart then consider the first sentence of this clip:

He has the size of a fullback, the strength of an offensive lineman and the quickness of a sprinter. Playing with a style that reminds pro scouts of Kansas City's Larry Johnson, Stewart proved, even through injuries, perfectly capable of handling the rushing load.

Others have compared him to Jamal Lewis in his prime. I think is a faster version of Lewis. Check out his high school track experience:

During his sophomore year, Stewart gained 1,575 yards on the ground in 2002 before breaking his left ankle. He also competed in track. He placed second in the 2005 state track 100-meter championships (11.17), in addition to anchoring school's 4x100-meter relay to a state title.

I really thought the toe injury would scare the conservative Panthers away. Fox and Hurney are really puts their jobs on the line with this pick. The worst case scenario for them is Stewart remains injury-bitten in his first season, but I can’t go there any further. I’m instead finding it hard not to get excited about seeing this guy run the ball in Panther blue. Consider the possibilities he adds to the offense. There is of course benefit of having the one-two punch of the power running of Stewart and the shifty speed of DeAngelo Williams. The defense will not be able to rest regardless of who is lined up behind Brad Hoover. Consider also the plays that could be run with both players in the backfield, something the Panthers rarely did with DeShaun Foster. Stewart blocks like a FB giving the defense a lot to worry about.

Consider the two RB set, side-by-side where the play could go in any direction. D-Will or Stewart between the tackles on a power run or trap. They could stretch either side or flare out in the flat. Stewart didn’t catch a lot of passes in college (49) but here’s a comment on his hands:

Has dependable hands and does not struggle extending for off-target throws (can pluck out-side his frame and adjust).

Consider too that he returns kick-offs which is what his first touch of the ball as a Panther will probably be. Here’s another key stat all Panthers fans should love:

Zero fumbles in his three-year college career that included over 550 touches.

His only negative is a history of ankle injuries in addition to the current issue with his toe. Thankfully he wouldn’t be expected to carry the load this season. That is unless he’s just too good to keep off the field. Now that would be a nice problem to have.  

Some people already think Stewart will start ahead of Williams. I seriously doubt that considering how HC John Fox favors his veteran players. The starting job coming out of TC will be D-Will’s to lose no matter how good Stewart looks. The Panthers will prefer to break him in slowly given his injury history, provided the Panther running game is producing. The Panthers start the season with three tough games. If the running game struggles I wouldn’t expect Fox to jump early to put in Stewart. There’s no need to think D-Will won’t average 4-5 yards a carry if he’s getting decent blocking. (We’ll talk more about that tomorrow night)

My only negative about the Panthers draft was the lack of an early pick for a DT. Well the Panthers shored that up quickly by signing former Eagle/Bear Darwin Walker.

The Panthers struck quickly to fill their hole on the defensive line, signing veteran Darwin Walker to a one-year deal Monday morning.
His agent, Al Irby, said the Panthers "were on the phone with us all weekend."

Walker played seven seasons for the Eagles before a one year stint in Chicago. Here’s his NFL.com page. Has 28.5 total sacks in eight seasons, not bad for a DT.

This is obviously a good move by the Panthers as DT depth was questionable at best.

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Taylor Projects as a DE

7th round selection Hilee Taylor has been pegged to remain at DE.

PANTHERS FIT: Carolina took Taylor, one source said, largely because the Panthers were impressed with his strong character. Despite his size, they intend to develop Taylor as a defensive end. He also could help out on special teams.

At only 236 lbs he needs to let Kemo set his diet for him if he plans on gaining the weight he's going to need to play DE in this league.

Here’s a recap of the Panthers Day 2 draft picks.

Let’s look at each pick and the linked write-up.

3rd Round - Charles Godfrey CB 6'0" 207 Iowa Pick Analysis: The Panthers get good value with Godfrey in the third round. He's a little thick in the upper body which makes it harder to have the quick reaction necessary at corner, but he could fit well as a cover-two corner or safety in the NFL. He's an excellent tackler, but can get beaten in pass coverage.

The word is this guy projects to free safety so if that holds true then this is a great pick in terms of both value and need.

3rd Round - Dan Connor OLB 6'3" 233 Penn State Pick Analysis: Connor has been compared to Dan Morgan and is a great value at this spot in the draft. He needs to work on his pass coverage and at his size could struggle to play on all the downs and distances. He had over 400 tackles in college, can call the defense and play strong-side or middle linebacker. One of the smartest players in the draft and had excellent production in college.

This is a classic Panthers value pick. The Panthers are already deep at linebacker but Conner was too good to pass up. I can’t believe he fell this far but wow, how good will the Panthers be at linebacker next season? NFL Network is predicting the Panthers will move Jon Beason to the weak-side and Conner will start in the middle. I’m not sure how the line-up will shake out but regardless  the Panthers will be very deep at linebacker.

5th Round - Gary Barnidge TE 6'6" 243 Louisville Pick Analysis: Barnidge had excellent college production - 108 receptions, 17 TDs and almost 14 yards per catch. He gets in and out of breaks well and has the ability to change direction. He caught passes from Brian Brohm at Louisville and it's a little surprising he fell this far.

This is the third straight year the Panthers have chased a TE in the later rounds. On first blush it suggests that the Panthers may not too enamored either of their prior TE picks Jeff King or Dante Rosario. It could be that Barnidge may provide the red zone threat the Panthers haven’t had since Wesley Walls. He certainly has the size and experience (17 TD’s).

6th Round - Nick Hayden DT 6'4" 291 Wisconsin Pick Analysis: The Panthers came into the draft wanting to address their defensive line. They didn't do it until taking Hayden in the sixth round. Hayden comes with experience, having started for four years at Wisconsin. His greatest strength is his strength; he had 34 reps on the bench at the combine. Known as a run stuffer, he will need to improve on his consistency and technique.

Hayden looks like a strong guy who has some big shoes to fill if he’s our replacement for Kris Jenkins. I was very disappointed we didn’t get a DT earlier but better late than never. Hopefully this guy will be the pleasant surprise of the later rounds.

7th Round - Hilee Taylor OLB 6'3" 242 North Carolina Pick Analysis: A defensive end who projects to an outside linebacker in the pros. A three-year starter at North Carolina who will likely start out on special teams.

Another linebacker who is appropriately labeled a special teams player. I hope he’s an animal on kick coverage.

7th Round - Geoff Schwartz OL 6'7" 335 Oregon Pick Analysis: Schwartz probably projects as more of a guard than a tackle. He has good strength but lacks speed and quickness. For a Panthers line thin on depth, he will be provided ample opportunity for growth.

I was pretty sure the Panthers would get some depth for the offensive line and they didn’t disappoint. Schwartz has the size the Panthers covet and provides some needed depth at tackle or guard.

Mackenzy Bernadeau OG 6'4" 298 Bentley Pick Analysis: Bernadeau worked out at Boston College's Pro Day and got a great deal of exposure there. He had a decent workout and projects to be a guard. He might be valuable on kickoff and punt return coverage.

This guy will have a hard time sticking unless he can play special teams.

For all the mock draft analysis, the review of the scouting combine and keeping up with Pro Day travels I still didn’t get a single player correct in my predictions. Feel free to give me crap but I’m sure it won’t stop me from trying again next year.

I'm still in shock at day 1. The Panthers got their big RB in Jonathan Stewart and  the tackle they wanted in Jeff Otah. The big question as to whether the Panthers paid too much for Otah by giving up next years #1.

Let's talk about that later because we have round three up next. I expect the Panthers to address the defense today. We have defensive tackles Marcus Harrison and Dre Moore available. There is also safety DeJuan Morgan.

I'm not going to bother with predictions because the only thing you can say about them is they will be wrong!

Wow, what a day. Looks like Mel Kiper was right, Jonathan Stewart was the target. I love the pick. The Panthers need player makers and Stewart will be just that. They said they wanted to get back to ‘Old school’ running the football and todays’ two draft picks support that.

Here’s a good local article on Stewart.

The second pick is the one that will be questioned. I love Jeff Otah but the Panthers certainly paid a price. #43 a 4th rounder and next years #1 seems a little pricey on first blush. Otah is a mauler at RT who will allow Jordan Gross to move to left tackle. I guess the Wharton move to guard wasn’t smoke after all. Otah changes the offensive line around.

How does the Panthers running game look now?

Its 12 pm eastern and we have about three hours until the moment we’ve been waiting patiently for since February arrives. I am mock draft-outed and care even less about the latest draft rumor (not really). Here’s my final prediction:

The Panthers will have a good day!

Sure, every team will walk away saying they have struck draft pick gold. I think come December we will all agree the Panthers had a great draft. What are your predictions?

This is an open thread.

Those that read this blog regularly know that I will be tied up from around 2pm to 5:30pm for a wedding (one of the few things that could keep me away from the TV today). I’ve got three posts ready to go based on who I think the Panthers will pick: Derrick Harvey, Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Clady. If the Panthers make a trade or pick someone else then I’ll be scrambling to put something up.

If someone would put up a diary with a brief summary of our #13 pick I will be happy to elevate it to the front page.

An ESPN announcer (I forget his name) says he is sure the Rams are taking DE Chris Long. If that’s true it may be a relief to the Ravens. The word is the Ravens really want QB Matt Ryan but fear they don’t have the juice to trade up with the Rams. Not to worry, the Falcons will be choosing between Ryan and DT Glenn Dorsey. I think they would be smart to take Dorsey and then grab QB Chad Henne in the 2nd.  I bet Ryan ends up in Baltimore.

Mel Kiper is predicting the Panthers will take RB Jonathan Stewart. I would not be unhappy with that one. Here’s my final Panthers prediction:

I think the Panthers will stay at #13 unless the Cowboys come calling with those two number one picks so the ‘Boys can get Mendenhall or Stewart. If Derrick Harvey is gone then the Panthers will pull the trigger on this deal. The only trade up scenario I can see is the Panthers getting in front of the Broncos (the Bills?) in order to get Clady. If they stay at #13 I think their board looks like this after the Broncos pick: Harvey, Mendenhall, and Stewart.

With the Cowboys trading for Pacman Jones I think the probability of the Cowboys moving up to get a RB like Mendenhall or Stewart have gone up. The trade to get a 4th rounder from the Dolphins replaces that draft pick and allows more fodder to support a trade up.

Lets hear your predictions!

So now not only is Charlotte.com claiming Chris Williams is dropping down draft boards but now Pro Football Weekly is too. Take a read of the reasons that are being sited:

The greatest need of the Texans, at No. 18, is a left tackle, and Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams could be available. The way we hear it, concerns about the variations in the size of Williams’ arms and legs, with one being shorter than the opposite limb, could affect his status. Furthermore, multiple team sources say he has been removed from consideration on their draft boards for medical reasons, which could play into the Texans’ favor.

One arm is longer than the other? He has medical issues? My first thought is someone is creating false rumors so this guy will slide on purpose. It’s too funny not to be but on second thought...I’ve heard enough to suggest the Panthers are not interested in Williams. Therefore I think it warrants a change in my official Panthers Mock Draft. I’m dropping OT Chris Williams as the Panthers pick at #13 and instead I’m picking RB Rashard Mendenhall. I am almost positive that if DE Derrick Harvey is available the Panthers will take him. They may even trade up a few spots to grab him. But with the Chiefs trading away Jared Allen I think they will go DE with this pick for sure. That will push Harvey into the top 10 in my opinion as either Cincinnati or New Orleans will target him. I’m almost sure the Broncos will snag Ryan Clady so that leaves the offensive playmaker as their target. Mendenhall will provide another weapon opposing defenses will have to game plan. I get exciting thinking about having Mendenhall and Williams in the backfield.  

So of course that changes my 2nd round pick and a couple subsequent picks. Again, I want to emphasize this is what I think the Panthers will do, not what they should do. In the 2nd round I now like OT Anthony Collins from Kansas. There may not be a grand plan on move Travelle Wharton to LG right away. Collins will have a few games to mature depending on how the season progresses. Check out the rest of my picks and let me know what you think.

BTW, I haven't included the two 7th round supplemental picks yet. It would be a shot in the dark anyway.

Long time Panther DE Mike Rucker announced his retirement yesterday in a very emotional press conference that saw him once again conduct himself with the utmost class. I didn’t know Rucker off the field but apparently he had a profound affect on many people and I will take their word on it. Though I didn’t expect him back with the Panthers I did expect him to sign elsewhere but in the end Rucker decided "He had nothing left in his tank".

Rucker was apparently famous for his constant jawing on the field and wonderful euphemisms’. Here a classic from the linked article:

Rucker would tell an offensive lineman who kept trying a similar lame move: "That's the same soup, just reheated."

I don’t have a particular game or even a play I will always remember him for though its a no-brainer he was key to the 2003 & 2005 seasons. What I will remember Rucker for can be described in one word: Toughness. When the Panthers had one of the best pass rushes in the NFL Mike Rucker was at the heart of it.

He was a relentless worker who wore down left tackles. He told me once that he identified with the tortoise, not the hare, in the old fable. In the fourth quarter, here came No. 93, finally crossing the finish line and smacking into the quarterback's blind side.

Rucker played hard from start to finish and that’s why he was able to stave off any upstart rookie from taking his job over his nine season career. If you want to know why he was so respected in Carolina then consider this synopsis:

Rucker ranks second in team history in tackles and sacks, and third in games played with 139. But that wasn’t why the room was jammed with not only more than two dozen current and former teammates, but trainers and receptionists, too.

It was because Rucker was the guy who asked the low-level employee about his family, who would sign up to visit sick children in hospitals.

"He’s been a role model for the organization and for the community," Richardson said.

Mike Rucker was the complete package. As the Panthers approach the draft this Saturday, Mike Rucker will still have an impact in DC Mike Trgovac’s opinion:

"We’re getting ready for the draft and you’re sitting there and studying all these players," defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac said. "You look and you think, ‘God, you just want to get a guy like Minter or Rucker."

What better compliment could you give for a player? How about this: The Panthers Hall of Honor.

As much as we love to speculate on who the Panthers will select in the coming draft we really can only guess at a number of possibilities. So I find myself taking a step back and asking what do I really know about how the draft team of GM Marty Hurney and HC John Fox operates.

1st Thing We Know: Never Reach for a Prospect Based on Need

You need look no further back than the 2007 draft see that the Panthers do not reach based on need. Most people agreed the Panthers desperately needed a safety in last seasons draft and emerged with only a 7th round selection.

"A year ago, safety was a need and we weren't able to address the safety position," coach John Fox said. "It wasn't that we weren't trying to. It just didn't fall that way."

Hurney explains the philosophy:

"If there are two players there and one is at a position that you have a lot of depth in and another is at a position you don't have a lot of depth in, then obviously you would opt for the one that you didn't have a lot of depth in," general manager Marty Hurney said Monday. "But again, only if those players are close in that same group. You don't blatantly reach and go down to fill a need."

I can agree with this philosophy to a degree. What if we had drafted Steve Smith in the 1st round? Sure, our GM at the time would have been flamed by every pundit in North America but in the end who would have been right? Steve Smith was obviously well worth a 1st round pick so getting him the 3rd was a bargain.

In the end we are looking for starters regardless of where they get picked. I worry about this philosophy for two reasons: (1) it can cause the Panthers to pass on a player of need because their draft board mistakenly shows the player being available later and (2) it doesn't seem to support trading up to get a player of value and need. If you look at Marty Hurney's draft history he has only traded up twice, going up three spots to get CB Chris Gamble and trading two 4th rounders for a 3rd to get DT Atiyyah Ellison.  Otherwise the Panthers typically trade down.

2nd Thing We know: They really want a big back.

Don’t confuse ‘big’ with ‘size’. The Panthers are looking for more than good measurables:

"We use the phrase a lot of `playing big, running big,' " said general manager Marty Hurney. "There are a lot of guys who are 200 pounds (or) 205 pounds who run like 220-pound backs. (And) you can reverse that. Just because a guy has good size doesn't make him your `big back.'
"When you say `big back,' it's more of a running style."

The only question is whether they go early or mid-round to get one. In today’s NFL teams feel the need to field two quality RB’s that complement one another. The Panthers certainly have the fast, elusive RB in DeAngelo Williams but they lack the big, bruising RB to get the short yardage throw the tackles.

3rd Thing We Know: The Panthers Don’t Draft QB’s Early

Hopefully Matt Ryan will be long gone by #13 and spare us the drama of whether the Panthers will pick him. Hurney has drafted two QB’s, Randy Fasani in the 4th round (2002) and Stephan LeFlors in the 5TH (2005). We know how that went.

I'm not saying they won't pick a QB and try to groom him but in the end they prefer to draft a guy who has already spent a couple seasons learning on some else's dime (like they did with Jake Delhomme).

Charles Chandler thinks the Panthers will look hard at this guy:

Look for the Panthers to choose a quarterback. San Diego's Josh Johnson is an intriguing prospect projected to go during the middle rounds. He played in the Pioneer League.

Johnson's statistics last year are hard to fathom for any level -- 43 touchdowns and one interception. He threw for 428 yards and six scores, with 102 yards rushing, in a 52-49 win against Davidson. For his career, he had a 30-4 record, passing for 9,699 yards, 113 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said of Johnson: "He's going to play in this league. I'm convinced of that."

When John Fox says he is happy with his QB’s as is I don’t think its smoke. I’m not expecting the Panthers to take a QB but if they do I think it will be 4th or 5th round. Just for the record I hope its Tennessee QB Eric Ainge.

I’ve been watching the NFL Network for a little over a year now and though I watch the channel quite often they still have lots of room for improvement. In the name of offering constructive criticism here are some of my ideas for improving the networks offering.

Game Replays
Last season game replays are ok but they would be more interesting if they included the pop-up stats and facts like VH1’s Pop-Up Video. For example, if Steve Smith scored a TD a little balloon could pop up stating something like "Smith finished the season with x TD’s" or yds or whatever, you get the point.

Scouting Combine
On three occasions I was inclined to watch one of the sessions looking for footage of a prospect that was on my mind. In all three cases I found the coverage of the combine insufficient. Where’s some ideas that would help:

The current format is fine for the live coverage but they should then include post-combine coverage where they string together the footage of the top 5 tackles for instance. They could do it for each position and run a series of specials on it.

There were times when they would show a prospect run a drill but never tell you who it was. Sure, some of them are recognizable but not most. They need to be more diligent about identifying prospects.

The analysis team during the combine was composed of too many former players. They need to include more former scouts and their opinions and let them offer their opinion on players as they perform.

I can understand combining the DE & DT’s to run the various drills but when they list the top performances they need to separate them back to DE and DT. The reason is that when you show the ten fastest 40 times, guess what, their all DE’s. What if I want to know who the top 5 fastest DT’s? Sure you can get the info elsewhere later but why not immediately?

Replay Frequency
It was more noticeable last season but it seems the network still repeats programs too many times. You can say the same thing about the commercials but hey, I know they have to make money.

NFL Sunday Ticket
On a positive note the stat feature is fantastic, especially for fantasy nerds like me. I would like a little more pre-game show but otherwise the ticket is....the ticket. It is pricey in my view and given I’m in the Panthers viewing zone I may not renew the ticket next season. It seems I only used it to watch other games sparingly.

The Future
As the network matures I’m sure they will address some of these issues since some it seems fairly obvious to me. I want to reemphasize that overall I do like the network and know that it is here to stay. I also think in the end the NFL will win its current battle with the cable companies. The NFL brand has become a powerhouse in popularity and international awareness. If they want to take the next step up and actually compete with ESPN then they still have work to do.

What other improvements can anyone else suggest?