Two Panther players have been bestowed honors this week.

DE Julius Peppers was named the NFC's defensive player for the month of November.

WR/KR/PR Mark Jones was named NFC Special Teams Player of the week. This is the first Panther to be honored for special team play since K John Kasay earned it in week 3 of the 2006 season and the first returner to earn it since Steve Smith in 2002.

Jonathan Stewart has been nominated for this 3rd time for rookie of the week. Only QB Matt Ryan (ATL) and RB Chris Johnson (TEN) have been nominated more times (4 each). Other three time nominees are QB Joe Flacco (Bal), RB Felix Jones (Dal), RB Steve Slaton (Hou).

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Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

Stewart rushed for 68 yards on 17 attempts including an 18-yard touchdown run in Carolina's victory over division rival New Orleans Saints.

Other players listed after the break.

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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!