2013 Panthers draft thread..

Reports are if Oakland passes on Shariff Floyd he might slip out of the top 10. Is he better than Brockers or Nick Fairly who went around the same area the last two years. Is Richardson better or similar to those two as well?

 

I've said from the start that I liked Floyd better than Richardson, and I also said from the start that I didn't think Floyd was as good as Star. One of the advantages to taking Floyd is that he isn't strictly an under the way that Richardson is. So Dwan Edwards and Richardson couldn't play at the same time except in very obvious passing situations. Star and Floyd could theoretically play the nose, which would be nice since I don't know if the Panthers have any obvious options right now. I don't think Floyd will drop that far, though. He's overhyped at the moment because this draft completely lacks can't miss guys (aside from Milliner in my opinion), but he's legitimately good.

 

That's interesting because if Oakland is smart (and the new GM is nowhere near as stupid as Al Davis was) they'll take Star and never look back. Which would allow Floyd to drop as mentioned.

 

Oakland is hoping like hell that Jacksonville won't take Fisher because then they can trade down from #3 and get extra draft picks since they don't have all of their own. Lots of teams would be interested in moving up for Fisher, but he's probably the only one. The Jaguars are making noise about taking him but that might be them trying to drum up a trade market at #2. If the Raiders trade with Arizona then one of the top two DTs should still be on the board. If they trade with Miami then Richardson at minimum should still be there or they could go with DE. DE is really deep in this draft. I can't believe people are talking about Bjoern Warner sliding into the 20s. That guy is a beast.

 

Just for curiousity sake.. could u take a DE like Warner and then slide roate Hardy in and out at both DE and DT?

 

Panthers can bolster secondary through draft | CharlotteObserver.com

blah blah blah...

 

Sure, especially if you don't think you can sign Hardy long-term. Warner is pretty similar to Hardy as a guy who relies more on physicality and leverage to reach the quarterback than speed. And regarding the Observer article. safety really is deep in this draft so you can get a long-term starter in the second or third (except Carolina doesn't have a third). Not having that third feels like it's extremely likely that Gettleman will trade down. I'd almost be shocked at this point if the Panthers stayed at #14.

 

So - as the draft nears...I've thought about it, and I decided that I won't puke if we wind up drafting Tavon Austin.

He's obviously not my first choice...but the more I read about his character, his mind boggling accomplishments, the harder it is to ignore the possibilities he provides an offense.

Dare I say....a small part of me almost....wants him....

But then I remember we have Mike Shula.

 

The entertainment value provided by Collin's head lighting on fire would almost be worth the pick.

 

It would be apoplectic fury. I'm doing some WVU review right now to go over Geno, Austin, and Bailey. So far I haven't found one example of Austin breaking a tackle, while I've seen him brought down frequently by arm tackles. His game is all about speed and explosion, but the defenders at the NFL level are fast and explosive too. For that matter, I'm not sure he's super fast so much as super quick. I'm not seeing him generate a lot of separation on pass routes unless the defender makes a mistake.