let's say the panther pick jammer...

ok. no trade down. everyone is stuned in charlotte as the panthers take texas cb quentin jammer. yee ha. woop de damn do. all that jazz...

let's move past that and think about #34 for a minute.

is it out of the question to take a receiver here? with hayes gone, jeffers admittedly saying he'll never be 100%, walls aging, smith an unproven commodity, byrd being limited and moose being an x-factor -- is it ok to think receiver here?

 

If someone falls. IMO, taking a receiver or TE isn't out of the question but it has to be someone of definate value past what's there at RB, DE, LB, and yes, even CB again.

With that said, at WR and TE I'd consider, in this order (and yes, most of these guys will be gone: that's the point)

• Josh Reed, LSU
• Marquise Walker, Michigan
• Andre Davis, VT
• Javon Walker, fSU
• Dan Graham, Colorado
• Kelly Campbell GT

basically in that order. I know Walker and Walker are not terribly fast, and the idea by having a guy to oppose and compliment Muhammad is, ideally, to get a different style guy. But both are excellent receivers and both are more than simply posession receivers. Neither have great speed but I can deal with that because IMO they're both very consistent and very productive. So I'm willing to let the fact that neither are burners be negated so I don't take them off the board.

I guess Davis and Reed are more toward the want.

I didn't add Reche Caldwell to the list despite the fact that he's probably rated by many in this area. He's not bad, but I don't know about him. He doesn't have a characteristic that sets him apart from the rest, and that just reminds me too much of Reggie Wayne.

Graham's a fine TE, but he rates so low on my list because IMO TE isn't as dynamic a need right now. But neither of these two needs are that big a deal, this year. If we went DT after DE, or went CB and CB, I'd be fine.

 

OK check that. javon Walker's 4.38 tends to dispel some of his speed concern, but he's still not that type player IMO. He's not a burner, still, but he can go after the deep ball and that wasn't really in question to start with. THe thing I like is that his first ten yards were very fast and he's really not any faster deep. Suggests being good off the break.

 

I think we need a WR, but not with a pick, especially not with the talent that's been on, and will be on, the FA market. Weinke is only his 2nd season , IMO, needs another veteren WR. Antonio Freeman, Quadry Ismail, Keenen McArdell and on down the line. There is enough to chose from that we can buy the level of talent we think we want. The draft is deep in TE's and we have probably the 2nd best in the game right now. Besides that, there are also a couple on the market. Again, I'm not interested in a rookie TE for Weinke right now. #34 has got to be RB or best available athlete. If the best available athlete just happens to be WR, then ok.

 

basically, i'm trying to find a scenario where javon walker will be a panther. outside of randy moss (and of course fred belitnikoff), he's the best pro-style receiver to ever wear a seminoles jersey. he goes up big time, gets great separation, has great hands for a "speed" guy, is muscled, strides well -- i like everything about the guy except the time he spent with an injury his junior year.

he's basically why chris rix put up decent numbers last season. he was the only proven receiver on the team and turned in at least a dozen HUGE plays.

i think he brings the panthers something they don't have. reed seems to be a posession guy with some rac ability and i love that -- just wish he was faster and/or taller.

 

ok Larry, you sold me. Coming from the same school as Weinke could be a benifit. Just promise me we'll get a RB in FA.

 

i say get the RB next draft. ride smith this season, don't let him think he's only here for a half season to give way to a rookie. seriously, how long would the fans wait to see the no. 2 pick (if its a RB) start? 5 games? six? i think smith can be productive this year. he'll at least be hungry.

 

Then that should tell you something about the back we have. Sorry Larry, I'm damn sick of hearing about next year. It's always tomorrow, never today.

 

well, the panthers havent drafted a rb yet. let's hold off judgement until we see what their plans are. i mean, there's no doubt that smith isn't the long-term solution. i just don't think that the panthers need to settle for a back at no. 2 just because they need one. i think using the no. 1 next year makes much more sense.

this thing won't get fixed overnight -- i took the longview before last season started. i'm giving the franchise a three-year window for player acquisition and development. the fact is that a rookie RB is able to come in and be very productive -- moreso than any other position. that said, why not fill in the other pieces that may take a year to get up to nfl playing speed and toss that stud rookie back into the starting lineup in 2003 and be playing for a superbowl in 2004?

 

I don't see WR as a need at #34. If we want to go later... 4th on back I'd prefer it but that early... we need help elsewhere at #34. One of our 1st 2 picks need to be D-line even if we take Jammer at #2.

I'd like to pimp Terry Charles here but he sounds more and more like Hayes Jr. "jumps when he doesn't have to"....everything else about him I like. He could be faster(4.55) though.