On the final day of the NFL Draft the Carolina Panthers drafted a cornerback, a fullback and a kicker! Check out who they are and if they are a good fit for the Panthers!

On the final day of the 2017 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers drafted a cornerback, a fullback, and a kicker! Without further to do let’s get to know these new Panthers. First off with the 5th round (152nd pick) the Panthers selected cornerback Corn Elder from Miami (FL.) University. Corn was an All-ACC first-team in 2016, led the team in pass breakups in 2015 and 2016. Was impressive in zone coverage, reads and reacts quickly to force incompletions. Good athlete who possesses the speed to cover receivers downfield. One of the best cornerback in the nation when it comes to his work against the run gets himself into the right positions and secures the tackle often, also doesn’t miss many tackles. Has spent time at both right and left cornerback as well as in the slot. Some concerns are not a good fit in man coverage, prone to be beaten on double moves, bites too hard on initial moves and leaves himself in the dust in the secondary. Struggles against bigger receivers, another reason he is a better fit on the inside at the next level. Overall, the Panthers needed to get some help in the secondary especially in at the corner positions and with the pick they got it. Corn sounds like a younger Captain Munnerlyn who signed with the Panthers early in the free-agency.

Next Panthers pick was in the 6^th round when they drafted fullback Alex Armah from West Georgia with the 192^nd pick. Was named All-conference first team as a defensive end and second team as a tight end. He’s durable and tough, a good blocker, athletic in space and is a viable consideration as a blocker/pass catcher. Some weaknesses are needed more experience as a lead blocker, little too short to be considered for h-back or move tight end duties. Needs to work to bring his feet with him through the contract for better block sustaining. Overall, a surprise to drafting a full block in the draft, I understand that we needed a fullback after cutting Mike Tolbert early in the offseason but we never handed the ball off or threw the ball to Tolbert when he was on the field, I guess just wanted an extra blocker out there for Cam. Should be interesting how Carolina uses him in the future.

The last pick for the Panthers in this year draft, the Carolina Panthers drafted Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker in the 7^th round (233^rd). Was Georgia Tech all-time leading scorer and was a third-team All-ACC in 2016. Butker connected on 17-18 field goal attempts (long of 52 yards) and making all 46 extra points tries and forcing 54 touchbacks on 73 kickoffs. Coach Ron Rivera wanted to bring in competition for Graham Gano. He could possibly take over for Gano in a few years since Gano becomes a free-agent soon and hasn’t been as reliable the past couple of years then he usually been.

Carolina Panthers has signed four undrafted free agents; Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware, Mississippi State wide receiver Fred Ross, Florida defensive end Bryan Cox Jr., and Norte Damn cornerback Cole Luke.

Overall I think the Carolina Panthers was able to fill some much-needed depth in some positions like the offense line and the secondary and add playmakers on offense with McCaffrey and Samael’s. Other than drafting a kicker and the full back that might a few years to get used to the NFL level I do think the Panthers did a good job in this year draft and happy with the moves they made. Tell me what you think of the Panthers moves in this year draft in the comment section below! 

Day 2 of the NFL draft! Carolina Panthers drafted 3 much needed positions!

With day two of the NFL Draft complete let’s go over the three players the Carolina Panthers selected. With the 40^th pick in the draft, the Panthers selected wide receiver Curtis Samuel from Ohio State. Last season, Samuel scored 15 touchdowns through the air and ground and grabbed 74 receptions which is second in Ohio State history. Was mainly a running back at Ohio State, could be used at either wide receiver or running back and can also return punt/kick-off returns. Samuel did say in an interview that he will play primarily slot receiver for Carolina. His strengths are having great speed and quick feet isn’t afraid of contact especially for his size (5’11”) and is a reliable option on special teams in the return game. His weaknesses are that he is new to being a wide receiver, need to tighten up his route running to reach his full potential as a wideout. Also, needs to work on catching the ball with his hands other than with his chest. Overall, I was surprised with this pick thought the Panthers would draft a safety with the pick but after reading up on Samuels and the fact that we need playmakers on offense, I like this pick. I would compare him to Ted Ginn Jr. or Philly Brown, small but can burn the opposing defense. Samuel and McCaffrey just gave Cam two new explosive playmakers to work with. Going to be a very different offense compare to last season.

With the 64^th pick in NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers select offensive lineman Taylor Moton from Western Michigan. Will complete at right tackle. Has strong upper body, does a good job anchoring down and stabbing rushers in pass protection. Played great in the senior bowl. Great at controlling blocks, steering defenders the way he wants, strong combine showed off his movement skills. Does struggling from time to time with wider rushers and can improve his pass protection against skilled rushers. Overall, Carolina needed to get depth at offense-line, since Cam has been constantly hit in his NFL career and the uncertainty of Michael Oher who is still under the concussion protocol. Moton can help fix that problem a lot as experts have said that Moton is one of the best O-lineman in this year draft.

Panthers traded their 3rd and 4^th  round picks (98^th and 115^th) for Arizona Cardinals 77^th pick to draft defense end Daeshon Hall from Texas A&M. Two-year starter at Texas A&M lined up primarily at left defense end (opposite to Garrett at right). Hall is tall, long athlete generates terrific momentum from his initial get-off to win the corner. Never missed a game in a four-year career, including 26 straight starts as a junior and senior. Does need to bulk up for his positions and can take too wide in his rush. Pass rush stalls if an initial move doesn't work, lacking effective counter maneuvers. Personally, I thought the Panthers needed to draft a defensive end at some point in this draft since two of our defense ends are old and slow. And it not surprising that Gettleman drafted a defense end since he loves drafting defense. Hall can learn a lot from Charles Johnston and Julies Peppers which can help him develop at the professional level.

The Panthers remaining picks are a 5^th rounder (152), 6^th rounder (192) and a 7^th rounder (233). And make sure to check back here tomorrow night where I will talk about the Panthers moves on the last day of the draft. Also, tell me what you thought of the moves the Panthers made on day 2 of 2017 NFL draft? Are you happy who they drafted or should they have drafted someone else? Tell me in the comment section below!

Carolina Panthers drafted running back Christian McCaffrey with the 8th spot in the NFL Draft!

With the eighth pick in the 2017 NFL draft the Carolina Panthers draft…running back Christian McCaffrey from Stanford University. In my opinion, the Panthers could not go wrong with this pick unlike last year (drafting a defensive end from Louisiana Tech University in the first round) the Panthers were in a great position, with Christian McCaffrey, defensive end Jonathan Allen and tight end OJ Howard all still available when the Panthers were picking. The Panthers could not make a bad move. Christian McCaffrey is an absolute weapon on offense as both a running back and wide receiver and can also return a punt/kickoff returner. Has blazing speed and excellent hands which helped him break the all-time all-purpose yard record in his second year at Stanford. Will be a good combo with Jonathan Stewart and maybe eventually take over from Stewart in a few years. Rivera can put McCaffrey as running back on first and second down and then switch and put him as a slot receiver on third down. The only thing I’m worried about is the fact that Cam Newton has a habit of overthrowing his two 7-foot wide receivers much less a 5’11” running back/receiver hybrid. The other concern is that our offensive line was not at its best last season to put it kindly and will he be able to perform to his best as a running back with that offense line? But in all honesty, the Panthers got a good healthy running back to help take the load off Jonathan Stewart next season and with drafting McCaffrey you have filled three needed positions already early in this draft. Well, what do you think of the Carolina Panthers drafting Christian McCaffrey? And make sure to check back here tomorrow night for what the Panthers have done in the second and third rounds of the NFL draft. By the way was digging that purple and teal suit, Thomas Davis!

Final 2017 Carolina Panthers draft predictions! Will the Panthers draft McCaffrey or Fournette?

Sorry for not posting updates on the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers the past few weeks been caught up with college and some family issues so I do apologize. I’m going to try to catch up really quick before I get into my final draft predictions for the Carolina Panthers. The Charlotte Hornets did not make the playoffs (shocking) and finished with a 36-46 record, 11th in Eastern Conference. The Hornets did pick up the 2017-18 option on general manager Rich Cho’s contract, giving him one last chance to prove that he’s a worth sticking with and get the Hornets into the playoffs next seasons. Carolina Panthers schedule was release where you can check it out here (http://www.panthers.com/schedule/schedule.html ). Carolina Panthers starting guard Andrew Norwell, center Tyler Larsen, and punter Michael Palardy has signed restricted Free-Agent tenders to be under contract for the 2017 season. Finally, Kawann Short, one of the NFL’s most disruptive defensive tackles has signed a five-year 80-million-dollar contract to keep him a Panther through the 2021 season.

            Now since I got that out of the way, let’s get into my last draft predictions for the Panthers before the NFL draft Thursday night! CBS Sports.com, FoxSports.com, NFL.com all have the Panthers drafting Running back Christian McCaffrey from Stanford University with the eighth pick in the draft. The overview of McCaffrey is he rushed for 1,639 yards last season at Stanford and was first-team All PAC-12. He didn’t play in last season bowl game due to injury concerns. He’s best year at Stanford was when he was a Sophomore, an all-American, Heisman Trophy finalist and set the NCAA record with 3,864 all-purpose yards. He’s strengths are that he is a smooth, controlled stride length with choppy feet for instant cuts and change of directions. Has good vision with above average feel for opening creases; protects the football well while running through traffic. Excellent hands out of the backfield and can be used as a slot receiver can be a miss-match with linebackers and a capable punt and kickoff returner. He weaknesses are that he lacks desired size of an every-down back, benefitted from a physical downhill offensive line and is not a good blocker. Doesn’t have the power to break through tackles in the NFL and he’s average burst may not be enough to race past NFL speed on the second level.

            With the eighth pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Bleacher Report.com has the Carolina Panthers draft Defensive End Jonathan Allen out of Alabama. Allen won 2016 Chuck Bednarik and Bronco Nagurski awards as nation’s top defender. He was first-team All-SEC following an excellent junior year where he finished seconds in the SEC with 12 sacks. Jonathan Allen strengths are he is technically proficient in all phases, can play outside and inside and quick off the ball. Has the excellent athletic ability and consistent put pressure on the quarterback and was alert against the run at Alabama. He was a vocal leader at Alabama also. Weaknesses are that he lacks height (6’3”) teams look for from a Defensive End, not built to take on double-team blocks. If he’s move inside could require him to bulk more. Allen doesn’t possess lateral quickness and twitches to contain speedy running back from getting to the corner when he playing defensive end.

            Finally, Sports Illustrated.com has the Panthers drafting running back Leonard Fournette from LSU with the eighth pick in the NFL draft. Leonard Fournette from LSU. Coming out of high school Leonard Fournette was the number one recruit in the nation and decided to stay home and play for LSU. As a true freshman, he led SEC in all-purpose yards (137.4 per game; 1,034 rushing yards and 625 on kickoff returns). He followed that up his Sophomore year with nearly hitting the 2,000-yard mark (1,953) and scoring 22 touchdowns. But before his junior year, he suffered an ankle injury, which limited him to play seven games and skipping LSU bowl game. Fournette strengths are; he’s built like a linebacker with speed of a receiver. Long, powerful strides that hit second gear faster than most big backs. Has balance and power to plow through tackle attempts and with a punishing stiff arm. Has experience running from two-back, single-back, and off-set looks. Hands are adequate in the passing game. Can create for himself with power and speed. Wins in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Leonard Fournette weaknesses are aggressive, take on style could lead to shortened career. Struggled with a bad ankle for most of the season. Too quick to hit the accelerator and slam into defenders when there are still cuts and yards left on the play. Doesn't see cutback lanes developing as outside zone runner and prefers to keep runs play-side. Pass protection and routes need extensive work.

            Out of those three players, I would have to say I would want the Panthers to draft Christian McCaffrey because if the Panthers do draft him, that would basically let the, draft three positions that you need in one. Panthers could put McCaffrey at running back for first and second down and then slide him to slot receiver for third down since he has such good hands. Then you put him as kickoff/punt returner since he had 1,070 yards on kickoff returns in one season at Stanford. McCaffrey can fill three positions needs the Panthers need badly. But, it would not surprise me if David Gettleman drafts Jonathan Allen or another Defensive End with the eighth pick because the Panthers Defensive ends are old (Charles Johnson and Julies Peppers) and Gettleman loves to draft defense early in the draft. I don’t believe Fournette will drop to the Panthers, he will get drafted by Jacksonville with the fourth pick. But what do you think the Panthers will do Thursday at the draft? Will they draft McCaffrey? Defensive End? Or some random player no one expected them to draft? Tell me in the comment section below! And I will be posting new articles on who the Panthers draft in each round of this year draft, so look-out for in the upcoming days!