I freely admit that I was expecting the Carolina Panthers to use at least one of their 3rd-round picks to add some depth to their defensive line. Pat Sims from Auburn and Marcus Harrison from Arkansas were both available, and the Panthers needed to add to their defensive line rotation after trading Kris Jenkins to the Jets.Instead, GM Marty Hurney veered left and went with a couple of guys whom many will consider "value picks" -- Iowa CB Charles Godfrey and Penn State LB Dan Connor.
I didn't really think the Panthers needed another linebacker, but Connor could be considered a poor man's Dan Morgan, and he provides some extra depth at the position behind Jon Beason. He could also step in and become a special teams performer.
As for Godfrey, he will become a special teams player out of the gate. He's known more for his tackling than his pass coverage, and somewhere down the road, he could be converted to (*gasp*) free safety.
These are not bad picks, really, and there might be plenty of defensive tackles late in the draft. (Carolina still has five picks left.) Still, there's not much behind Damione Lewis and Ma'ake Kemoeatu right now, and Carolina passed on some guys who probably could have helped that.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Dave,
I am a writer too so I won't try to tell you what to write because I know that's annoying and insulting, but I wouldn't mind you seeing an article about how much it appears the media wishes to forget about Matt Moore. ESPN and NFL Network both said a young QB is one of Carolina's draft needs, and I've seen it written by Fanhouse columnists too. Matt Moore performed very well for a rookie last year and he can be the future! Does no one wish to give Moore any credit simply because he went undrafted?? These same people need to get a clue as so many first round QBs have turned out to be duds, INCLUDING DAVID CARR. If Jake isn't ready to go at the start of the season, I think Moore will do as fine as any QB in this draft and probably better than any free-agent QB available.
Oh yeah, and also in your draft review, if you wouldn't mind, please mention something about how disgusting it is that John Fox can't figure out what to do DeAngelo Williams. I bet that had Williams would be a star by now if he'd been drafted by any other NFL team. Williams is a better back than many of the backs that started for playoff teams last season, including Julius Jones, Shaun Alexander, and Earnest Graham. Those teams would have made further playoff pushes with Williams as their starter, and yet here in Carolina, we have no idea what to do with the guy.
Posted at 1:29PM on Apr 27th 2008 by soulcitysigma1914