Carolina Panthers - 2012 Draft Profile
Needs:
In Carolina, Cam is the Franchise, everybody knows that. Sure, they need to improve their Defense but at this stage, there best chance to win is to keep Cam upright and give him weapons with which to work. If you can do that, you have a chance to get into the playoffs and we all know that anything can happen if you can get into the tournament. In a Division where you have to beat New Orleans, it's unlikely that you can build a defense strong enough to stop that offense quickly. That means you have to hang in and score with them. With only three picks in the 1st four rounds, It's impossible to address all needs adequately. Below are Carolina's needs, listed according to priority as I see it.
Wide Receiver - The Panthers struggle because they really only have Steve Smith. It's been that way for a few years now and it is imperative that they get him some help. We have all seen what Smith can do if he has a big over the middle possession WR to work opposite him. Just look at when they had Mushin Muhammad. But not only do you need a guy who has those kinds of skills but you need a guy that Smith is going to get along with. Smith is a guy that needs to have a WR that works just as hard as he does an that is pretty hard. He has to have the right temperament. It a delicate balance.
Offensive Line - Panthers have some pieces on the OL. Gross is one of the best LT in the NFL, Kalil is one of the best young Centers in the game and Otah may or may not return to RT. My guess is that Otah moves to RG, Byron Bell had a great rookie season at RT and Cam praises him publicly so I don't see him moving. Guard is where you need to upgrade.
Defensive Line - Carolina is flat not getting it done in the DLine. Charles Johnson, by himself, had 9 Sacks last season. The rest of the defensive line, and I'm talking the entire defensive line, starters and backups had a total of 8 combined. That will not win you games. Was hard to know where to go here because the DTs could have played much better but they are young. Carolina drafted both of their starting DTs last year and both are starting for them. You have to give them time to develop so you look at the entire defensive front and you identify Greg Hardy, LDE, as a weak ling in that line. That is a position that must be improved. You can certainly make a case for DT as a bigger need but I don't think bringing in another Rookie is going to help that situation much unless he is Suh type DT and there isn't one of those in this draft.
Linebacker - Other then Conner, the LBs are nothing to write home about. They do their job but they are not spectacular and they do not generate a great deal of pressure. 2.5 sacks between the entire starting and backup LBers. In a 43, you don't expect the LBs to get a lot of sacks but you have to do better then 2.5 in an entire season. Yep, that's 9 for Johnson and 10.5 for all of the starting and backup front seven combined. That's the problem in Carolina, on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive Backs - Carolina got decent play out of their CBs last year. Gamble has skills and Munnerlyn is well, average. They could use an upgrade there but they do have two young CBs that they like in Josh Thomas (Former Cowboy) and RJ Stanford. The Safety play in Carolina was not as bad as you may think. They simply had to cover way too long and eventually, got hung out to dry. It's hard to know just how good this Defensive backfield is until you get better play out of the front Seven.
Draft Picks:
1st Round 8th Pick Overall - David DeCastro G Stanford 6'5" 310 lbs widely considered the best Guard in this Class and one of the best prospects to come out in recent years. DeCastro is consider the 3rd best OL prospect and probably the most ready of any OL to start immediately. I had some concerns over this pick. I did not want to take DeCastro at 8 but the top DL, CB and WR were off the board and I could not get a trade down worked out so I took DeCastro. By no means do I feel this was a bad pick. I think he will turn out to be a solid Pro Bowl player for Carolina for year to come. He very well could be the final piece of the puzzle for them in their OL and that is certainly a value for Cam. He was the only logical pick for Carolina in that spot.
2nd Round, 42nd Pick Overall - Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers 6'2" 215 lbs., he is the ideal complement to Smith. A lot of people may not love this kid but I do. The book on him is Mohamed's size, natural strength, speed and excellent attitude on the field. Strong hands long arms very hard to defend, excellent in bump and run. Strong route runner and will overpower smaller DB's. He runs good routes, is an excellent blocker. Mohamed has the speed to get deep and the strength to catch short passes and break them for Serious YAC. He shows leadership through his play, not a rah-rah type of guy. Does not complain if he is not seeing the ball, will find ways to contribute in other areas. Hard worker and will put in the time learn his craft and get better. Very smart player who can play all three WR positions. Mohamed is one of the best WR's in this draft. 115 catches, 1206 yds, 10.5 avg, 7 TDs in 13 games last season. Catches everything, great over the middle and the perfect match to Smith.
3rd Round Pick - No 3rd Round Pick
4th Round Pick, 103rd Pick Overall - Jonathan Massaquoi DE Troy 6'2" 250 lbs., can play OLB or DE. If played at DE in a 43, he's going to struggle a bit until he gains a bit of strength in his lower body. He may actually be a better fit at RDE in a 43. He can play LB in the NFL. His agility is that good. He can drop into coverage, run sideline to sideline and is excellent in the passing game. The best thing about this guy is that he can bring it. In only two seasons at Troy, 25 games, he put up 125 tackles, 31 TFL and 19.5 sacks. I don't care if you put him in as an OLB or put some weight on him and play him at DE, the guy is going to contribute in the most important are this team needs. He's going to generate pressure and that will help all other aspects of the defense.