12/21/24
April 05, 2011
First Pick in NFL Draft Wide Open: The projected top picks in this year's NFL Draft are more fluid than they've been in years, said longtime Dallas Cowboys personnel guru Gil Brandt. "I think you could name nine of the top 10 -- but I don't think you can name the order in which they'll go," he said. The Carolina Panthers hold the first pick and are reportedly considering quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton, cornerback Patrick Peterson, wide receiver A.J. Green or trading down.
The Carolina Panthers hold the first pick and are reportedly considering quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton, cornerback Patrick Peterson, wide receiver A.J. Green or trading down.
Trade down.
posted by graymatters at 06:06 PM on April 05, 2011
I've been trying to decide whether the inability to trade draft picks for players makes Carolina's trade-down option more valuable or less than in other years. I'm leaning towards more, because they'll have to be given higher picks since players aren't available.
posted by rcade at 06:46 PM on April 05, 2011
I'm leaning towards more, because they'll have to be given higher picks since players aren't available.
It would be lovely to get a known commodity (the way that the Raiders did with Richard Seymour) but realistically, by the time they build a core team again, any known commodity is going to be on the tail end of their career, so it makes a lot more sense for them to get a couple of picks instead.
posted by dfleming at 07:45 PM on April 05, 2011
I'm nearly always going with trade down based on the greater fool theory, unless there's a franchise lineman available and the team's willing to take him. I think if you could rate the first three years of, say, the top five picks from each of the last 10-15 years, I bet the lineman will turn out to be the only positions that consistently deliver value for money. Partially, its true, because they get less money than QB/RB/WR/DB picks.
posted by billsaysthis at 06:45 PM on April 06, 2011
The Panthers have endured so many seasons of anemic play at QB that maybe they ought to eliminate the position and go with a no-pass five man double Wildcat backfield.
It's their payback for having terminated the serviceable and effective Steve Beuerlein when he still had some miles left on the odometer.