BetUS $500 Match Bonus
Sign up for a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more to get a $500 match bonus!

$20 Free Play at Sportsbook.com
Your first bet is free when you open a new account at sportsbook.com!

2009 NFL Mock Draft: Carolina Panthers

Written March 30, 2009 by Black Widow

carolina-panthers-draft The Panthers are a team with few glaring holes. That is, of course, if they are able to re-sign two of their best linemen in OLT Jordan Gross and DE Julius Peppers, who were a pair of Pro Bowl starters a year ago. As of right now it appears these two won’t be around, but Gross has the best shot at coming back considering Peppers is the one who has shown his frustration in the offseason. Carolina will be without a first-round pick this year after trading their top choice to the Eagles during last year’s draft to acquire an extra first-rounder, which they used wisely on ORT Jeff Otah. Let’s take a look at the top five draft needs for the Carolina Panthers and who they will most likely be able to get.

1.) Defensive Tackle – The Panthers failed to replace DT Kris Jenkins after trading him to the Jets for draft picks last year, and his absence was clearly felt. Late-season injuries to starters Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis exposed the Panthers’ lack of depth at the position. Head coach John Fox loves having size up front to clog the middle and free up linebackers to make the stops. The Panthers’ run defense collapsed with the loss of Kemoeatu so they’ll need to add a bigger player who can plug gaps in this year’s draft. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: DT Ron Brace (Boston College), DT John Gill (Northwestern), DT Roy Miller (Texas). Cat Scratch Reader breaks down the defensive tackle options for the Panthers 2009 NFL draft.

2.) Defensive End – What happens to Peppers, whether he is re-signed or franchise tagged, will determine how big of a priority the defensive end position will be in this year’s draft. Even if he’s back next season, the Panthers could use another capable pass rusher opposite Peppers. DE Tyler Brayton did a decent job and started every game last year, but he’s not a pass rusher and actually shifted to the inside in many passing situations. Two-year vet Charles Johnson did well in spot situations, recording 6 sacks. Carolina could get away with having these two around again, but neither is a long-term solution. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: DE Paul Kruger (Utah), DE Clay Mathews (USC).

3.) Wide Receiver – The Panthers have one of the league’s best receivers in Steve Smith, but this guy could be so much more of a threat if Carolina would just get another guy that can attract attention. Mushin Muhammad had a solid season last year, but he’ll be 36 in May and might not have more than one or two years left. Carolina had big expectations for Dwayne Jarrett, but he’s been a big disappointment in his first two years. D.J. Hackett might not be back with the team after a terrible ‘08 campaign. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: WR Brandon Tate (UNC), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (Georgia), WR Sammie Stroughter (Oregon State).

4.) Offensive Line – Losing Gross would make the offensive line positions a much bigger need in Carolina, but he’s not the only free agent up front. OG Geoff Hangartner and OT Frank Omiyale, whoe both made big contributions last season filling in for injured starters, will become unrestricted free agents. Depth on the O-Line was a team strength last season, and the team may need to make minor changes to make sure that holds true again in 2009. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: OT Gerald Cadogan (Penn State), OG-OT Jason Watkins (Florida).

5.) Linebacker – Carolina has a Pro Bowler at MLB in Jon Beason and a solid WLB in Thomas Davis. But the SLB position requires some attention this offseason. SLB Na’il Diggs id a nice job last season, but he’s not a dynamic player at this point in his career. Dan Connor suffered a torn ACL early last season, and is a potential starter but his expectations are unknown since this injury occurred in his rookie season.

This fall if you plan on doing any NFL betting then you should think about purchasing a subscription of NFL picks from our expert handicappers. They spend all week pouring over the NFL spreads so they know which matchups are favorable and which aren’t. You won’t find more consistent football betting picks anywhere else.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

2 Comments

Comments

2 Responses to “2009 NFL Mock Draft: Carolina Panthers”

Jimmy on March 30th, 2009 5:00 pm

you’re an idiot and you obviously just got laid off from your day job. jordan gross resigned over a month ago. quit wasting bandwidth with the lame analysis you’re putting out.

Reply
Jaxon on March 31st, 2009 8:20 am

I’ll be a little nicer Black Widow. You wrote this post like it was from 2 months ago. Both Omiyale and Hangartner signed elsewhere as and pointed out already Gross already re-signed. Also, Hackett was released.

I like your lists of potential draft picks though but next time seek out more up-to-date info

Reply

Got something to say?