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Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We’re in full combine swing, meaning the Draft is only two months away! Of course, we’ll have free agency in between, but this week’s mailbag was all about tomorrow’s NFL Draft picks. Let’s dive right in!
DBelt: How do you think you would perform at the combine? I want specific numbers for the 40, vertical, shuttle, three cone, bench press, and I want a detailed breakdown of your hip fluidity in the on-field drills
I would do poorly. My 40 numbers were never great in high school, I think the fastest I ran was a 5 sec flat. Shuttle, three cone, and hip fluidity all would not be great because I’d likely trip up an old injury, dislocated a vertebrae in my back during my football days and one wrong flip can make it awful. But I did run a heck of a slant route, I’m tall, and I can kinda jump. So I’d probably get drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
@WTMealey: What two Panthers would you combine to make a better player?
They can play the same position and you just combine their best attributes and get rid of the negative
OR
They can play 2 different positions and maybe you pick one of those for them to play now giving player A some of Player B attributes that will make him better at his position
OR
If you combine them maybe now they play a 3rd position neither has played but now they would excel at it
I’d combine Nick Scott and Colin Jones. You’d have the best special teamer of all time, who can also be a 17 game starter at free safety, strong safety, or nickel corner when needed.
I’d also combine Jordan Gross with Ikem Ekwonu. You’d probably have the best left tackle of all time between Gross’s pass protection and Ekwonu’s run blocking ability.
bulletooftony: Brian, if there was one player who was found out to have a “mysterious heart condition”, and they fell to 19, who would it be?
Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles. Please and thank you.
KeepPounding88: What do you think is the most overrated or overhyped part of the Combine? Could be an individual drill, a storyline, etc
I kind of think the 40 yard dash is the most over-hyped, at least for the guys you’re drafting to be starters on offense or defense. How many times do they get to run straight ahead for a full sprint for 40 yards? Sure, there’s the Chris Johnsons of the world where that drill ends up upping their star power and paying off, but then you have plenty of John Rosses where that drill really didn’t matter a ton. For special teams, that drill makes sense.
I also am not a fan of how much the measurements of things like hand size and height are scrutinized. There’s definitely some merit to it, but people change entire draft projections over it. Just watch the tape, if tiny hands have an impact, you’ll see it there.
PantherBlueBlood: Do you draft a LT, Defensive Tackle, Edge or ILB at 19?
I’m definitely hoping the Panthers next starting interior linebacker is available at 19. Even if they sign one in free agency. They just don’t have enough there. But I would not be unhappy with any of the other choices. Left tackle may grind some gears, but they need a plan for Ekwonu and Taylor Moton in the future. It would be more of a forward thinking decision than an immediate impact decision (aside from Ekwonu’s injury rehab), and I am definitely in the camp of drafting for immediate impact. But any one of those positions makes sense. The Panthers are in the rare scenario where they have to basically wait to see how the Draft falls and make a decision.
Carolina Wine Mixer: Why is Jacob Rodriguez not a 1st rounder?
I linked the whole comment to see their analysis and subsequent comments. But ILB tends to be a position where they need to have top 5 potential to go in the first round. I certainly wouldn’t be upset if he ends up in Carolina somehow. But check out the link to see other Panthers fans thoughts!
Another link to the full comment for additional insight and discussion. Personally, I like pass protection for a center, just because the guards tend to be the road graders on an offensive line. But a good center block on an inside run is always quality football.
schrodingersblackcat: Brian, what’s your biggest pet peeve? (CSR-related or otherwise. Rational or otherwise.)
I just want to preface this answer by saying this is not a shot at anyone who comments with questions, I really appreciate the participation and I encourage you to continue doing what you do. This column is only active because you all participate on a weekly basis.
I don’t like trying to predict trade ups or trade downs two plus months before the Draft, before free agency has even happened. Just because we don’t have enough information to really predict what the Draft is going to look like at that point. Teams will add players, re-sign others, and make trades before all of that. I also don’t like doing mock drafts until much closer to the Draft because again, things look very different a week before the Draft compared to in January. And the Draft never falls the way we expect anyway. I totally respect those who do enjoy that practice, but I am much more focused on what player the Panthers appear to have interest in.
dayneb12: Do you think Sonny Styles would be a player worth trading up for, and if so, how far up the board would be acceptable?
Sonny Styles seems like someone that would be worth considering for a trade up. I know, Trade Down Island is calling for my head right now. But Styles matches both a need and a high impact player, at least in theory. I’d be comfortable moving up to 10, but it would definitely cost the Panthers. And I’m just not sure they are in a position to make a trade like that. Way too many other positions they could use their draft capital on in the mid and late rounds.
That’s all for this week, Panthers fans! Join us again next week for another edition of the mailbag!