Top of the Draft

Before the 2010 NFL Draft, there was a growing consensus as to who was going to be the Number One over all selection. After Sam Bradford worked out for scouts and was given the medical seal of approval, it was only a matter of waiting until draft day before the pick was made official. In 2011, the Carolina Panthers have the top choice, but it is far from certain who they will take.

I have already made the argument for Da'Quan Bowers, the defensive end from Clemson. If his game can translate to the professional level, he would make a devastating tandem of pass rushers with Charles Johnson. If a defense can put pressure on the quarterback and throw him off on his timing, it can help to cover up weaknesses in the back seven. Carolina is solid on defense, and a player such as Bowers will only make them better.

A pass rusher like Bowers can help stop a quarterback. A defensive tackle like Nick Fairley from Auburn is seen by many as being the key to stopping the running game and the anchor to the entire front seven. Ndamukong Suh showed how a tackle with tremendous athletic ability and a nasty streak can take over a defense. Suh will be one of the best in the league for a long time. Fairley is seen as having many of the same attributes. He is strong enough to stop the run up the middle and athletic enough to rush the quarterback. New Panthers head coach Ron Rivera was the defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears and that defense was strong up the middle with Tommie Harris at tackle and Brian Urlacher. The Panthers could build a similar foundation with Fairley and Jon Beason.

But the majority of Carolina's problems lay on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries hit opening day quarterback Matt Moore, running backs Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, and wide receiver Steve Smith. Jimmy Clausen didn't get the reps in pre-season that he would have needed, and it was very much a trial by fire. His main target is Smith, but he is developing the same problem that all receivers who rely on speed come down with. He is getting older. To take pressure off of Smith and to give Clausen a new primary target the Panthers could very well select A.J. Green from Georgia with the first pick. Green reminds many of Calvin Johnson, a talent of tremendous abilities and great hands. Green is the offensive playmaker that Carolina needs. But it remains to be seen if they will go that way on draft day.