It has been a dozen years since the Carolina Panthers used a top-50 draft pick on a defensive tackle.
They need to do it again in the 2013 NFL draft – preferably with their No.14 pick Thursday night, but if not there then definitely with their No.44 pick on Friday night.
This is the time of year that fans always want the sleek sports cars in the NFL draft – the fast offensive playmakers of the world. But the Panthers need at least one steamroller instead – and preferably two.
They need another young Kris Jenkins, the defensive tackle they drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft. That was the last time they spent a top-50 pick on the position.
By 2003, Jenkins was the best defensive tackle in the NFL. His play was a significant reason why the Panthers went to the Super Bowl that year. He was such an unstoppable force inside that he once blocked what would have been a game-winning extra point at Tampa Bay – with his elbow.
On the offensive line, the Panthers also need help. Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil aren’t getting any younger. The O-line as presently constituted has one more year together at best.
So the 2013 draft for the Panthers must be the draft for “hog mollies,” to use general manager Dave Gettleman’s colorful description. It is not the draft to take a flyer on an Armanti Edwards type.
“Big men allow you to compete,” Gettleman likes to say.
That's what the Panther need -- a few big men. I don't pretend to know which ones they will end up with, but this draft is not a time to get fancy. It's time to flatten somebody. NOTE: I will be expanding on this blog post for a full-fledged column that will appear in the printed edition of Thursday's Charlotte Observer. The NFL draft runs Thursday through Saturday this year.
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1995
Went Kerry Collins over Warren Sapp
Went Tyrone Pool over Curtis Martin, Ty Law, Derrick Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Terrell Davis
1996
Went Tim Biakabatuka over Ray Lewis, Eddie George, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Mike Alstott, Lawyer Milloy
Went Winslow Oliver over Terrell Owens, Stephen Davis, Teddy Bruschi
Went Noberto Davidds-Garrido over Jon Runyan
Went Emmanuel McDaniel over Joe Horn
Went Marquette Smith over La’Roi Glover, Jermaine Lewis, Zach Thomas
1997
Went Rae Carruth over Corey Dillon, Tiki Barber, Jamie Sharper, Jake Plummer
Went Mike Minter over Ronde Barber, Darren Sharper, Jason Taylor, Mike Vrabel
Went Kinnon Tatum over Derrick Mason
Drafted Kris Mangum
1998
Went Jason Peter over Randy Moss, Alan Faneca
Went Chuck Wiley over Olin Kruetz, Jon Ritchie, Jeremiah Trotter
Went Mitch Marrow over Hines Ward, Ahman Green
Went Donald Hayes over Tim Dwight
Went Damien Richardson over Matt Hasselbeck
1999
Went Mike Rucker over Joey Porter
Went Hannibal Navies over Brandon Stokley, Aaron Smith, Dexter Jackson, Olindis Gary, Aaron Brooks
Went Tony Booth over Donald Driver
2000
Went Rashard Anderson over Keith Bulluck, Mike Brown, Jerry Porter
Broke even?: Deon Grant over Laveranues Coles
Went Jeno James over Tom Brady
Went Alvin McKinley over Shane Lechler
2001
Went Dan Morgan over Drew Brees, Santana Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, Deuce McAllister, Reggie Wayne, Todd Heap, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Chad Johnson
Drafted Kris Jenkins
Drafted Steve Smith
Went Chris Weinke over Nick Harris
Went Mike Roberg over Keith Adams
2002
Broke even?: Julius Peppers over Ed Reed
Went Deshaun Foster over Clinton Portis, Sheldon Brown, Deion Branch
Went Will Witherspoon over Brian Westbrook, Chris Hope
Went Dante Wesley over Alex Brown, Larry Foote, Najeh Davenport
Went Randy Fasani over Scott Fujita, Rocky Bernard
Went Pete Campion over Brett Keisel, Rock Cartwright
2003
Went Jordan Gross over Terrell Suggs, Troy Polamalu
Went Bruce Nelson over Jason Witten, Anquan Boldin, Osi Umenyiora, Lance Briggs
Went Ricky Manning Jr. over Terrence McGee
Went Colin Branch over Asante Samuel, Brandon Lloyd, Ike Taylor, Robert Mathis
Went Kindal Moorehead over Aubrayo Franklin, David Diehl, Reggie Wells
2004
Went Chris Gamble over Karlos Dansby, Chris Snee
Went Keary Colbert over Matt Shaub, Darnell Dockett, Max Starks, Chris Cooley
Went Travelle Wharton over Jared Allen, Jerricho Cotchery, Will Allen
2005
Traded 14th pick which went to the Jets for Derrell Revis (Panthers later chose Jon Beason)
Went Thomas Davis over Aaron Rodgers, Derrick Johnson, Roddy White, Heath Miller, Logan Mankins, Barrett Ruud, Lofa Tatupu, Nick Collins
Went Eric Shelton over Frank Gore, Jonathan Babineaux, Vincent Jackson, Bryant McFadden, Justin Tuck, Kirk Morrison
Went Attiyyah Ellison over Domonique Foxworth, Leroy Hill, Marion Barber, Brandon Jacobs
Went Stefan LeFors over Darren Sproles, Kerry Rhodes
Went Adam Seward over Gerald Sensabaugh, Frank Omiyale
Went Jovan Haye over Chris Kemoeatu
Went Joe Berger over Jay Ratliff, Jonathan Fanene
2006
Broke even?: Deangelo Williams over Greg Jennings
Went Richard Marshall over Maurice Jones-Drew, Eric Winston, Jerious Norwood
Went Rashad Butler over Brandon Marshall, Owen Daniels, Stephen Tulloch, Stephen Gostkowski
Went Nate Salley over Elvis Dumervil
Went Jeff King over Mark Anderson, Omar Gaither, Cortland Finnegan
Went Stanley McClover over Marques Colston
I'm a big Panthers fan I just thought you all might be interested in seeing who the Panthers passed on (and some of the hits)...it should be noted that many teams passed on some of the same guys. It just goes to show the NFL draft is not an exact science...
2007
Went Dwayne Jarrett over LaMarr Woodley, Eric Wright
Broke even?: Ryan Kalil over James Jones
Drafted Charles Johnson
Went Ryne Robinson over Dashon Goldson, Scott Chandler
Went Dante Rosario over Brent Celek
Went Tim Shaw over Nick Folk, Mason Crosby
2008
Went Jonathan Stewart over Joe Flacco
Went Jeff Otah over Aqib Talib, Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Jordy Nelson, Curtis Lofton, Tracy Porter, Matt Forte, DeSean Jackson, Ray Rice
Went Charles Godfrey over Jamaal Charles
Went Dan Connor over Cliff Avril, Mario Manningham, Thomas DeCoud
Went Kenny Moore over Brandon Carr
Went Gary Barndige over Carl Nicks
Went Hilee Taylor over Peyton Hillis
2009
Went Everette Brown over LeSean McCoy
Went Sherrod Martin over Mike Wallace
Went Corey Irvin over Brian Hartline
Went Duke Robinson over Zach Miller
Drafted Captain Munnerlynn
2010
Wen Jimmy Clausen over Eric Decker, Golden Tate, Carlos Dunlap, Sean Lee, Brandon Spikes, Colt McCoy
Went Armanti Edwards over NaVorro Bowman, Jimmy Graham, Mike Williams, Aaron Hernandez
Went Eric Norwood over Cam Chancellor
Drafted Greg Hardy
Went Robert McClain over Terrell Thomas
2011
Went Terrell McClain over Justin Houston, Steven Ridley
Went Keloha Pilares over Jacquizz Rodgers
Went Amini Siloatu over Dwayne Allen
Went Josh Norman over Alfred Morris, Blair Walsh
Thanks for that useless draft "analysis." How silly to just throw out random names at VARIOUS POSITIONS without taking the team's ACTUAL DRAFT NEEDS AT THE TIME into account... Of COURSE they went Kerry Collins over Warren Sapp. That's what an expansion team does with their first ever pick--you take an All-American quarterback to begin your franchise. Played in the NFC Championship game after the second year with him, if I remember correctly.
Great post! ... from iateogn
And they were all drafted by that bean counter Hurney and he is gone....
@Banks...I just thought it was more interesting and fun than anything else. To hear most GM's talk- you take the best player not the needs. Certainly, if a different player was chosen it would have affected the future in whatever year you look at. Kerry Collins was the quarterback on the NFC Championship team in the 2nd year...but then he went on to stink up the field and quit on the team. Warren Sapp is a first ballot hall-of-famer. Maybe the Texans shouldn't have picked that franchise quarterback and went Julius Peppers instead...fortunately for us that's not what they did.
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