Draft Grades: Panthers

Despite not having a 1st-round selection, the Panthers made the most of this year's draft.

Everette Brown fell down the draft boards throughout the offseason but he was an excellent value in the 2nd round. His stock fell because, although he's a tremendous athlete, he's a bit of a one-dimensional player. He's an elite pass rusher, but undersized and may lack the ability to be a three-down lineman.

I felt as though Sherrod Martin was a little overrated. The Panthers will likely move him to safety, but that's risky to spend a 2nd-round pick on a small-school player that needs to switch positions at the next level.

Corvey Irvin was a definite reach. He didn't even enter his senior year as a starter, but was pushed into duty when Jeff Owens went down with an injury. He impressed this year, but I wouldn't risk a 3rd round pick a college backup.

Mike Goodson is a decent developmental prospect. There isn't room for him in the Panthers backfield right now, but sooner or later they'll have to part ways with either DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart at which point he could step in.

Tony Fiammetta was the consensus top fullback in this year's draft class. Brad Hoover has held the job for nearly a decade now, but he's 32 years old. Fiammetta could take over the starting duties as soon as this year.

I said all along that Duke Robinson was overrated, and apparently NFL teams aggreed. He fell to the 5th round where he belonged. That said, he had good value where the Panthers took him and he could be an adequate backup with the potential to develop into a starter down the road.

I like Captain Munnerlyn a lot. He's undersized, but an excellent athlete. He won't make an instant impact, but I like his chance to stick around and potentially develop into an adequate contributor as a 3rd or 4th option at cornerback.

Overall the Panthers did an excellent job with the picks given to them. This won't be a draft that we look back on as a draft that retooled the franchise, but its was a solid draft to add some depth at positions of need. They did a nice job balancing against filling needs and taking good values.

Grade: B+

Draft Visit Tracker: Andre Brown

One of the hottest prospects in recent weeks has been N.C. State's Andre Brown. Despite a disappointing career with the Wolfpack, he's impressed teams in his workouts and now looks like a 2nd-round lock.

He's a big back (6'0", 224) and has the ability to be a workhorse at the next level. Its rare to find a guy with his size and athleticism, which is why so many teams are showing an interest despite his very mediocre collegiate numbers.

At least 12 teams have reportedly met with Brown, so here's the list:

Ravens, Titans, 49ers, Cardinals, Chargers, Texans, Jaguars, Bengals, Panthers, Dolphins, Patriots and Chiefs.

I currently have Brown going to the Cleveland with the 50th pick in the draft. He would the ideal running back for the Browns to groom behind Jamal Lewis for the next year before he takes over the starting job.

Pro Days: Northern Illinois

Larry English, still a fringe first round prospect, had his chance to prove his worth on Saturday. Among the notables in attendance were Panthers GM Marty Hurney and director of college scouting Don Gregory. The Panthers are definitely in the market for a defensive end and may consider trading up for English if they liked what they saw.

English did his positional drills as a defensive end, but also did some drills dropping back into coverage. Its still tough to say whether or not he's a first rounder. He could come off the board as early as 18th to the Bears, or he could fall into the second round.

Pro Days: Utah

Paul Kruger and Sean Smith were on display at Utah's pro day on Monday. Among the notable on lookers was Panthers GM Marty Hurney.

Both players were impressive, most notably in the forty. Smith was clocked in the 4.4 range and Kruger in the 4.8 range. Both players are 2nd round prospects and solidified their position with their workouts.

The presence of Hurney likely means the Panthers are strongly considering a defensive end in the first or second round. While Hurkey was in Utah, John Fox was across the country scouting Michael Johnson at Georgia Tech. The Panthers strong interest in defensive linemen could mean they're willing to give in to Julius Peppers' request to be traded.

Pro Days: Georgia Tech

Michael Johnson impressed scouts, general managers and head coaches at Georgia Tech's pro day on Monday. He was clocked anywhere from 4.49 to 4.59 in the forty and was impressive in his drills.

With two head coaches in attendance (Mike Smith and John Fox) its possible that Johnson impressed enough people to climb into the first round. Both the Falcons and Panthers are potentially in the market for a first round defensive end, but its hard to imagine anyone handing a few million dollars to a completely unproven talent like Johnson. With that said, this is the NFL Draft and strange things are bound to happen.