The Panthers looked to infuse some life into their defense this year at the 2009 NFL Draft. Here are their picks…
Round 2 Pick 43 The Panthers traded their 2010 #1 pick to San Francisco for their 43rd pick and 111th overall pick The Panthers chose Everette Brown DE (Florida State University) Originally projected as a 1st rounder this aggressive defensive end sparked the Panthers interest to trade away #2010 which will mean they wont have a #1 again in 2010.
Round 2 Pick 59 The Panthers used their own pick to choose Sherrod Martin DB from Troy University. At 6’0 feet 190 pds Sherrod will be called upon to fill in for the departing Ken Lucas.
Round 3 Pick 93 The Panthers chose Corvey Irvin DE from Georgia. At 6’3 and 302 pds Corvey will be called upon to help stop the run.
Round 4 Pick 111 The Panthers chose Mike Goodson RB from Texas A&M. As a depth move for an already awesome backfield Goodson 5’11 210 pds will look to provide a much needed boost to the Panthers anemic special teams on punt or kick returns.
Round 4 Pick 128 The Panthers chose Tony Fiametta FB from Syracuse University. A possible replacement to fan’s favorite Brad Hoover, Tony brings his 6’0 and 245 pd frame to this position. Tony was ranked the highest at the fullback position and will look to contribute to the Panthers offense as he is an excellent blocker.
Round 4 Pick 163 The Panthers chose Duke Robinson OT from Oaklahoma. At 6’5 330 pds Duke will look to add depth to their offensive line with his nasty play from arguably the best offense in the NCAA in 2008.
Round 7 Pick 216 The Panthers chose Captain Munnerlyn CB from South Carolina. At 5’8 182 pds Captain will look to compete for a back up role in the secondary but could be a darkhorse candidate to be added to the Panthers special teams as he contributed for the Gamecocks this past season.
The Panthers bolstered the defense with this years edition of the NFL Draft, in the process they gave up another 1st rounder but they feel Brown was well worth the risk as he was projected as a 1st rounder this season anyways. The Julius Peppers saga continues as now the ball is in Pepper’s court waiting to see if he reports to the Panthers for a mini camp tomorrow. The Panthers clearly think that what happened last year against the Cardinals was a fluke and have not made any drastic changes. I especially like what they did at the draft in addressing 2 weaknesses of theirs and that was defensive depth and the not so SPECIAL TEAMS! Munnerlyn and Goodson will look to gain a spot on the special teams as there has been a giant HELP WANTED sign posted for the last couple of seasons. Hard to believe if you are a Panthers fan to remember the good old days of Michael Bates fielding kick offs, to this latest bunch.
Jayson Saikaley aka Jersey Jay
