May 12, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) stretches during the afternoon workout session at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

additional needs will be required. Remember they eventually need to get down to 53 plus 5

practice squad members.

Let’s look at this by positions – let’s look at offense first.

Each position shows projected starter followed by backups

QB, Newton, Anderson, Clausen

HB/FB, Tolbert, Brockel

RB, Williams, Stewart, Vaughn

WR, Smith, Gettis, Edwards

WR, Lafell, Pilares, Adams

LOT, Gross, G. Williams, Campbell

LOG, Silatolu, Pollak

C, Kalil, Hangartner, Byers

ROT, Hangartner, Williams, Browning

ROT, Otah, Bell, Zeimba

TE, Olsen, Hartsock, Barnidge

LS, Jansen

P, Nortman

K, Mare, Medlock

Defense

DE, Hardy, Alexander, Norwood

DE, Johnson, Applewhite, Keiser

OLB, Beason, Davis,

ILB, Kuechly, Beason, Senn

OLB Anderson, Phillips,

DT, Edwards, Fua, Kearse

DT, McClain, Shipley, Neblett

CB, Gamble, Butler, Thomas

CB, Mundelin, Hogan, Norman

S, Godfrey, Smith, Davis

S, Martin, Nakamura, Pugh

Needs:

A number 2 wide receiver that could eventually be Steve Smith’s replacement.

Another OLB that could start if Beason or Davis goes down.

Another DT that could immediately start.

Another ROT if Otah doesn’t work out.

A TE to replace Shockey or bringing him back.

Some of these players won’t make the team this year being replaced by the

draftees. Possibilities are Edwards, Neblett, Thomas and Norwood.

9^th pick: Luke Kuechly ILB – Upside –  Always around the ball, solid in pass coverage, smart,

a team leader and best linebacker in the draft. Downside – played on a bad team against

weak competition, safe not flashy.

40^th pick: Amini Silatolu OG – Upside – Nasty side, drives opposing players backwards, solid in

both run and pass protection. Downside – Lacks speed, spent two years at Juco level before

settling for a small college, weak grades, may have trouble with a playbook.

103^rd  pick: Frank Alexander DE – Upside – Aggressive with a good push, good size, 8 and half sacks

final year. Downside – thought to have heart condition at the Combine but found later to be not so,

most had him in the 6^th or 7^th round. Panthers gave up a lot (next year’s 3^rd and this year’s 6^th), so you

would expect for him to start very quickly.

104^th pick: Joe Adams WR – Upside – Rated best return man in draft with 4 td’s his last year, great break

away speed, can play the slot as a receiver, 45 receptions his final year. Downside – Juggled too many

punts, 14 fumbles over his career, needs to bulk up and has some health concerns (minor stroke in ’09 due

to migraines.)

143^rd pick: Josh Norman CB – Upside – can play both CB and S, excellent size, good speed, athletic

and good hands. Downside – Played against weak competition, not a solid tackler and some

attitude concerns and was projected as a late 2^nd, early 3^rd  and then slipped some.

207^th pick: Brad Nortman P – Upside – 42.1 average on 49 punts with 19 inside the 20. Rated 5^th best kicker.

Downside- a stretch at the sixth pick, plus the Panthers plan to bring in another punter to compete.

216^th pick: DJ Campbell S – Upside – good hitter, solid tackler, good speed and special team player.

Downside – Panthers are crowded at the safety position and he will have to stand out to get playing time.

GRADE B.  However, based on how Kuechly and Silatolu do, could be an A.

12 free agents were signed after the draft. Most notable were 4 players that were projected 5^th to 6^th:

Matt Reynolds ORT Brigham Young

Tauren Poole RB Tennessee

Ryan Van Bergen DE Michigan

Will Blackwell C/G LSU

Most likely 2 of these will make the team.

Analyzing the Panthers Draft: Upsides, Downsides and Needs - Cat Crave - Cat Crave - A Carolina Panthers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Oct 2, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) looks to pass during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears beat the Panthers 34-29. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

Now that the rookies are all signed and the larger picture gets a little clearer, I see some real entertaining football ahead.

If Beason’s Achilles has healed well, it looks like coach Rivera is going to use the team’s top draft pick, linebacker Luke Kuechly, at two spots.

For now at least, he’s starting at the weakside linebacker and will be the middle linebacker when Beason is off the field. Looking back, I can see how it’s a great situation from all points of view – Beason indeed gets his “preferred” position (where he’s been stellar up until the week 1 injury last year), Kuechly gets to contribute on the field where he’s needed while learning two places as a positional middle linebacker, and Rivera gets a rotation of 2 ILBs that ANY team in the NFL would envy.

LK/Clark Kent and Beason solidify the middle of the Panthers’ defense against the run. LB Thomas Davis’s health can’t be counted on. The pass rush aside from Charles Johnson is not accomplished. The pass defense on the back end can only very graciously be described as unspectacular. On offense, Cam Newton should be even more dangerous with a full NFL season and a camp under his belt.

Watch him smile that GQ smile of his while he welcomes rookie WR Joe Adams. Adams would also appear to be a “great fit” in that he can instantly give explosion to the special teams and another target along with Steve Smith and Greg Olson for Cam and you can see why he’s smiling.

Fast forward – What if it all WORKS?!?

What will things be like?

Shootouts.

A bit ironic with a running game loaded with a talented backfield and yet another rookie contributor on the inside in the line, no?

No, not really.

When the offense has the ball, with weapons everywhere and Cam’s cannon with DeAngelo Williams’ breakaway skill, the Panthers have the potential to threaten every square inch of the field on any given play. It was a top-5 offense last season and could be even better than that this year. It forces the other team’s defense to “play honest” at all times, in turn, making blitzing Cam even more of a gamble.

I just wanted to take this space to say that “completing a hot-read pass to a fullback flaring in the flat” sounds horribly obscene. The preceding message brought to you by: The confused company that thinks some stray thoughts should stay astray, which is why they bring them to you. They are horribly confused people.

Sorry, I had to get that out. Go astray again!

Seriously, if the 2011 defensive weakness is going to be improved upon, it looks like it’s against the run. The Panthers become actually sturdy in the middle enough that the other team just blatantly starts going after the raw meat in the secondary, daring anyone to touch their own possibly-immobile quarterback unless he’s got the ball stuffed under his jersey.

In recent years, NFL rules have become more and more favorable for the passing game. The stats last year shined a big light when not one but 2 teams broke the records for worst pass defense and they both made the playoffs. One nearly won the Super Bowl.

I’ll say! New England and Green Bay.

What we have now is a recipe for that shootout I mentioned. If the Panthers can cause teams enough uncertainty in their own sustained ability to run the ball, they’ll be forced into the air.

The problem lies in that there doesn’t seem to be any conclusion to this “evil plan” yet.

There just aren’t enough draftees to fill all the holes in the secondary unless all the inexperienced players contribute. A LOT. Without being able to put pressure on the other QB, they will score points. There has yet to be any NFL franchise that has drafted a boatload of All-Stars with their entire draft.

Any improvement in the secondary for Carolina will have to come from rookies and second-year players that were injured as rookies. That’s too tall an order in this day and age, and it’s no big secret to anyone.

The Panthers have a very solid and capable guy at one corner – Chris Gamble. Talk about irony, how’s that last name for a corner? Always have loved it.

And he’s the SOLID guy.

Chris Godfrey’s probably the best the Panthers have at safety with a roster deep in backups and Captain Munnerlyn anchors the other corner spot with a metaphorical peg-leg instead of using a big pointy piece of metal and heavy chain. They are going to burned in the passing game “at times” at BEST.

As for generating blind side protection, they’re looking for still more rookie help.

History says it can’t all happen at once. That’s also no secret.

Rarely does any franchise start to peak with the offensive and defensive units at the exact same time. One is usually one to two years ahead of the other. The area where the peak age/performance happens within each unit overlap would be the “Super Bowl runs” that cover the historical landscape.

The Cowboys won 4 Super Bowls in the early 90′s. The Steelers won 4 Super Bowls in 6 seasons. The Dolphins went to 3 straight Super Bowls in the early 70′s. There was the 49′ers dynasty of the early 80′s. The Packers won the first two Super Bowls. The list goes on, and having two talented units on one team is what gives teams the ability to win a championship.

It’s not JUST defense that wins championships, but it sure a shootin’ does help! In today’s NFL, a potent offense can help cover for a porous pass defense, unlike in the past.

The Panthers’ offense hit bottom in 2010, roared back last year, and looks to keep surging for the near future. Essentially, Cam and co. went from bottom to top in one season. The sunshiny smile and talent from the top kid drafted awoke the beast.

The defense is not a morning person.

It hit bottom last year and looks to stand up this year but lacks experience in key spots.

In 2011, the defense just couldn’t stop anybody, period. Cam had a couple of games where he looked almost like a rookie, but hey, he was one.

Young teams will often play unsteadily with each individual player’s ups and downs showing in their tight coverage or huge lapses. Any starting NFL QB (except Blaine Gabbert) should be able to take advantage of it when it happens and he’s given the time to throw it.

2013 will be where the serious contending for Carolina can really begin. First, they have to learn how to win in the NFL. That learning comes this season.

But as for what 2012 brings, that’s how I see it. What it points to ultimately is even more pressure on…Cam Newton.

I’ll have to start keeping a record of how well “Superman” performs against teams in green jerseys.

Is “Air Rivera” the Panthers Future? - Cat Crave - Cat Crave - A Carolina Panthers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Dec 26, 2009; San Francisco, CA, USA; Boston College Eagles linebacker Luke Kuechly (40) tackles Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ronald Johnson (8) during the third quarter in the 2009 Emerald Bowl at AT

Ah, gotta love it.

Two days after I posted that Kuechly should play the MLB spot, the news hits on NFL.com that he will play on the weak side for now.

Oh, the blow to my pride. I’ll get over it. The “safe money” was on a rejuvenated Jon Beason back in the middle with LK on the weak side, but I don’t always play it safe. This time, the limb I knew I was going out on got sawed off. It happens.

Beason’s got the middle for the moment; LK will play the Will spot entering the mini-camps. My thinking was that LK would learn the NFL MLB spot and move there, making his transition from college much more straightforward. I also know that Beason, like LK, can play anywhere as he’s done before. That approach would have been the “easier” path to take and LK’s most “natural” fit is indeed the MLB. Again – look at his college career.

It’s actually a nice “problem” to have since Beason has several Pro Bowls on the mantle. I still think LK will eventually settle into the MLB spot someday. Beason’s huge salary likely had a hand in the decision-making process, and I didn’t take that into account.

He’s being paid $25 million in guaranteed money which is far more than Kuechly will see in his rookie contract. Rivera’s bosses have a lot of money tied up with Beason; therefore, it makes the decision a bit easier to justify along financial lines. It’s not that I am down on Beason, other than injuries. I’ve just been really enthused about what Kuechly can bring to the D.

Rivera’s sentiments were the same as mine – put the best football players on the field. He’s referring to this as “an experiment,” and things can and often do change before the start of the season, but LK is starting his career on the weak side. It’s a testament to his both to his versatility and the multiple issues surrounding Beason’s past.

Recall, he was arrested for assault in 2009 – before the Panthers gave him a huge contract. Other than last season and his injury, he hasn’t missed a start since joining the Panthers in 2007.

To be fair, 4-3 WILLs don’t rush the passer nearly as much as 3-4 WILLs do. Beason does have some injury history, but Thomas Davis’ is much worse. 3 ACL tears in 3 years is very consistent. Beason and LK are pretty much interchangeable parts, if LK performs like I expect him to.

It’s near-impossible to get inside the heads of coaches and you just go on what you know, so I figured Rivera wants a tackler like LK to do it.

Coaches often like to bring in key personnel of their own and Rivera being a former linebacker has intimate knowledge of the positions in particular.

I think what’s happening is Rivera’s hedging his bets. He knows he simply cannot count on Thomas Davis to be healthy. Beason is a top-five MLB when he’s healthy, and he doesn’t have quite the horrid injury track record that Davis has, but he’s had his own troubles nonetheless.

Since Davis is the more fragile of the two, on one hand it makes sense to insert LK at his spot. I GET IT. It means Davis will see the field less as a top reserve, thus reducing the weekly tear on his body. If he goes down, LK is still the starter and the team loses depth, not starting firepower.

If Beason goes down, LK will shift over to the middle and Davis will be pushed back into the starting lineup on the weak side – exactly as my fellow Catcrave writer Phillip Gramling just posted a few days ago. Nice job on that, Phillip!

If LK does eventually move to MLB, he can certainly handle it and I suspect he’ll perform at the WILL position just fine. He could play the SAM position too, as he’s able to cover most of the league’s TEs with his 4.55 speed…although the TE position is evolving before our eyes and there are a handful out there that no LB can really cover.

TEs like Vernon Davis, Gronk, Jermaine Gresham and a few others. More appear to be on the way, but that’s usually the SAM’s problem.

Beason got hurt chasing one last season without any contact being involved.

For the moment, at least, Rivera seems sold on Beason in the middle after calling his early-season achilles tear “a dire injury.” This is actually good news. Thomas Davis had an ACL tear and Beason had an Achilles tendon tear. They are 2 completely different animals.

Both are injuries that take about a year, give or take, to completely heal.

An ACL affects the knee and lateral movement and agility, but once it’s 100% again, the injured player can usually come back and perform at the same level. The Pats’ WR Wes Welker blew his out in late 2010 and amazingly came back to start on opening day in 2011. Check his stats, and you would never know anything was up.

The bad news is nobody has ever recovered their form after 3 ACL injuries on the same knee, reported the Charlotte Observer on April 19.

Achilles tendon tears affect straight-line speed more than anything, and players that have had this type of injury often never quite recapture their top-end speed again. Beason is the guy on the D to watch in training camp and the pre-season other than LK and the 2 young CBs.

Now, put all that together and it tells me Jon Beason has made quite a recovery and is probably 90%+ aright now, and he IS the team’s best defender – unproven rookies aside. He’s also got youth on his side as he is only 28 years old and that was a plus in his column when it came to healing. If he were a 35 yr old, he probably wouldn’t be as far along as he appears to be in his recovery.

It’s hard to stop the other team when you’re juggling the lineup at linebacker like the Panthers were forced to do last season. In my own perfect world, LK would be in the middle and Beason on the outside, but I’m sure Rivera and his defensive staff have some tricks up their sleeves with such a dynamic pair of guys.

The first thing any NFL QB has to do when he goes to the line to take the snap is ID the “Mike” ‘backer. I’m pretty sure Rivera’s going to use the Beason/LK duo to disguise defenses and create a little uncertainty on the other side of the line. Uncertainty is a death knell to any squad, and in the NFL any advantage you can legally get, you grab.

Stay tuned, folks, this situation is far from over. Just be happy that Beason is able to play MLB after such a “dire” injury last September.

Forget what *I* would love to see – the Panthers’ run defense would be helped by either guy in the middle. With BOTH on the field? I’d be surprised if the Panthers don’t have an upper-tier run defense in 2012 if both guys can stay healthy and LK plays like he’s capable of.

I can just see the two swapping positions pre-snap with the enemy QB barking out who the MIKE is: “52!…Red 98! Red 98! Er…59! 59, that is! No…52 again! Dammit, ref, Timeout!!”

In the meantime, Kuechly was working out at both the middle and weak linebacker spots yesterday.

Rivera’s hedging and preparing, as any coach would. LK’s presence alone offers the LB corps stability they lacked last season. Is it just a coincidence Kuechly was issued Rivera’s old number, 59?

Time will tell.

Beason to Play in the Middle, Kuechly the Weak Side - Cat Crave - Cat Crave - A Carolina Panthers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.