Round 1: Chance Warmack G, Alabama- I couldn’t believe my unbelievable good luck that Chance Warmack was still sitting there at pick 14. My opinion is that our biggest need is offensive line, so what better way to fill a need than to take the guy that a lot of draft pundits say is the best player, overall, in this draft. He’s an immediate upgrade over Geoff Hangartner and helps us protect our $22 million dollar investment and franchise quarterback, Cam Newton. Even if offensive line wasn’t our biggest need you still can’t pass on a guy like Warmack.

Round 2: D.J. Swearinger S, University of South Carolina- You could be speculating as to why I didn’t take a defensive tackle here. With the re-signing of Dwan Edwards our defensive line dodged a huge blow. While Sione Fua can be a liability I trust Luke Kuechly, Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy, Jon Beason, and Thomas Davis to pick up his slack. I don’t have the same confidence that they can pick up the slack of Charles Godfrey and Haruki Nakamura/DJ Campbell. D.J. Swearinger can line up at any safety position and is an excellent run defender. I would feel more comfortable with him in coverage on Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez, etc. than I would any of our other safeties. He is the safety that Charles Godfrey should have been if he were able to tackle or cover.

Round 4: Stedman Bailey WR, West Virginia- This guy screams Steve Smith 2.0. While he doesn’t have the return gifts that Steve Smith has, he has all of the other gifts that Steve Smith has. He’s an excellent route runner, has great hands, good athlete, and is an intelligent player. There are questions surrounding him playing anywhere but in the slot but I think that he can eventually transition to being a number one receiver in the NFL. I truly believe that. Regardless of where he plays he will be a dangerous weapon for Cam.

Round 5: Vance McDonald TE, Rice University- Yet another weapon for Cam Newton. I am really high on Vance McDonald and had to take him since he was still available. I think he’s going to be a monster in the NFL. While his blocking leaves a lot to be desired he is an incredible pass catcher. He was lined up everywhere in Rice’s offense, but was primarily used in the slot. He was a multi-sport athlete and has great athleticism. I dream of an offense that includes Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell,  Stedman Bailey, Greg Olsen, and Vance McDonald all on the field at the same time. It wouldn’t matter if the Bucs have Revis. Our offense would be scary. We would finally fill that hole that Jeremy Shockey left when he was released. He was just too good to pass on.

Round 6: A.J. Francis DT, Maryland- I know I needed to address the defensive tackle position but there were players that were there that I couldn’t pass on. Round six saw A.J. Francis still available so I jumped on him. He’s a total sleeper pick, but I think he would do well in our offense lined up next to Dwan Edwards. He’s a space eater and a run stopper. Exactly what we need. Most sites have this guy being un-drafted but I think he will turn out to be a competent defensive tackle in the NFL.

In order to improve from season to season, players must get better.  Believe it or not rookies can help improve a team more than by performing well.  You constantly hear that Luke Kuechly or Joe Adams had great stats but never how they served as a leader to the team.

Ron Rivera stated earlier this week that once Jon Beason was out for the season, the defense lacked communication.

Even if all of the rookie, which is very unlikely, are not starters, then if the starter were to get injured they must bring that leadership to fill in the void.  While coaches would want to have the void filled statistically, the rest of the defense or offence could suffer without that glue to make them a team.

I look at two rookies who I think will make an impact immediately:  Luke Kuechly and Joe Adams!

If Beason or Davis were to get hurt again, knock on wood, then it is important that Kuechly communicate and keep a struggling defense in tact.  Kuechly is a leader that can still be heard even if Beason is on the field, you could say that he has Beason’s blind side!

Joe Adams not only will bring a dead special teams back to life again, but he will encourage everyone in the process.  Many people that meet Adams refer to the Tennessee game, where he broke nine tackles on a punt return touchdown.  It’s that fight in him to never give up on a play that will really boost the spirits on special teams.

He will also carry a momentum to the offence to help them start closer to the endzone and finish drives more efficiently.

Other rookies like Amini Silatolu and Josh Norman will be two rookies that will give a good competition for there respective positions, but will more than likely extend on being a leader under Chris Gamble and Jordan Gross.

Rookie punter Brad Nortman will have to show that he can handle competition being that he is not the only punter on the team anymore, thanks to Nick Harris.

Frank Alexander will defiantly need to step up if he wants to start.  The opposite end of Charles Johnson needs to apply pressure and the only way I see Alexander showing leadership is that he steps up and plays big like he did in Oklahoma.

DJ Campbell, the last of the draft picks, can really only watch as the position of safety has seven people in the depth chart, with him being last.

It will be interesting to see how the rookies step up from here, but one thing that I do know is that the Carolina Panthers will most likely have improvement to their 6-10 season a year ago.

The Carolina Panthers, once again, need to address the situation known as their Quarterback. Most writers, and experts, believe that this will be done through Free Agency or Trades, but I see differently. In recent weeks, more QB’s have stepped up and shown they could be a #1 pick.

I already discussed the possibility of Cam Newton, but I think it necessary to touch on him once again. His media work out proved he has something hidden up his sleeve. He’s showing talent in every inch of his body. The kid is full of God given talent, and I still think he deserves the #1 pick. He has the risk/reward factor attached, but I feel the reward far outweighs the risk.

Okay, on to new recruits.

Christian Ponder: Please don’t hang me high for even mentioning his name, but in the last month the stock on Ponder has risen tremendously. During the season his accuracy and his overall throwing ability were question to no extent. All the experts thought he had no chance in the NFL, and they had good reason. He threw for 20 touchdowns and 8 int’s this season, which isn’t bad. That is, until you look at his attempts. Ponder only threw the ball 299 times, and he barely surpassed 2,000 yards. In 2009, Ponder threw for 2,717 yards, 14 TD’s and 7 int’s; in 2008, he threw for 2006 yards, 14 TD’s and 13 int’s. The stats, obviously, show improvement, and you can’t deny that while missing 2 games this season, he did well. He has the ability to lead a team, and I’m a sucker for the intangibles. Even more impressive: his showing in the Senior Bowl. While everyone was out to watch Jake Locker and Andy Dalton, Ponder came out and showed he might be the best Senior QB in the draft. Before I put my faith in Ponder, I need to see him in the NFL Combine. Until then, he has my vote as the best Senior QB in the draft.

Andy Dalton: Oh, Andy Dalton. Underrated and low stock. I bet high on Dalton, every time I watch the kid play. His intangibles are out the door, and his talent is through the roof. I won’t even go into reasons the experts are selling Dalton so low, because frankly, I sell him high. Let’s take a look at his stats for the past 2 years. In 2010, Dalton threw for 2,857 yards, 27 TD’s,6 picks, he ran for 450 yards, and 6 rushing TD’s. In 2009, Dalton threw for 2,756 yards, 23 TD’s and 8 picks. Sure, you can talk about him playing weaker opponents with cruddy defenses, but Dalton played for a run-first offense. These stats don’t lie, and Dalton has talent that could translate well into the NFL. He’s accurate and he has an arm. Playing for that run-first offense showed off his amazing talent. He’s got what it takes to be and NFL QB on so many levels. I will always throw intangibles in the mix, because of two reasons: Jake Delhomme and Colt McCoy. Both of them are decent passers, but they have what it takes to win. Delhomme wasn’t the best passer, by far, but his intangibles made him a good QB. McCoy, on the other hand, was touted as too small, and not enough power, but he brought down big teams this past season. Andy Dalton, in my mind, might not be a #1 pick, but he can be our QB of the future. He has everything the Panthers need, and could be one amazing 2nd-3rd round gem.

Ryan Mallett: 6’7 and 240 pounds. Mallett is another prime example of the “New Era” NFL QB. Mallett has it all, accuracy, arm strength, and the size. He was a top QB on a slightly decent Razorbacks squad. Without a dominant team behind him, Mallett managed 3,869 yards, 32 TD’s, and 12 picks. Also, his only two losses this season came to Cam Newton and Auburn, and Alabama. Both teams dominated the SEC this year, and you can’t lay the losses on Mallett. Under Mallett, the Razorbacks had the 4th rated Pass offense in the NCAA at 333.7 per game. Mallett led that passing attack with his spectacular arm. Mallett even had a great performance in the Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State. Mallett is all that and more, he brings game to field, and leaves nothing behind. Watching the kid play, you can tell he is going to be an NFL star one day. In this draft, Mallett is most definitely the most NFL ready, and come Combine time, everyone will notice.

Yes, Jake Locker is not present in my draft possibilities, because as I see it, he’s not in the top 5 of QB’s. I see these guys as the best QB’s in the draft, and until the Combine it will stay that way. Locker may have the hype, but has yet to even come close to the shadow of that hype. I need convincing on Locker’s part.

Stay tuned for part 3, where I’ll begin to address the skills positions.