Oct 20, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

The best player in the coming draft according to many prognosticators is the left tackle out of Texas A&M Luke Joeckel. Joeckel is 6’6” and 310 lbs. CBS sports has this to say about Joeckel“Joeckel’s protection and space making ability has made qb Johnny Manziel”. Manziel or Johnny football as he is also known owes a large part of his success to Joeckel and his cohorts up front on the offensive line. According to CBS sports, as of 11-14-12, has Joeckel as the #1 prospect in the 2013 draft. Bear in mind Joeckel is an underclassman and could decide to go back to A&M for his senior season. Rob Rang has this to say about Joeckel “Joeckel eases back off the snap, showing the light feet, lateral agility and flexibility to handle speed and/or power as a pass blocker. He plays on the balls of his feet with his knees bent, hips down and arms extended in textbook form.
Joeckel isn’t a mauler in the running game, relying more on his technique and athleticism to seal off defenders rather than simply drive them off the ball but he’s a reliable performer in this regard, as well.
Joeckel isn’t a finished product, but he demonstrates such a combination of size and fluidity already that it isn’t tough to imagine a similar ascent up draft boards as we’ve seen in recent years from
the likes of Matt Kalil (Southern Cal) and even All-Pro Joe Thomas (Wisconsin), the No. 4 and No. 3 picks of the 2012 and 2007 NFL drafts, respectively.”

The book end at right tackle to Luke Joeckel is son of NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Mathews son, Jake Matthews. At 6’5” and 305 Jake is every bit the quality at RT that Luke Joeckel is at LT. He is the best RT in the draft should he decide to declare for the draft. Rob Rang had this to say about Matthews ”Matthews is quick off the snap and uses his long, strong arms and good mobility to control his opponents when pass blocking. He can get himself in trouble when he stops moving his feet but more often that not once he grabs ahold of his opponent, it is game over for the defense.
In much this same way, Matthews is a terrific run blocker. Though athletic enough to surprise defenders with an occasional chop block or slipping out to the second level to nail a linebacker, he’s at his best simply driving defensive ends off the ball and creating lanes for A&M’s running backs to slice through.
Matthews’ lack of elite foot speed and balance may
limit just how high he can go on draft day but if he proves capable of handling the jump in athleticism he’s likely to face in the SEC, a top 40 grade is certainly within his grasp.”

Nov 3, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Michigan Wolverines offensive linesman Taylor Lewan (77) makes a block in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

Taylor Lewan is perhaps the 2nd best LT in the country. The Michigan junior has had a good year. He leads the Wolverine offensive line which had allowed only 7 sacks through November 7, 2012. Lewan is a redshirt junior who could decide to go back to Michigan and not declare for the draft. Dane Brugler had this to say about Lewan “With good height and length, he looks the part and has the frame to play on the left side at the next level, adding nearly 50 pounds since his senior year in high school. A former defensive lineman, Lewan is known as a self-starter with a mean streak and nasty attitude on the field, but is also expected to become more of a leader as a junior in 2012. He keeps his head on a swivel and has the competitive drive to win one-on-one battles, but needs to stay focused to cut down on penalties and use proper footwork and technique, not simply relying on his natural ability. While not considered to be on the same level as former

Wolverine Jake Long, who went No. 1 overall in 2008, Lewan has top-32 potential and will be a early-round prospect to watch in 2012.”

Should those players decide to forgo the instant fame and wealth they’re assured in the NFL, I believe the Panthers should still look to improve the offensive line. They could do this by drafting Chance Warmack.

Warmack is 6’2” and 322 lbs. Many scouts see his height as a disadvantage, Warmack however turns it to his advantage. He is able to get under the pads of the interior defensive lineman and make use of the leverage gained. Rob Rang says this about Warmack “Warmack is considerably lighter on his feet than one would expect given his stout frame and, like Jones, is adept at meeting and eliminating linebackers at the second level.
In pass protection, Warmack does a nice job of supplying an initial punch and grasping hold of his opponent, showing good lateral agility to slide, as well as the anchor to handle powerful bull-rushers.

Sep 3, 2011; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide coach Jeff Stoutland talks with Chance Warmack (65) during the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Bryant Denny Stadium. The Tide defeated the Flashes 48-7. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-US PRESSWIRE

Due to his lack of height, Warmack may lack the position versatility of his more recognizable linemates but he is further along in his development than Fluker and, frankly, makes more eye-popping blocks than Jones.
While his size means that he’ll be relegated strictly to interior blocking in the NFL, with another strong campaign Warmack could be one of the few pure interior linemen to earn a top 50 grade next April.”

The need for improved offensive line play is evident by how underwhelming the running game has been. As bad as the run blocking has been, the passing blocking has been even worse. Jordan Gross has been a great Panther and a great citizen for the city of Charlotte. Unfortunately his best days are behind him. He has been bested by the NFL’s best and his physical skills have diminished. Gross was never a very physical blocker, he relied more on good footwork, leverage and technique as opposed to using strength and power. Well with age Gross has lost a step and is now vulnerable to speed and bull rushes. I think it is time to draft the next generation of left tackle and move Gross over to the right side until we are sure of the development of Byron Bell.The best teams in the NFL have good to great offensive lines, we have neither. This draft presents us with the chance to make dramatic improvement to our offensive line in a short amount of time. Of course acquiring these players largely depends on the draft position of the Carolina Panthers. It seems fair to say we should be a top 5 pick and anyone of these players will be an upgrade to our abysmal offensive line.

God Bless!

Follow me on Twitter @JoeRiollano

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.

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s how I would like to see our depth chart look at the beginning of the season:

Carolina Panthers 2012 Depth Chart

QB- Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Jimmy Clausen
RB- DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Princeton McCarty
FB- Mike Tolbert, Gary Barnidge
WR- Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, Keolah Pilares
WR- David Gettis, Joe Adams, Darvin Adams
TE- Greg Olsen, Gary Barnidge, Ben Hartsock
LT- Jordan Gross, Bruce Campbell,
LG- Amini Sliatolu, Mike Pollack
C- Ryan Kalil, Geoff Hangartner,
RG- Geoff Hangartner, Lee Zimba
RT- Jeff Otah, Garry Williams, Byron Bell
DE- Charles Johnson, Frank Alexander
DE- Greg Hardy, Thomas Keiser, Antwan Applewhite
DT- Ron Edwards, Sione Fua, Jason Shirley
DT- Terrel McClain, Frank Kearse
WLB- Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis,
MLB- Jon Beason, Luke Kuechly, Jordan Senn
SLB- James Anderson, Jason Williams
CB- Chris Gamble, Josh Norman, Darius Butler
CB- Brandon Hogan, Captain Munnerlyn
SS- Charles Godfrey, Jordan Pugh
FS- Reggie Smith, Haruki Nakamura
K- Olindo Mare
P- Brad Nortman,
KR- Joe Adams, Keolah Pilares
PR- Joe Adams, Keolah Pilares

* Princeton McCarty is an undrafted free agent we signed. Since Tolbert has officially been labeled by Hurney and Rivera as a fullback that means that there is going to be a pretty fierce competition for the 3rd running back spot. McCarty is a smaller back, but has blazing speed and could replace Goodson as the “scat-back”.

I think Gettis has loads of potential and will be able to put up big numbers if he’s given a full year as a starter. I think he’ll beat out LaFell for starting spot in camp. But even if he does LaFell is a solid player and will still see a bunch of playing time.

Outside of Chris Gamble the corner position is kind of up for grabs, however, i just dont think Munnerlyn has the talent to cover the better receivers in this league and its time we went in another direction. I like Hogan and if he’s healthy and given an opportunity I think he’ll shine. And I also believe Norman could compete for a starting spot as well.

Sherrod Martin should not be a starting safety in this league and its time we cut ties with him. Reggie Smith started games for San Francisco and played well so he should do until we can draft a more permanent guy, but he’s definitely an upgrade from Martin.

Feel free to comment and give your suggestions about what you agree with or disagree with.