Here, however, I thought we’d take a look at the offensive talent that might be around when the Panthers pick in the second round, at number 44 overall.

Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford – 6’5″ 249 lbs

4.76 40-yard dash
24 reps
30.5″ vertical
111″ broad jump
7.08 3-cone drill
4.47 short shuttle

Ertz and Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert are very similar players.

Strengths: Good athlete with good speed and ability to line up anywhere – in the slot, H-back, receiver or tight end. Smart player that should be ahead of most rookies in learning an NFL offense. Day-one starter.

Weaknesses: Drops easy passes, rounds routes off sometimes. Strength is inadequate in run-blocking and he needs to add some bulk for strength for that phase to become a complete tight end.

Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee – 6’4″ 196 lbs

4.44 40-yard dash
39.5″ vertical
136-inch broad jump
4.33 short shuttle

Strengths: Can play any WR position, including the slot, to use his height advantage inside. Great leaper and plays even taller than his 6’4″ height. Has very good hands. Long-strider with good straight-line speed means he’s difficult to catch from behind.

Weaknesses: lacks bulk and may be easily rerouted at the NFL level. Not physical or particularly effective in run-blocking outside. Has durability concerns and should probably add a little bulk.

Oct 6, 2012; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (6) carries the ball while being defended by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Jemea Thomas (14) during the second quarter of the game at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson – 6’1″ 214 lbs.

4.57 40-yard dash
15 bench reps
35″ vertical
115″ broad jump
4.50 short shuttle

Strengths: Uses intelligence, fakes, and various moves and tricks to get open. Inventive, intuitive, and improvisational player. Good upper and lower body strength. Agile enough to make the first defender miss after the catch. Actually is a nasty run-blocker at times.

Weaknesses: Only average in size for WRs these days. A bit raw in his technique in run-blocking and lacks elite speed. Good, not great, athlete.

Robert Woods, WR, Southern Cal – 6’0″ 201 lbs.

4.51 40-yard dash
14 bench reps
34.5″ vertical
117″ broad jump
7.15 3-cone drill
4.47 short shuttle

Strengths: Has good speed and arm technique to battle defenders for the ball. Very good run-blocker for a receiver. Can make the catch in traffic. Has fluid hips, runs good routes, Isn’t afraid to go over the middle.

Weaknesses: Average size for NFL wideout. Can be pushed out of his routes by physical NFL corners.

Jan 21, 2013; Fairhope AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad wide receiver Quinton Patton of Louisiana Tech (4) pulls in a pass during practice at Fairhope municipal stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech – 6’0″ 204 lbs.

4.53 40-yard dash
8 bench reps
33″ vertical leap
118 broad jump
6.91 3-cone drill
4.01 short shuttle

Strengths: Average size, once again, but has long arms and large hands. Has good enough speed, but also has outstanding change of direction skills and agility, which showed up in his 3-cone and short shuttle times. Tracks the ball well in flight. Known to fake-out defenders when he’s not the primary receiver to clear more room for the primary. Crafty player. Tough runner for his size.

Weaknesses: Quicker than fast, he lacks ideal downfield speed to lose defenders when they don’t go for fakes. Hands are inconsistent.

Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert ran a 4.68-40, 22 bench reps, had a 35.5″ vertical leap and a 119″ long jump. Zach Ertz had a 4.76 40-time, 24 reps, 30.5 and 111.

Media darling Gavin Escobar from San Diego State didn’t really live up to the hype, posting a 4.84 time, 32-inch vertical and 114-inch long jump. No bench rest was available and it isn’t clear that he participated in that drill. Too bad, because his cone drills and other elements were all a small but noticeable bit behind those of Eifert and Ertz.

Almost sounds like a pair of movie critics or a tower and a rental car place but get used to them. I think this means that they are the two that are worthy of first round status while Escobar just fell into the second or third at least. There are too many questions here. Unless he shows something at his pro day, Escobar didn’t help his cause today.

What makes things even more unpredictable at the top two is that they are physically the same size and have similar strengths. This is probably where the combine can help some team either affirm or question their scouting of him. The E’s have it, and either one could go ahead of the other at this point.

Oklahoma’s OT Lane Johnson just muddied the waters quite a bit. He posted a blistering 4.72 time in the 40, 28 reps, 34-inch vertical, 118-inch long jump, with 7.31 and 4.52 7-cone and 3-cone drills.

Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M that protected Johnny Football’s blind side did horribly in some areas by comparison. He did have 27 bench reps, but ran a Rich Eisenesque 5.30 40-time, he posted decent cone drill times of 7.4 and 4.68 respectively and adding a 108-inch long jump.

The biggest difference in the two is the agility/speed aspect. While Joeckel’s a half step behind Johnson in short spaces that linemen need, he’s three or four steps behind him over a distance in pulling, for instance. Otherwise, Joeckel probably showed enough to for those that had him the top-rated OT in the draft will probably keep him there. He has shown good hand punch strength as well as the ability to redirect rushers to the outside. He’s average at best in the running game and lacks “elite” strength.

So what if he can’t outrun anyone? If he’s chasing people on the field, he’s already lost the down.

In short, it looks like Johnson has the upside for some of the modern NFL’s more esoteric offenses and bigger upside in general while Joeckel is the “day-one NFL starter” but has a lot less overall athletic ability than Johnson.