Carolina Panthers: 2009 NFL Draft do-over (6 Rounds)

Carolina Panthers 2009 Draft: Captain Munnerlyn (No. 216)

The Carolina Panthers made an amazing pick here. Captain Munnerlyn had a very successful career and was an absolute steal at No. 216 overall.

In his five years with the Panthers, Munnerlyn had eight interceptions and took five of them back for touchdowns. He also had 357 tackles and four forced fumbles.

Munnerlyn spent three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings following his time in Carolina. He had four interceptions and 172 tackles before returning to the Panthers for the remainder of his career.

There were players like Julian Edelman available at this spot. But the Panthers had already drafted two receivers in this scenario and the New England Patriot came into the draft as a quarterback. So who knows if he would have become the receiver we all know him as today.

Undrafted free agents like Arian Foster and Britton Colquitt were available but Munnerlynn is still the better pick. His career was better than those two players. Especially Foster who fell out of the league after his few good seasons.

It’s hard to find starting-caliber players this late in the draft. And the Panthers hit the nail right on the head with this pick.

Munnerlyn would have played alongside Jason McCourty and Glover Quin in this situation. The Panthers would have had a solid secondary and their defense would have been much improved.