Carolina Panthers: 2012 NFL Draft do-over (6 rounds)
By Josh Linares
player. Scouting Report. CALIFORNIA. 104. WR. MARVINJONES. 87. Pick Analysis
Carolina Panthers 2012 Draft Pick No. 104: Marvin Jones Jr. over Joe Adams
With their second pick in the fourth round, the Carolina Panthers selected Arkansas return specialist Joe Adams. He started the 2012 season and through three games the player wasn’t too bad and looked to have a lot of potential.
In week three when the Panthers faced off against the New York Giants, Adams was again the return man but this a day that will haunt him forever. He fumbled two kick returns and lost both of them. He was benched as Carolina’s return man before the game was over.
Adams participated in the rest of the Panthers games that season but was never again their main return man. Following the 2012 season, he was released and hasn’t been in the NFL since.
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The Panthers should have passed on the return specialist and should have taken the receiver who would go on to be one of the best number two wideouts in the league.
With the 166th pick, the Cincinnati Bengals selected California’s Marvin Jones. He was selected to be the receiver opposite of star receiver A.J. Green.
Jones played well for the Bengals. In his four years with the team, he had 134 catches for 1,729 yards and 15 touchdowns. When he left the Bengals he finally became a must-watch receiver.
Jones signed a five-year, $40 million dollar deal with the Detroit Lions before the 2016 season. He was coming in to be the No. 1 target for Matthew Stafford since Calvin Johnson had retired.
In his first two seasons with the Lions, Jones was a great receiver. He caught 116 passes for 2,031 yards and 13 touchdowns. And he had finally made his way to being a No. 1 target.
These past two seasons Jones has still been productive but has been battling injures. He’s missed 11 games over the 2018 and 2019 season and has also taken a back seat to breakout star Kenny Golladay.
Jones is still a very good receiver and has a lot of football left in him. If the Panthers would have selected Jones over Adams they would have had someone to take a lot of the focus off of Steve Smith.