Hey guys, Shockers here. I hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving. I have had a lot of free time the last couple of days, so I've come out of the shadows to share my thoughts on the upcoming draft. Instead of talking about the Panthers today, I wanted to talk about the draft position with some of the teams. Knowing the needs of the other teams may potentially lead us to having a very productive draft next year.

The reason why I wrote this article is not to bring up the argument of  who we should draft, but to raise awareness of our draft position and where everyone else is positioned to draft. To me, there are notable 3 QBs and 2 WRs that will be gone in the first half of the first round: Matt Barkley, Robert Griffin III, Landry Jones, Justin Blackmon, and Alshon Jeffery. With the other losing teams in need of offensive talent, we may be in a great position to make the most out of our first round pick.

More after the jump,

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It seems that as we start to talk about the upcoming draft, I see that a few are blinded by the luxery picks of the upcoming draft, such as Blackmon, Jeffereys or some other players who will not impact the game as much as the defensive playmakers we absolutely need. If you need proof, there's no need to look further than our former coach's team, as well as the 49ers, and the Bengals.

It is true that the QB position may be the most important position in the game, but no QB is perfect, especially if your team has a rookie or an inconsistent QB under center. This is the case for the 49ers, Broncos, Bengals, and really many teams I have not mentioned. So how are these teams winning games when offensively, the Panthers have more weapons even without a true #2 WR or a consistent O-line? You need defense to give the QB better chance to change the outcome of the game, and Broncos do it with just 2 completed passes, something they could not do even with Lloyd in the lineup. Are these QBs better than Cam? Do they have better weapons offensively? Unless we have a long term answer at Oline (Kalil as BPA if he falls to us) there simply is no reason to go with another weapon on offense with the first pick.

I do have my own fantasy of having Blackmon and DJax line up in a spread, and have Cam Newton catch his own pass to the goalline but I simply have no logical explanation for that.

I would like to go over more in detail, but I'm sitting at Starbucks typing away while my tablet wont let me type after the jump. Let it be a lesson to us all that if you like Blackmon or have the urge to convert Cam to a RB, you can do it all in Madden, but there is no logical reason to draft someone who probably wont change the outcome of the game.

Thank you.

That's right guys. There are players who have been using this time of uncertainty to take a vacation, but not this guy. I met up with Everette Brown for a few tips on training in the off-season and also to catch up with what he's been up to.

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As you all may have seen the pictures from last year, I had a blast at this event last year... and it is happening again this upcoming Saturday!! Unfortunately, I got rocked after finding out about this event after my work schedule has already been set for this month... so I may not be able to stalk our Panthers this year, but you all should go.

Kick CF is for a great cause and here's the link if you want to reserve tickets:

http://kickcf.com/

I met a bunch of guys last year including Smitty, DeAngelo and Stew... and had the opportunity to hang with them (although I was not suppose to be in the VIP area) before the actual game... good times!!

Alright, guys.. your friendly neighborhood, Shockers here.

I wanted to first apologize for such a late post. I've been working on my time machine, and now we can finally go back in time to undo the mistakes we, the Panthers made.

Here's the game. We've gone back to 2010, and the Panthers are on the clock. Now, we've all seen how all the rookies performed this past season, so only we (the panthers fans) know the true value of the rookies that were taken last year.

Now, making any changes to our draft picks would obviously change the fate of the Panthers.. Not just our placing this year, but also injuries as well (but we do know that Matt blew even when healthy in 10-11). So we are going to assume that Moore and Davis will be healthy in the upcoming season (2010-2011).

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You see, I'm not the only panther peasant. Sorry for the wait guys, I'm sure that was as painful as waiting in line to get an autograph at this event.

Before I go on any further, I want to let y'all know that there were no rookies at this event due to some wack rookie/college rule... sucked for half of the people who showed up with their Jimmy Clausen jerseys.

Panthers in the Park was a fan appreciation event that was free for everyone to attend. It was a family-oriented event, where kids could hang out with their favorite (back up) players (more on this later). If you were too old to participate in the Play 60 challenge, you could wait in line by one of the booths for an autograph like the hundred others at the event.

...More after the jump

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http://www.panthers.com/community/article-1/Panthers-in-the-Park/e51052c8-e1a7-4f19-9206-4dc812e030a0

Join the "Panthers in the Park" on Tuesday, May 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Charlotte's venerable Freedom Park (1900 East Boulevard). The free event is open to the public and will give fans an opportunity to meet more than 30 Panthers players as well as finalists for the 2010 TopCats cheerleading squad and team mascot Sir Purr.

Family-oriented activities, including the popular Play 60 Kids Combine, and a variety of contests will be offered. Live entertainment will be provided by Mick and the Ultras and members of the Panthers drum line.

Panthers players will sign autographs at designated stations, and fans are invited to bring their own items to be signed. In consideration of others, only one item per fan is requested. Team pictures will also be available for fans.

"There is always a great deal of excitement surrounding the Carolina Panthers' mini-camp. Panthers in the Park will provide fans the chance to meet many of their favorite players once mini-camp concludes this coming weekend as well as enjoy a fun, family-oriented event," said Riley Fields, the Carolina Panthers director of community relations.

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ok, I kid I kid. I know y'all are waiting for the draft, so I thought I write something you guys could read about while watching the draft.

This definitely could have been the story if Moore didn't perform like he did last season. I just came back from the gym, and my boy, T.J. (not houshmandzadeh) who's worked there for 3-4 years has no idea today was the draft (He also tells me when the combine prospects come in and work out, so I can be inspired). I told him it was today, and he said "You know the Panthers are taking Tim Tebow. Jeff Davidson told me" I said "wtf? and Jeff Davidson?? When did he tell you this?" He said "Last September was when I last talked to him"

It makes sense. Moore just got his new contract, so if he hadn't stepped up like he did, we might have replaced him with Tebow.

I know I need to spell/grammar check, but I've been holding my poo for sometime now, so hope you guys enjoyed my short story. Sorry if I wasted any of your time...

Hey guys, I just got back from the tournament. I had to make it to the gym before it closed, so unfortunately I didn't get to watch the whole thing, but it was awesome hanging out with almost everybody in the Panthers roster. They are the classiest group of people you will ever meet, and I know you won't want to miss out on this great event next year.

Jordan's done a great job holding this event. It was for a great cause, and the locals came out to support Jordan and his family.

Steve Smith. Kids love him.

Here's the list of the players that I got to talk to and take pictures with:

Chris Harris, Tyler Brayton, Thomas Davis, Ryan Kalil, Steve Smith, Jason Baker, Everett Brown, Jordan Gross, Jeff King, Double Trouble, Gary Barnidge, Tony Fiametta, Matt Moore, Geoff Schwartz, Travelle Wharton, and Kenneth Moore

More pictures after the jump...

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I feel like there's more to what we're seeing that's keeping LB from playing this guy. Derrick Brown's obviously getting some minutes, and while I was watching his intro dance with the rest of the team tonight, it seemed to me that he was accepting whatever the role LB gave him and getting along with the rest of the team. Sure, it was just Derrick fooling around with the team, but getting high fives from his teammates and just enjoying his time as a rookie made me think more about Henderson's situation.

Gerald Henderson is probably having trouble with his pride first of all. He probably didn't get on LB's good side after refusing to go to D-league (although I'm sure there's a reason for LB sending Hendo there). But I'm starting to think that Hendo had problems with his attitude or work ethic to begin with, and LB wanted to fix that by sending him to the D-league I don't know.

I maybe speculating, but watching Hendo playing HORSE with Jordan made me think that he might be an outcast of the Bobcats group. Maybe 'cause he's a Dukie, maybe it's his attitude, don't know, but I'm starting to feel that it might be more than just his performance during practice.

What do you think about this Hendo mess? I hope this doesn't carry over to next year, because he doesn't even have much of a value right now, even if we wanted to trade him.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AldPLRSE2Tw2E571lT6Oh9wZc9AF?slug=nfp-mock_draft_50_html-201047

I don't really know what to think. I would not want to draft a quarterback that high, since there are still some reliable QB available that can back-up Moore (in FA) and we also have other pressing needs. In my opinion though, I don't think I'll be too unhappy with this pick if the Panthers decide to go with McCoy here. McCoy's raised his draft stock in the last couple of weeks, and I'm not surprised that he's a potential late first round pick. He's got an accurate arm, has good foot work, and he's a proven winner and a great leader.

Anyway, how much should we buy into this? I remember seeing an interview where McCoy mentioned that the Panthers might be interested. Would you be unhappy with this pick?

Before I get do-not-want dog pics all over the post, here's my reason.

It seems like no team's really out to get him right now, so what do think about T.O if we gave him something close to veteran minimum? I'm not saying he should be the 2nd option either, but I think after the draft, we could really have a good depth at WR (assuming we grab a WR).

T.O's no longer the deep threat he once was, but he still bring some good size and athleticism, and I think would be a good addition to the team. No one's really out to get him at this point, and I think with the right price, he could really be a bargain.

Here are some top WRs in the upcoming draft:

Dez Bryant
Golden Tate
Arrelious Benn
Demaryius Thomas
Mardy Gilyard

Now, I've seen mock drafts that have us take Mardy Gilyard with our 2nd round pick. Will most of the top WRs be taken off the board in the 1st round? What about Dexter McCluster? Would it be too early to grab him with the 2nd round pick? What are your thoughts on the WRs on this years draft?

I mean what should the Panthers do if Jake turnovers cost us the game?  This is not just another game for we have one of the toughest (if not the toughest) schedule in the league.  Should we look for another QB? Look for another head coach? It is too early in the season to be upset, but every game counts especially with our schedule right now.  If we lose the next game like the way we lost to the Eagles, should the fans ask for refunds?

I was just watching an interview with Munnerlyn about the OTA and I have to say, I really love his attitude.  Two other rookies I liked were Brown and Goodson.  I know it's too early to tell how they will develop, but after dealing with Peppers for awhile, I'm really appreciating the positive vibe coming from other players.  I think Jon Beason was one of the smartest draft picks from the organization, and despite what happened last season with Jake, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming season.

Who's your favorite pick from this year's draft?  Btw, I can't wait to stop by Audrey Kell High School to watch Smith coach some kids next week.  Yes, I'm a Steve Smith peasant 'cause I haven't met him in real life yet (Although I see Raymond Felton around a lot)

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d810a0506&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true


I'm not a fan of Young and I think he could improve his throws, but this kid still has potential and he's an athlete.

It sucks what happened in Tennessee but I think this kid has more to prove.

I doubt we can afford to grab anyone at the moment, but I think we really need more depth and competition at QB.

What do think of Vince Young and anywhere he could land at this point?