http://charlotte.com/209/story/76173.html

Good for him. He will be an excellent member of their community in Charlotte. I just hope that they are not planning on using him as a QB. He just is not the guy that we all thought we were getting. I guess if we had gotten him for a lower price than a first overall selection, I wouldn't have been so hard on him. But if you bill yourself as a star QB and then play like a D-II deer in headlights, you'll get ran out of town. Anyways, best of luck to David and the Panthers.

ATLANTA -- Kevin Durant of Texas was selected Friday as The Associated Press' college basketball player of the year, the first freshman to receive the honor.

The 6-foot-9 swingman finished fourth in the country in scoring (25.8) and rebounding (11.1) while leading the Longhorns to a 25-10 record, the Big 12 tournament championship game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Durant received all but two votes for player of the year from the 72-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Senior forward Alando Tucker of Wisconsin, the Big Ten player of the year, got the other two votes.

Durant, the Big 12 player and freshman of the year, shot 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line. He averaged 36 minutes per game and led the Longhorns in steals and blocked shots. He had 20 double-doubles and scored at least 30 points a Big 12-record 11 times.

In Texas' five postseason games, he averaged 28.5 points and 9.6 rebounds.

He is the first Texas player to receive the award, which was first presented in 1961.

J.J. Redick of Duke won the award last season.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

With the Tex-Anns now locked in at QB for the season, where do GM Ricky and Coach Kubes turn their focus?
A: We still have one and a half NFL receivers (AJ and Walters) for our new QB to throw to. It seems as though that would be the easiest area to upgrade as a slot guy could fall easily to the third round.
B: Offensive line is still offensive. Now we do not have the ability to get a lineman until the third round at the earliest, assuming their is no lineman worth the 10th pick. No Levi is not that good. I'm fairly confident Gm Ricky will pull another guy like C. Spencer from the pile. He's done an admirable job of judging talent on the lines which is difficult to do.
C: Secondary is still a huge concern for me. Who wants to see another game like the eagles last year when Stallworth blasted our corner and safety twice in the opening minutes for 80+ yards. Ifeel a little faint after bringing that repressed memory up, but I'll keep going.
D: D-line is also a target for the brass right now. I wouldn't be adverse to them picking the giant dude from Michigan to plug the middle. Lord knows you can't have enough of those and last time I counted we don't have any.

So, what say you?  

Did anyone else read that 6'6" Michigan DT Alan Branch was asked to show his breakdancing skills to the Texans brass during his interview during the combine? Well he did and they were very impressed. Our scouting department must be very advanced in the grading of pop and lock.

This question begs to be asked, If dancing has a measurable effect on the field, Who else would we look at to fill some of our positional gaps? Justin Timberlake at wideout? Shakira at QB?

My favorite part of the draft is seeing some of my favorite college players go in the late rounds and try to make a squad as a Special teamer or win a spot outright a la Marques Colston. Reading the Chronicle this weekend, the story about ex-UT RB Ramonce Taylor got me all fired up again. ***Disclaimer: Deep down I know he is a thug and would probably smoke his entire signing bonus, but I have seen him be Reggie Bush-like in his time at UT. *** Personally, if Taylor is there at the fourth round, I think he'd be a steal. Now I know there are other guys out there who you have watched and think would be an asset outside of the Kiper Big Board. Any suggestions for second day sleepers?

I liked the approach Kubiak and Smith took with free agents last year, signing multiple players at lower prices to try and build some depth and improve a few starting positions. With that type of offseason again, the Tex-Anns might have a legit shot at mediocrity in 2007.***** If they decide to go after a big fish, who do ya'll think we should throw some cap space at? *****Personally, I'd love to see Ravens OLB/DE/BAMF Thomas lining up on Weaver's side. It gives us the ability to go heavy on skill positions in the draft and probably still bring in a new FS/SS or OT via FA.