Two Scouts Leaving Panthers
- The Panthers‘ personnel department is undergoing some changes, though those changes involve employees leaving of their own accord rather than being fired. Per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, Carolina’s college scouting director Ryan Cowden is leaving to take a position with the Titans, while college scout John Peterson is retiring.
Panthers Agree To Sign Seven UDFAs
The Panthers have agreed to terms with seven undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s a breakdown of the players who will officially be joining Carolina’s 90-man roster, according to the club:
- TE Andrew Bonnet (North Dakota State)
- LB Jeremy Cash (Duke)
- WR Keyarris Garrett (Tulsa)
- FB Devon Johnson (Marshall)
- TE Jake McGee (Florida)
- LB Jared Norris (Utah)
- WR Jenson Stoshak (Florida Atlantic)
Panthers' Daryl Worley Has Off-Field Concerns
- Even after enduring the Greg Hardy saga, the Panthers used a third-round pick on cornerback Daryl Worley, who faced a battery charge in 2014. As Freeman details, both Panthers GM Dave Gettleman and Worley himself were prepared to answer questions about the incident, and Carolina feels comfortable that its done enough research on the pick.
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Gettleman Admits He Drafted For CB Need; Kugbila Has Visits Lined Up
- Most GMs like to say that they do not reach for need during the draft and that they will select the best player available, regardless of position. As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk writes, Panthers GM Dave Gettleman admitted last night that he adapted his strategy to make sure the team could adequately fill out its defensive back depth chart after the Josh Norman saga that ended when Norman signed with Washington. To that end, Carolina drafted three corners–James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, and Zack Sanchez–that looked like reaches to many fans. Gettleman insisted, though, that he did not reach, but he had to focus on corners to prevent a “position disaster.”
- Former Panthers offensive lineman Edmund Kugbila, whom Carolina selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft but who has yet to play a single professional snap due to various injuries, has been medically cleared to play and has several visits lined up, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Draft Rumors: Tunsil, Ravens, Cardinals, Bears
As soon as the seventh round came to a close, NFL clubs immediately begin placing calls in attempts to sign undrafted free agents. While we will be sharing that information eventually, the sudden flurry of activity makes it difficult to track in real time. As such, we’ll wait until teams formally announce their UDFA signings before we post the news (along with accompanying signing bonuses).
Here’s the latest as the 2016 draft is in the rearview mirror…
- Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome denied a report that his club would have drafted Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil except for a social media posting that showed him smoking out of bong, tweets Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun. Baltimore selected fellow tackle Ronnie Stanley instead of Tunsil.
- Bruce Arians says the Cardinals had a grade on a quarterback in every round, but other teams picked the signal-callers in question before Arizona got the chance, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Steelers tried to trade back into the fifth round, says general manager Kevin Colbert, but no other clubs wanted to trade back, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).
- Having lost Brad Nortman to the Jaguars over the offseason, Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says his team would have selected a punter in the seventh round had a draft-worthy one been available, reports David Newton of ESPN.com. Gettleman also relayed that he declined offers to trade up because Carolina is already missing a 2017 seventh-rounder and didn’t want to give up more capital (Twitter link via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer).
- The Bears plan to target tight ends in undrafted free agency, GM Ryan Pace told Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
Newton: Panthers Should Pursue Veteran CB
- ESPN.com’s David Newton believes the Panthers will pursue a veteran cornerback following the draft (Twitter link).
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Panthers Acquire 77th Pick From Browns
The Panthers have acquired the 77th pick from the Browns, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), and have chosen West Virginia defensive back Daryl Worley, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. In addition to No. 77, the Panthers received the 141st choice in exchange for Nos. 93, 129 and 168, per Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). The 77th selection has changed hands multiple times, with Detroit previously sending it to Philadelphia and then the Eagles trading it to the Browns.
Worley was a playmaker at West Virginia, where he picked off 10 passes during his three-year college career, including a personal-best six last season. Along with free agent pickup Brandon Boykin and second-rounder James Bradberry, Worley’s presence in Carolina should help to fill the void left by star cornerback Josh Norman, whom the team pulled the franchise tag from last week. Norman went on to sign with Washington.
Panthers Claim DT Robert Thomas Off Waivers
- The Panthers opened the 2016 league year with only two defensive tackles under contract, but have been active in adding depth at the position in recent weeks. The latest addition to the team’s defensive line is Robert Thomas, who was cut by the Dolphins on Thursday — Carolina claimed him off waivers today, per Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
Draft Rumors: Day 2, Ragland, Ravens, Cowboys
The consensus from evaluators is that there are more talented players still available today than they had anticipated, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That means that we could see a lot of trade activity take place early on in the second round. Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the Browns, Titans, and Cowboys, who hold the first three picks of the second round, are all getting phone calls about possible trades.
Here are a few more draft updates and rumors, with the second round less than two hours from getting underway:
- Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link) surveyed 11 teams about linebacker Reggie Ragland‘s enlarged aorta and none of those clubs expressed concern. Ragland, he adds, is still expected to come off the board early on in tonight’s proceedings.
- Reports last night suggested that the Ravens and Cowboys discussed a trade involving the fourth and sixth overall picks, but Dallas balked because Baltimore would have selected running back Ezekiel Elliott. Per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Ravens actually wanted to move up for defensive back Jalen Ramsey. However, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets that the Cowboys believed the Ravens were eyeing Elliott, and didn’t want to miss out on both Elliott and Ramsey by sliding down two spots.
- Agent Jimmy Sexton helped to stop Laremy Tunsil‘s slide on Thursday night by having his client call into war rooms and talk to team decision makers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. In those conversations, Tunsil owned the past drug use shown in the video.
- Here’s a fun fact from Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter): Chip Kelly’s NFL teams have used 11 of their 23 picks on Pac-12 players, the most picks from a single conference by any head coach in that time. The 49ers, of course, used their two first-round picks last night on Oregon’s DeForest Buckner and Stanford guard Joshua Garnett.
- The Cardinals, Panthers, Falcons, and Seahawks are keeping their eyes peeled today for a backup quarterback, Ian Rapoport tweets.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Panthers Backed Off Of Myles Jack At No. 30
- The Panthers had UCLA linebacker Myles Jack on their draft board when they selected at No. 30, but the knee injury kept them from taking him, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. “Very frankly, the kid came out and said he is going to need microfracture (surgery),” GM Dave Gettleman said. Earlier today we learned that the Cowboys are not considering Jack with their early second round selection.