woodbuck27
05-07-2007, 03:25 PM
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10163037
How did Panthers clean up in draft? GM Hurney tells tale
May 2, 2007
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Judge: Kudos to Carolina
I used to subscribe to the idea that teams that know how to play the free-agent game generally don't know how to draft, and teams that know how to draft generally don't know how to attack free agency.
Dwayne Jarrett and Jon Beason both? The Panthers can't believe their good fortune in the draft. (AP)
Then Carolina came along.
Until now, the Panthers have been a club that helped itself through free agency and produced mixed results in the draft. Then this year arrived, and the Panthers basically ignored free-agency -- with David Carr the exception -- to concentrate on the draft.
Result: Home-run derby.
Carolina picked up the draft's best outside linebacker, a record-breaking receiver, the best center and Linebacker U's most versatile defender. OK, so the Panthers didn't find that safety they're missing. They found something of value almost everywhere else, which is why they let Keyshawn Johnson walk.
I could go on, but general manager Marty Hurney is here to explain what the Panthers were doing and how they did it. The floor is yours, Marty:
Jon Beason, LB, Miami
Hurney: "We said going in that, unless somebody fell who wasn't supposed to fall, when we were at 14 we'd consider a trade back into the 20s to see if we could pick up an extra pick. We talked to several teams during the week to see if they were interested in coming up, and the Jets were one of those teams. So we thought we'd have options.
"We made a list of six or seven players we would be happy to have if we traded back and got an additional pick. As we went through the teams and into the 20s, there weren't many of the six or seven on the list that were going. In fact, as we got to 25 only two players on our list were chosen.
"We prioritized the list, and Jon Beason was on the top of the players remaining. So we selected him. Obviously, his position versatility was appealing. He's a guy who can come in and compete for a starting role, but, in case of injuries, can always move inside. In our position, to be able to play the 'Will' and 'Mike' positions is a big plus.
"The bottom line is: We just liked him as a football player. He's an explosive player who makes impact plays. He's a guy you want to have on your team as a player and as a person. Everything you hear about him at the University of Miami is that he's the type of guy who would control the locker room; was a team guy; was a guy who would motivate; and was someone who, if there were issues, would take care of them in the locker room. So he was our kind of person."
Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC
Hurney: "You know that list I was talking about? He was on it.
"We were shocked he was there at 45. We knew he would probably drop some because of his 40 time in the workout. But just off our scouts' grades and coaches' grades as a receiver we had him as a first-round talent. So when he was there at 45 we were delighted.
"(Receiver) obviously was a need going in. After we took the linebacker, we wanted to help our offense -- and this was our chance. When a receiver like Dwayne Jarrett is sitting there at 45 you're surprised, but you're ecstatic, too.
"Did we think about trading up to get him? Well, it's hard. Anytime you like a guy you start twitching. It takes a lot of discipline in the room to stick to your plan, and we worked hard to get that extra draft pick.
"Coming into this draft we felt it was strong and deep and that there were guys in every round who had a chance to help your team. So we didn't want to give up any picks. As much as we wanted him to be there and as much as we wanted to have him, we decided to stay pat and roll the ice.
"Of course, when Minnesota chose before us and you hear, 'Wide receiver ...,' you cringe. But it worked out for us."
Ryan Kalil, C, USC
Hurney: "This is a guy you never would dream you could have. The way we were positioned we thought he would be gone in the first round. And, if not by then, certainly by the 59th pick in the second.
"When he was sitting there he was the best player on our board, and there was no way we could pass him up. You just can't.
"I think everyone would say they had him as the best center in the draft. And I think he would compare to the top guys in previous drafts. That's why we chose him. As I said: When you have someone like that you can't pass him up."
Charles Johnson, DE, Georgia
Hurney: "It's funny, but there was a run on defensive ends in the second and third rounds. And there were a lot of ends that went off ahead of him.
"I know I've said this before, but we were surprised he was there, too. When you have a situation like this you're delighted because he's there. You're also surprised. But then you start saying, 'Why are these people still here?' Time will tell, but we feel very fortunate he was there. He's young, and he's got a ton of upside. So we'll see."
Ryne Robinson, WR, Miami (Ohio)
Hurney: "Is this our Devin Hester pick? Yes. We really felt like we needed a returner, and there were two or three guys who fit in that mold. Obviously guys like Ted Ginn Jr. and Yamon Figurs are two of them.
"Robinson is someone we felt would be available the second day. Not only is he a guy who can step right in and return punts for us, but there's really no reason why he can't do kickoff returns, too.
He also caught 91 balls last year for Miami of Ohio, so he has a chance to be a slot receiver.
"We had hoped he would be there, but we thought it would be close. Our hope was that he would be our first choice in Day 2. And he was."
Dante Rosario, TE, Oregon
Hurney: "He can play fullback, the 'move' position, the 'H-back' or whatever you want to call it, and he can play on the line. He's just one of those guys who does everything well and doesn't have one standout trait.
"His timed 40 speed is probably why he was there. He's a very reliable receiver. He's a good blocker. He has quickness in and out of his breaks. In short, he does everything well. He's one of those guys people don't know much about, but someone you can get excited about and someone who might turn out to be one of the surprises of this draft.
"Can he start? I think he could fill a role. If you use 'H-back' type as a movement guy ... we feel he can do that. And he can help you at fullback. He can play so many different positions, and he's so versatile he'll fit in as a role guy.
"Really, we use our tight ends like that. We've used all three in different roles as the season goes along, and I think he will be able to do that with Dante, as well as have him play special teams."
Tim Shaw, LB, Penn State
Hurney: "Tim Shaw was the second-day equivalent to Ryan Kalil -- someone who kept sitting there on our board and someone we could not pass up. He's a throwback: a tough, smart football player and a blue-collar guy who will come in and immediately help your special teams.
"As I said, he kept sitting there at the top, so you couldn't pass him up. One of the things we like about him is that he can play outside or inside, and, frankly, I'm not sure where we start him. I think numbers will dictate that. But he'll come in and make his mark on special teams and make his mark at linebacker."
C.J. Wilson, DB, Baylor
Hurney: "He's someone who can play corner or safety. We drafted him with the intention of putting him at safety, which was our one need as the board continued to fall.
"The minus side with all these good players falling to us was that none of them was a safety. But we feel like C.J. is one of those athletic guys who can come in and play safety for us, which is why we took him here.
"I think we addressed a lot of needs, and we needed to because we were relatively quiet in free-agency. That's why we traded back to get that extra pick. We felt like we helped a lot of positions, but you never know until you see them play."
How did Panthers clean up in draft? GM Hurney tells tale
May 2, 2007
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Judge: Kudos to Carolina
I used to subscribe to the idea that teams that know how to play the free-agent game generally don't know how to draft, and teams that know how to draft generally don't know how to attack free agency.
Dwayne Jarrett and Jon Beason both? The Panthers can't believe their good fortune in the draft. (AP)
Then Carolina came along.
Until now, the Panthers have been a club that helped itself through free agency and produced mixed results in the draft. Then this year arrived, and the Panthers basically ignored free-agency -- with David Carr the exception -- to concentrate on the draft.
Result: Home-run derby.
Carolina picked up the draft's best outside linebacker, a record-breaking receiver, the best center and Linebacker U's most versatile defender. OK, so the Panthers didn't find that safety they're missing. They found something of value almost everywhere else, which is why they let Keyshawn Johnson walk.
I could go on, but general manager Marty Hurney is here to explain what the Panthers were doing and how they did it. The floor is yours, Marty:
Jon Beason, LB, Miami
Hurney: "We said going in that, unless somebody fell who wasn't supposed to fall, when we were at 14 we'd consider a trade back into the 20s to see if we could pick up an extra pick. We talked to several teams during the week to see if they were interested in coming up, and the Jets were one of those teams. So we thought we'd have options.
"We made a list of six or seven players we would be happy to have if we traded back and got an additional pick. As we went through the teams and into the 20s, there weren't many of the six or seven on the list that were going. In fact, as we got to 25 only two players on our list were chosen.
"We prioritized the list, and Jon Beason was on the top of the players remaining. So we selected him. Obviously, his position versatility was appealing. He's a guy who can come in and compete for a starting role, but, in case of injuries, can always move inside. In our position, to be able to play the 'Will' and 'Mike' positions is a big plus.
"The bottom line is: We just liked him as a football player. He's an explosive player who makes impact plays. He's a guy you want to have on your team as a player and as a person. Everything you hear about him at the University of Miami is that he's the type of guy who would control the locker room; was a team guy; was a guy who would motivate; and was someone who, if there were issues, would take care of them in the locker room. So he was our kind of person."
Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC
Hurney: "You know that list I was talking about? He was on it.
"We were shocked he was there at 45. We knew he would probably drop some because of his 40 time in the workout. But just off our scouts' grades and coaches' grades as a receiver we had him as a first-round talent. So when he was there at 45 we were delighted.
"(Receiver) obviously was a need going in. After we took the linebacker, we wanted to help our offense -- and this was our chance. When a receiver like Dwayne Jarrett is sitting there at 45 you're surprised, but you're ecstatic, too.
"Did we think about trading up to get him? Well, it's hard. Anytime you like a guy you start twitching. It takes a lot of discipline in the room to stick to your plan, and we worked hard to get that extra draft pick.
"Coming into this draft we felt it was strong and deep and that there were guys in every round who had a chance to help your team. So we didn't want to give up any picks. As much as we wanted him to be there and as much as we wanted to have him, we decided to stay pat and roll the ice.
"Of course, when Minnesota chose before us and you hear, 'Wide receiver ...,' you cringe. But it worked out for us."
Ryan Kalil, C, USC
Hurney: "This is a guy you never would dream you could have. The way we were positioned we thought he would be gone in the first round. And, if not by then, certainly by the 59th pick in the second.
"When he was sitting there he was the best player on our board, and there was no way we could pass him up. You just can't.
"I think everyone would say they had him as the best center in the draft. And I think he would compare to the top guys in previous drafts. That's why we chose him. As I said: When you have someone like that you can't pass him up."
Charles Johnson, DE, Georgia
Hurney: "It's funny, but there was a run on defensive ends in the second and third rounds. And there were a lot of ends that went off ahead of him.
"I know I've said this before, but we were surprised he was there, too. When you have a situation like this you're delighted because he's there. You're also surprised. But then you start saying, 'Why are these people still here?' Time will tell, but we feel very fortunate he was there. He's young, and he's got a ton of upside. So we'll see."
Ryne Robinson, WR, Miami (Ohio)
Hurney: "Is this our Devin Hester pick? Yes. We really felt like we needed a returner, and there were two or three guys who fit in that mold. Obviously guys like Ted Ginn Jr. and Yamon Figurs are two of them.
"Robinson is someone we felt would be available the second day. Not only is he a guy who can step right in and return punts for us, but there's really no reason why he can't do kickoff returns, too.
He also caught 91 balls last year for Miami of Ohio, so he has a chance to be a slot receiver.
"We had hoped he would be there, but we thought it would be close. Our hope was that he would be our first choice in Day 2. And he was."
Dante Rosario, TE, Oregon
Hurney: "He can play fullback, the 'move' position, the 'H-back' or whatever you want to call it, and he can play on the line. He's just one of those guys who does everything well and doesn't have one standout trait.
"His timed 40 speed is probably why he was there. He's a very reliable receiver. He's a good blocker. He has quickness in and out of his breaks. In short, he does everything well. He's one of those guys people don't know much about, but someone you can get excited about and someone who might turn out to be one of the surprises of this draft.
"Can he start? I think he could fill a role. If you use 'H-back' type as a movement guy ... we feel he can do that. And he can help you at fullback. He can play so many different positions, and he's so versatile he'll fit in as a role guy.
"Really, we use our tight ends like that. We've used all three in different roles as the season goes along, and I think he will be able to do that with Dante, as well as have him play special teams."
Tim Shaw, LB, Penn State
Hurney: "Tim Shaw was the second-day equivalent to Ryan Kalil -- someone who kept sitting there on our board and someone we could not pass up. He's a throwback: a tough, smart football player and a blue-collar guy who will come in and immediately help your special teams.
"As I said, he kept sitting there at the top, so you couldn't pass him up. One of the things we like about him is that he can play outside or inside, and, frankly, I'm not sure where we start him. I think numbers will dictate that. But he'll come in and make his mark on special teams and make his mark at linebacker."
C.J. Wilson, DB, Baylor
Hurney: "He's someone who can play corner or safety. We drafted him with the intention of putting him at safety, which was our one need as the board continued to fall.
"The minus side with all these good players falling to us was that none of them was a safety. But we feel like C.J. is one of those athletic guys who can come in and play safety for us, which is why we took him here.
"I think we addressed a lot of needs, and we needed to because we were relatively quiet in free-agency. That's why we traded back to get that extra pick. We felt like we helped a lot of positions, but you never know until you see them play."