What grade should the Panthers get after this NFL Draft?

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Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done. Join Council, my man, locked on Panthers podcast. Daily, apparently. Wow, that's a lot. That's a lot of podcasting. I do one after every game, and I think that's a lot.

You're a machine, my man. Let's dig into the draft. First of all, Victoria asked me to give a grade, and I gave it a B- because they didn't get an offensive lineman. I would have gone for another wide receiver, and there were opportunities to get somebody who might turn out to be an elite cornerback, and they passed. How do you look at what the Panthers did overall, top to bottom of the draft? Same, same, same on you, Adam Gold, for doing draft grades.

I mean, come on, man. That's true. You're right.

You're right. Actually, it's funny because I do some streams with them a couple times a month, and they asked me yesterday to do draft grades, and I just felt gross doing it because on my podcast, I sat there and railed against them, talking about how it's pretty worthless to do those. I understand.

Hey, man, content rather, and context is too also important. My content, we got to turn it out this time of year, but for me, I feel like when it comes to evaluating a draft, it's hard to do in the immediacy. You got to kind of wait three years down the road. You look at the 2021 draft class, the Panthers had obviously JC origins got a fifth year option exercise on Friday, which is great for him, considering he's missed 29 of possible 51 games in his career. But aside from him, Tommy Trimble, he's been a contributor. Bray Christensen now appears to be the backup center, and outside of that, that class ended up not being great.

So we're not going to find out until three years down the road. Truly what these guys are and how this class turned out. But as far as what they needed going into the draft, they checked the box and getting a wide receiver in Xavier Legette, whether that's who you wanted or not. They need to get a playmaker wide receiver, and they believe they've done that, and they got the fifth year option to boot with that trade up to get Xavier Legette 32nd. Overall, they were able to bring in a running back, which I didn't think was a need in the second round. But considering what Dave canal's head coach has said about versatility at that position, it appears they felt like that was certainly a need looking at Truba Hubbard and miles Sanders. They got to tie it in. Finally, that's that's great. So it's an okay draft.

But we'll find out in the end, three years down the road, how good it actually was. Julian Council locked on Panthers podcast is joining us here in the Adam Gold show when going into the draft. Were there positions you felt like they needed to address that weren't addressed?

Yeah, the top three. I felt like a wide receiver, and they did that. There was really no doubt they were going to get a wide receiver with the first thing that they use, whether it's me at 33 as we saw was at 32. Then I felt like center and cornerback with the two positions, and those were not addressed in the way that I wanted them to be like center. They're coming out and saying that Austin corporate, they feel good about him.

Okay, cool. He's a veteran. He's been a good player when he's played at guard. We'll see what the transition to center is like for him. He's coming off to knee injuries, and that's the concern there for me. Also, the concern is they don't have a long term answer at that position, and they don't have a long term answer at plenty of positions on the roster, which is the point of the draft trying to find those long term answers. I don't understand why they weren't willing to get that with the second round pick. They did not go Jackson Powers Johnson from Oregon instead of getting Jonathan Brooks. Now, I do appreciate that they were able to use the Rams desperation to get a defensive tackle into recouping that second round pick.

That's an arguable that that's a great move for Dan Morgan. They ended up selecting at 46. We can argue the merits of whether they needed a running back, and they got the top running back. So if you're going to get a running back, get the best one on the board, and that's one on the board consensus wise with Jonathan Brooks. So they did not get a center. That's what I thought they should do. They did not get an outside starting corner.

Kool Aidan. They did get Charles Smith way who they talk about is versatile. Going to hear that all day long from Dave Canales. Apparently, when it comes to this roster building Carolina, he is not seen as a starter outside, so they still need a starting outside corner to pair JC horn. And I would even say Dane Jackson, who has played in that role in Buffalo, but I wouldn't consider him to be the kind of guy you want to go full 17 game season with as your number two corner.

Julian Council is joining us here in the Adam Gold show, and that's really where I was. I thought the two most important needs were wide receiver and corner going into the draft. There's no great defense that doesn't have at least one lockdown cornerback. And we're just guessing at JC horn at this point because he's been unavailable for more than half of his NFL career.

I hope he's in a lockdown corner. I hope he can stay healthy for once, but they needed somebody on the other side that they just didn't address. And everything I read about the kid is that they did draft that he is from what I think from Washington State is that he is a slot corner, which is good. You need a slot corner too, but you could have taken both like you could have taken McKinstry at 46 because he was there.

Right or 39 no 39. He was there. He was gone by the time they got back right and they had to trade back up. They traded back further and they traded back up to get the running back. I wonder if they thought maybe that some of the corners would fall because there was a run because right after Fisk was taken by the Rams and that trade, by the way, was looked at as the most lopsided in favor of Carolina. Of any trade that was made the Rams desperation to give up essentially two twos for two is just staggering. They don't care about draft draft picks, apparently with the with the LA Rams. That's the first time in like six or eight years they had drafted in the first round.

So that just tells you their approach. I'll say this to Adam when we're talking about corner. Why it's even more important for this team in particular to have solid corners out there on the outside is that their pass rush is terrible. It was last year, even with Brian Burns. And I understand there's some fans who are happy to not have Brian Burns here and rather would have to Debbie on clowning who quite honestly has never lived up to potential. We saw from him coming out of South Carolina. He's still in the league and that you can't call him a bus. He certainly has not been a bus, but he's not been a dominant player. Like we thought he was going to be miles Garrett. Another number one to pick out of an sec program has been a dominant player.

Debbie on clowning has never been that consistently at points in time. He has been like last year, he certainly was a good player. He's coming out the season where you wonder whether he's going to add a consistency at last year.

DJ one of them was playing opposite of the Neil Hunter in Minnesota. I'm sure that helps to get the eight sacks. This is still not a pass rush where they had burns.

Not that way. You can would have considered what a top in the league and you consider that the defensive line is also pretty poor. Derek Brown's a really good player, but outside of him, they haven't, they didn't have any good defensive lineman that produced last year and you're not getting any pass rush out of those guys. So you really needed, if you're not kind of a great pass rush to have two really good corners on the outside and not to try to get one of those guys there in the second round and instead get a running back and you can't, I guess you can, but you also can't in a way. I see it both sides fault them for wanting to add another playmaker for Bryce Young, a player, Jonathan Brooks, who can be a receiver out of the backfield. It's kind of tough to swallow his pants a fan, knowing that a corner is something that they needed, but they also have stated Stefan Gilmore. There's still an open line of communication there and he literally lives down the street from Dan Morgan on the same road. You can take him a cup of sugar and a contract and get that thing done this afternoon if they want. That would certainly answer some of the questions. You just made me laugh with Stefan Gilmore.

Were you surprised that, not that they went linebacker in round three, but that the linebackers name wasn't Peyton Wilson? Adam Golden Studio with my man coach Pete DeRuta, Capital Financial Advisory Group. You have a 401k, but you're changing jobs. You're taking that 401k with you.

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Investment Advisory Services offered by Capital Financial Advisory Group, a North Carolina registered investment advisor. I love that someone on Twitter said this to me. It's one of the few things on Twitter that I actually took to heart. If we didn't live in North Carolina and the Panthers were in North Carolina, we probably wouldn't obsess over Peyton Wilson. I think that's true to a certain degree for a lot of people, but he's a hell of a player, man. He's a hell of a player.

I'm a North Carolina guy. Peyton Wilson has been a nightmare for the last couple years. The game they played in Raleigh back in November was like a Peyton Wilson tribute game, the way that he was out there to play. He was the best defensive player in college football. And I've had people tell me how Trevor Wallace at Kentucky.

Oh, he's a better player. Peyton Wilson. Well, that's patently false because all these awards were awarded to Peyton Wilson last year saying he was the best linebacker in some respect. Also the best defensive player in college football last year. Now, Ian Rapport came out and said that 22 teams share medical information and they found that he does not have an ACL and that makes his legend even greater last year at state that he's playing with like no cartilage in his knee and he was able to do what he did last season, the investment to player analysis, him as being a one contract guy. And I feel like that might be a benefit, wouldn't it? Cause if you don't have to pay him down the road, you're going to pay him only a rookie wage scale.

And he's going to give you obviously his, his soul and his body. That may be something that would make sense, but I guess you can't be that surprised knowing the medical history and Carolina's probably a team that seems obviously as a team that was not willing to take their risk on Wilson at 72. Maybe had they been there at 98, like Pittsburgh, they would have been willing to take the risk. I can't say I'm surprised just based off everything that, I mean, you, you and I know having been here in the state, watch his career about his injuries. It can't be too surprised that he didn't get selected by Carolina there. So this is where I would go.

All right. So maybe you were hoping he'd be there later. Your next pick was in the fourth round at one on one and it was close, right?

I mean, it wouldn't have been there, but it was close. I think Cedric gray from North Carolina was still there. If you just wanted to stay local them, I'm not saying you should, but the, they could have taken somebody not named.

Trevon Wallace, they could have taken another wide receiver or an offensive lineman or, you know, something else, a cornerback that they could have, that they could have used as opposed to a linebacker who profiles similarly, but not as good as Peyton Wilson. And here's the thing, cause you mentioned one contract. Most guys were one contract guys.

That's so true. Like they're all one contract guys. You're running back. What are the odds that Jonathan Brooks signs a second contract with the Carolina Panthers?

Zero. Cause you should never pay running backs. I like the player and I can, I debate the pig for sure. Like I didn't think running back should have been the pick there. I like who they took the way I think of it as far as the philosophy should be is you use them, you abuse them, then you lose them. Like you don't keep them around for a second contract.

Chuba Hubbard. It should be it for him after the season miles Sanders should be it for him, this team, for whatever reason. And this is what bad teams do. Adam, they value the running back position like financially. Like they traded up into the second round.

So there can be questions about his ACL or what his role is going to be this year. If he's healthy, he is, they're starting running back. You do not trade up for a running back in the second round and not have them be your bell cow.

This is a miles. Tough luck. This is a starting running back now in Carolina. I just, that was something that really confuses me and the linebacker picks.

It said, great. I'm hearing reports out of Tennessee that he's fighting an opportunity to start. So good situation for him.

I like Jeremiah tree charter junior out of Clemson. He's going to Philadelphia. That's a great story, but I think he's also a good player. And I think he didn't go into the fifth round. It just depends on where they land on the board and the Panthers felt like they could go best player available. And at 72, they didn't trade back up after trading back down from the jets. So maybe that was the best player on their board.

And you can't necessarily be too against it. Knowing that down the line next year, Shaq Thompson's like being Carolina. This is his last year.

So you got a year to develop your successor to Shaq and see what he can do in 2025. It's not my favorite pick the Sanders take though in the fourth round. I did like that a lot knowing that they neglected or maybe just failed to bring in the tight end during for agency. Julian council locked on Panthers podcast.

And that's, I said this on like Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, that it's funny. We have so many draft experts on TV and everybody does a mock draft and everybody has a, we talked to Jordan Reed who played football at NC central. He's with ESPN.

I talked to Ryan Wilson of CBS all the time. These guys all have, they evaluate players and they're all good at it. This is not a knock on any of them. But I guarantee that every single team has a completely different view of who the best players are, maybe beyond the first couple, but who the best players are. Like somebody who's number three on Dan Morgan's list of linebackers might be number 23 on Jordan.

Jordan reads list of linebackers. It's just vastly different. It's, I don't know what to, what to make of that, but we just know that it's going to be different. So we all judge based on what, you know, who we believe in and what they rank, how they rank the players. Whereas every team's got a different list. So obviously they think Trevor Wallace is a better player than Peyton Wilson. I can't argue with it. And I'll, I'm not even going to lie and say that I watched Trevor Wallace play because I didn't, but I watched Peyton Wilson play.

Yeah, a lot. And that guy is a baller. I think he's in the perfect spot for him.

ACL or no? We all know that he's going to go to Pittsburgh and ball. If the body holds up, he's going to ball in Pittsburgh. He's going to be, he's the quintessential Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker. And that's part of the thing that maybe makes you sick as a Panther fan.

And I was like, yeah, he's going to go to Pittsburgh and we know he can do this thing and he could have done that here, maybe. Mike. Yeah, maybe.

Uh, Julian council. Uh, I appreciate your time, man. Uh, did you, so you didn't even give it a grade, did you? I gave it a, uh, a B I believe. I think I gave it a B minus yesterday.

Since what I did. With these draft grades out of, you gotta be positive. You can't be too positive because you don't want to look to be too exuberant and kind of look like a fool, but also you don't want to be too negative because then you don't want to bring on the hope of the fans. And that's what the draft really is, is about hope. And I think there's plenty of things to be excited about. They're the first four picks they took are offensive weapons. Hopefully that'll work out. We'll find out in about three years time whether this is a good draft or not.

That is true. Jonathan Brooks has to be the day one starter. Uh, hopefully he's, uh, he's in full recovery. Uh, Julian council locked on Panther podcast at Julian council on Twitter. Uh, thank you very much, my man. All right. Keep pounding.

Oh God. Thank you. I'll try. I'll do the best I can. I can't promise anything. Uh, Julian is the best. Uh, all right. He's right.

It's one of the reasons I love bringing Julian on is like, like gold. You can't, we can't rate draft. But every, but rating just on the needs, whether they check the boxes, you could do that. Exactly. Everyone should be open-minded because we do not know what's going to happen, but you can at least say, yeah, they checked off like three of the four boxes or two of the four boxes. Yeah.

But I don't know that. See, to me in order, wide receiver, cornerback, offensive line, wide receiver again, um, defensive tackle, which is one of the things that I thought was important to find somebody. I know they, um, they addressed some of that through free agency, but the free agency, those are temporary fills. Almost every free agent you sign is temporary. Those guys aren't going to be around for a long time. So you need to draft the successor to, um, the guys you bring in. Uh, and that, by the way, goes on the offensive line too.

Yeah. You need to draft the replacements for those guys. And a, okay, I get trading from 33 to 32.

I get it. The, the fifth year option is what you want. Now you control Xavier league for an additional year. And if he's as good as he's supposed to be, as they think he's going to be, then that contract should be gotten to after year three, right? So it encompasses year four, fifth year option. It all folds into one contract and it lowers the cap hit all smart.

That's smart business. I get that trading out of 39. Okay. Remember I said that if you get, if you can get a number one, a first round pick, you definitely do it. We're talking about number 33 trading out of 39. You're probably not getting a first round pick the following year. Uh, but you got a second.

I get it. I don't get trading back up to get a running back. That's the weird thing for me when I didn't even list running back as a need. No, to me, it's a luxury at that point. And again, I'm not saying you don't draft a running back, but at number trading up to number 46 with a center still there or other wide receivers still there, you went for a position that is not necessarily one of need.

Again, best player available, but do you trade up to get that guy? I just thought that there were some, some issues, some areas they needed to address. And if it's about value of the draft and you don't think the value meets the need, well, then that's where you trade back and acquire more picks. And they sort of did that, but then they traded up. Boy, that's, that's, I'm not a fan of that. Just not, I was just not a fan of the way they got to that.

And because of it, it's the, the draft in and in and of itself left me a little bit flat. Like they could have been better. They could have addressed areas of real need. They still don't have, don't have a corner opposite JC horn. And unfortunately, and I know why they picked up the 50 or option because he obviously is talented. But if I were them, I'm not sure I would have, he has been unavailable to them. It's really, really difficult. I just, I don't know how you evaluate JC horn.

Yeah, I was a little surprised by that. So if you don't pick it up, you can always sign him. You don't, it's, you don't have to pick up the 50 or option. You can decline it. Or maybe what they'll do is the, since they've picked it up, is they'll figure out like something a little bit longer term if they want to. But again, because of his unavailability, I don't know why you would, which makes the 50 or option to me somewhat of a, of a contradiction. The whole thing just seems a little bit odd. Don't share. Learn more at lockyourmeds.org slash NC.