NFL Draft Q&A With Twitter Followers: An Impact Player for the Carolina Panthers?

Thanks to Eduardo Svendblad (@ruso1106) on Twitter for submitting this question in our NFL Draft Q&A:

“It seems that the panthers have a lot of options brockers, cox, poe, coples ( in def) what is the best option for an impact player?”

My opinion right now is that the best option for an impact player of the group listed is going to come down to Quinton Coples or Fletcher Cox, and right now, I would side with Cox. Of the options, Cox is the most NFL ready and most ready to contribute right away. Dontari Poe was really unproductive in college and Michael Brockers is still as green as they come, while Coples is a fantastic talent but has been inconsistent and to me lacks elite explosion like some of the guys he is compared to (Peppers…?)

Fletcher Cox is the type of guy who can come in right away, and if he’s healthy, he can make your team better right out of training camp. He has great size and athletic ability, and would be filling a huge void for the Panthers at the defensive tackle position, where they spent a couple of picks last year on Sione Fua and Terrell McClain, both decent prospects who suffered injuries as rookies.

I really don’t know who to compare Cox to, perhaps a Ty Warren type of player who is scheme diverse, but I think of the players listed above, he has the best chance to be an immediate impact type of guy. The Panthers don’t have great defensive ends, but they have Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy, who are both fine young players. I’m actually surprised this is such a consensus defensive pick despite the Panthers really needing to address that side of the ball. On the depth chart right now, Legedu Naanee is currently listed as the number two receiver.

I think that is a mistake.

The Panthers just drafted Cam Newton with the top overall pick last year, and they need to surround him with elite talent. Why not take the best available of Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd? This offense is going to need to keep pace with the Saints, Falcons, and even  the Bucs (underachievers) in the AFC South, so they may as well join them in the gunslinging if they can’t beat them.

Adding a guy like Floyd, in my humble opinion, would provide this  team with the most bang for its buck in the first round. They just gave an extension to Steve Smith, who is going to be 36 when his contract expires in three years.

The fact that Carolina has so many options right now also leads me to believe they could be a candidate to trade down in the first round, potentially picking up some picks they dealt away in previous trades. Still, if I was the Panthers, my pick would be either Blackmon or Floyd with no question about it.