Quick Facts:

Frank Alexander
Position: DE
School: Oklahoma
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 255 lbs.

Who is Frank Alexander?

Alexander has been one of the top pass rushers in the Big 12 for the last two seasons as he has accumulated 15.5 sacks and 93 tackles during that time. He thrived in Oklahoma's 3-4 defense when he was used as an upright pass rusher as he showed the ability to quickly get in the backfield and fend off weaker blockers. He was also decent in playing zone coverage as a defensive end and linebacker, which will help him a lot at the next level. Alexander never quits on plays and always makes sure that he is involved in the play no matter what, which will definitely go a long way in the NFL.

Now, I have to admit that I was fooled a little bit by watching this highlight clip of him against Texas, because he looks a lot better than a fourth round pick there. He showed great footwork, hustle and strength against Texas by getting into the backfield on almost every snap and playing solid against the run, as well. This fooled me because Alexander has struggled against tougher opponents like Iowa in the Orange Bowl. He was also invisible for the second half of the 2011 season as 7.5 of his sacks came in the first six games, so that's definitely a cause for concern. Alexander also has a heart condition which bumped his draft stock down a little bit.

Still, it's hard not to like his pass rushing ability as he appears to be very skilled in that area and can succeed in the NFL as a two-down player. His speed is not top-notch but he is solid at getting to the ball-carrier and usually manages to get involved in every play. He also has shown ability to identify holes in the offensive line and take advantage of them rather easily. Alexander also improved his play against the run as the season went on and can continue to improve in that area so that he isn't used only as a pass rush specialist. He might need to get a little stronger and improve his one-on-one play against blockers to become a full-time starter, though.

Why did the Panthers draft him?

Most should see this coming; pass rush. Ever since Julius Peppers left, the Panthers have struggled to consistently get to the QB and create havoc in the backfield. Charles Johnson may have emerged as a great pass-rusher and Greg Hardy has been solid but the team needs more than that, and adding Alexander will give them that. It is still uncertain what scheme the Panthers defense will play next season but Alexander can succeed if he is used in the 3-4 as an outside linebacker. He was an upright pass rusher throughout most of last season and played very well in that set-up. This might be the best situation to use him in at the pro level since you are playing him to his strengths.

I am not sure if Alexander will be a starter in this defense but he should be very useful, especially if he can improve his play against the run. The Panthers desperate need players who can get in the backfield on a constant basis and Alexander exceeded at that throughout college, so you can not say that this pick did not address a need. The team got a pretty good steal in Greg Hardy a couple years ago, and I wouldn't be surprised if Alexander ends up being a great mid-round selection, as well.

Quick Facts:

Amini Silatolu
Position: OT/G
School: Midwestern State University
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 320

Who is Amini Silatolu?

Silatolu has been described by most scouts as a strong offensive lineman "with a mean streak." He has shown to be very aggressive on opposing defensive lineman and always manages to finish his blocks. He impressed a lot of people at the NFL Draft Combine with his performance in the speed and agility drills as he proved to be very agilie for a lineman. That combined with his strength and on-field performance won him over with a lot of scouts and there were some who projected him going in the first round. 

He was part of a very strong offense at Midwestern State as they had the second best rushing offense among Division II schools and their strong offensive line was part of the reason for that. Midwestern State also averaged the highest amount of rushign yards per attempt in the nation. To add to that, Midwestern State had one of the best offensive lines in terms of pass protection as they allowed less than one sack per game last season.

Now, these stats do not tell you everything about Silatolu because there were obviously other factors that contributed to Midwestern State's strong rushing offense, there is only so much game tape available on Silatolu so these stats do help judge his performance a little. The raw talent is certainly there and the fact that he played a big part of the team's offensive line is also a good sign.

The questions surrounding him are mostly centered around his academic and off-the-field performance, but something else that might worry people is how he will perform against stronger competition. Midwestern State was one of the best Division II schools in the nation, but the level of competition there is obviously weaker than that in Division I programs. Opposing team's defensive lines will be a lot tougher to handle in the NFL and it will be interesting to see if Silatolu will be up to the challenge. He has the size and athleticism to be very successful in the NFL, though.

Why did the Panthers draft him?

Something that was overlooked by a lot of people was that Travelle Wharton was cut for monetary and cap purposes, and he was a very effective run blocker over the years. If the Panthers left this position unaddressed, they would be starting Mike Pollak at LT and that would be a severe downgrade. Having a rookie start in Wharton's place is also a downgrade but Silatolu has a ton of potential and can easily become a solid starter in the Panthers' system.

Something else to remember is that Jeff Otah has finished the last two years on IR and he is becoming very undependable at the RT position. The Panthers need some insurance there and drafting Silatolu gives them that. It was a little unexpected to see the Panthers take an offensive lineman with quite a few defensive tackles available, but they had other needs and Silatolu's potential was too good to pass up at #40.

In short, this is a very safe and solid pick for the Panthers, much like their 1st round selection, Luke Kuechly.

The way that I see it, the Panthers have big needs at defensive tackle, defensive tackle (for pass rush), corner back and wide receiver and they can take steps to filling those holes with their pick at #40. Who are the players available right now? We will take a look at some of them after the jump.

To make things easier on the eyes, I'll break things down by position

Defensive Tackle

Brandon Thompson, Clemson - Thompson is an excellent run-stuffer and would immediately be an upgrade over just about anyone who the Panthers played at defensive tackle last season. He is quick off the line of scrimmage and has little trouble fighting off blockers to get to the ball-carrier. The issue with Thompson is that he isn't the best at rushing the passer and might not fit into the Panthers current scheme. Should the Panthers move to a 3-4, Thompson's role would be limited to holding off blockers and taking away his best asset, which is stopping the run. This is a moot point if they stick with the 4-3, but that is uncertain right now.

Devon Still, Penn State - There were many people who had Still going in the first round, but he eventually fell out of in favor of more superior players. It is hard to say that Still wouldn't be a great addition to the Panthers, though. He is a superb pass-rusher, has the ability to play at defensive end and has unreal strength & athleticism. If I was Marty Hurney, I would have Still on the top of my board because he fills a need, is versatile and was nothing but impressive in college. The one drawback is that he might be a better fit as a linebacker in a 3-4, which would put Carolina back to where they started with a hole to fill at DT. Still would at least contribute to the pass rush if anything and lord knows that area needs help.

Jerel Worthy, Michigan St.- Worthy is a proven talent at Michigan St, as he has been their top defensive tackle for the past three seasons. He has the size, strength and athleticism to be a top DT in the NFL, but consistency is an issue with him. After dominating the Big 10 for a few seasons, Worthy had an off-year in 2011 and it caused him to drop on a lot of people's draft boards. The potential is there, though and it's not just raw athleticism (*cough*Dontari Poe*cough*), Worthy has shown in games that he can be a great player but he hasn't been able to do it on a consistent basis.

Kendall Reyes, UCONN - Reyes has been a solid run defender and pass rusher at UCONN for the past couple of seasons and has also shown the ability to be effective in different schemes. His ceiling isn't as high as some of the other defensive tackles that might be available, but his versatility has to make him an attractive option to Ron Rivera and Sean McDermott.

Billy Winn, Boise St. - Winn is rated very high on NFL.com, and his ability to rush the passer effectively might be something the Panthers will look for. He isn't nearly as talented as the other names above, so he will likely be passed over but it's worth throwing his name out there.

Corner Backs

Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama - Thought by many to be a first round pick and one of the best defensive backs in this draft, Jenkins is still without a team on day 2. His character issues and off-the-field problems have a lot of teams staying away from him but it is hard to question his talent. He excelled as a shutdown corner at Florida during his first three seasons there and has the tools to do the same in the NFL. He ended up playing his senior year at Northern Alabama against weaker competition, but his performance at the Senior Bowl showed that he could definitely hang with tougher opponents. The question is whether or not the Panthers want to take a chance on a player with a lot of problems off-the-field.

Jayron Hosely, Virginia Tech - Hosely has terrific speed and coverage skills which could make him a solid #1-2 corner in the NFL. The problem with him is that he is not the biggest player out there and can easily be taken advantage of by bigger receivers. He managed to hold his ground well against some bigger opponents in the ACC, but can he do the same in the NFL?

Wide Receivers

Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech - The Panthers had one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL last season and they can add another dimension to it by adding a weapon like Hill. At 6'4", Hill is a big target and his speed is a force to be reckoned with. Cam Newton is the type of QB who can make his receivers better, so adding a talent like Hill will make Carolina's offense even more dangerous than it is right now. He isn't Calvin Johnson, but he could turn into a #1 receiver sometime in his career.

Reuben Randle, LSU - Randle does just about everything well. He runs good routes, has solid hands and isn't a bad run blocker either. He appears to be a very safe option for teams looking for a receiver. Carolina definitely would benefit from having a player like him, but they have a similar player in Brandon LaFell already on the team. While Randle's ceiling appears to be higher than LaFell's, most of his characteristics are similar to that of a possession receiver rather than a deep threat.

Alshon Jeffrey - Jeffrey is a big man who should be a huge threat for any team's red zone offense. Carolina has struggled in that area over the last few years, so having a big target like Jeffrey would be a great addition. Jeffrey was projected to be a top-end pick sometime last year but his stock has fallen a lot recently. It has been said that he's been out of shape and hasn't been training hard enough, which is a problem when you rely more on physical play than speed as a receiver.

Brian Quick, Appalachian State - Similar to Jeffrey, Quick has good size and should be a threat in the red zone. He also has the speed and potential to be a good #2 receiver in the NFL, so I wouldn't dismiss the idea of the Panthers being interested in him. However, I do think there will likely be better players available when the Panthers are ready to make their pick later tonight.

It was a little interesting to see the Panthers spend a top 10 pick on a linebacker as they already have a decent corps with Jon Beason, Thomas Davis and James Anderson, but this pick makes a lot of sense when you take a deeper look at it. Kuechly was easily the safest pick that the Panthers could have made at the time as it appears that he has a future in the NFL no matter what and while LB might not be as big of a need for the Panthers as DT, WR or CB, it was an area that they needed to address in this draft. 

For starters, Thomas Davis' health is a huge concern as he is coming off knee surgery for the third straight year. Kuechly is versatile in that he can play all three linebacking positions, so he provides solid insurance for Davis if he gets injured. Another thing is that there have been hints of the Panthers moving to a 3-4 type system next season, so even if Davis is still injured, Kuechly will find himself starting in this defense. Instead of reaching for a player who may or may not fill one fo their other holes on defense, they took the best player available in Kuechly who will be a key contributor to the Panthers defense immediately.

I talked about Kuechly a little bit a couple weeks ago, and there really isn't much to dislike about this kid. He knows the game well, is solid in both run and pass defense, is excellent at closing in on opposing ball-carriers and usually succeeds at bringing him down. Most draft scouts have compared him to the likes of London Fletcher, Zach Thomas, Pat Angerer and even Brian Urlacher. The Panthers will likely be happy with their pick if he ends up similar to any of those players.

He played MLB and WLB at Boston College, but he is open to play an linebacker position in the NFL and he could find himself spread out among the defense depending on who is healthy. Kuechly also played some special teams in college, which also fills a need for the Panthers.

In the end, Kuechly is a safe pick for the Panthers and he should be a solid contributor to their defense at the very least. They may have had other needs that need to be addressed, but they can be addressed in later rounds as there are still some very good players available. Kuechly should be an impact player in his rookie season and Marty Hurney should be very satisfied with the decision he made.

Why is that? For one, he is a linebacker and will probably be taken in the first round given his impressive college stats and work at the combine. The general consensus is that the Panthers are set at linebacker and don't need to add another one, especially in the first round, when they have bigger needs to address. If they are going to run the 4-3 again, the linebacking corps is set with Jon Beason in the middle, James Anderson in the SAM spot and Thomas Davis at WILL linebacker.

Carolina would be strengthening their defense by drafting Keuchly but they would be just adding to a position of wealth while their defensive line and secondary will be relatively weak. However, there are some logical reasons for the Panthers drafting Keuchly, the main one being that he could be the best player available at #9 in the draft.

We will talk about this more after the jump

First, let's get to know Keuchly a little bit. He is regarded as one of the smartest players in this draft class as he spends hours studying the game to become a better player. He led Boston College and the ACC in tackles over the last two seasons with 374 and has shown the ability to defend the run and the pass effectively. Keuchly has shown great tackling ability and usually is not overpowered by blockers easily. Most scouts project him to be a solid linebacker who can play just about inside position and contribute immediately in his rookie season.

On just about every play, he will make a bee-line straight for whoever has the football and do everything in his power to take him down. Most of the time he is successful as his tackle stats in college are pretty ridiculous. He even had a couple 20+ tackle performances last season, one of which coming against Florida State. Basically, he is a multi-skilled linebacker who can be useful in both the 3-4 and the 4-3 scheme and he has produced on a consistent basis in college despite playing on a pretty poor team last season. Because of this, he is known as one of the few "safe" picks in this draft.

It is easy to see why Carolina scouts seem to like him because he could definitely be of some use to this team, especially if we are going to move to the 3-4. Also, the health of Thomas Davis is never a sure thing and if he were to go down, then Keuchly could be able to step in his place because he played a role similar to Davis' in college.

Of course, the issue here is that if Davis remains healthy then the Panthers essentially spent a top-10 pick on a player who will be a back-up his rookie season. With the Panthers gunning for the division next year, they can't afford to do that and need to address some immediate needs this draft. You could argue that linebacker is somewhat of a need because of Davis' health and Sean McDermott possibly switching to the 3-4, but we don't know if any of that is for sure yet.

The one argument I agree with in selecting Keuchly is that he could be the best defensive player available in this draft when the Panthers are on the clock. In my mind, the perfect pick for Carolina would be LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, but it seems like a miracle that he will drop to #9, so the Panthers need to address other needs. No one seems to know if any of the defensive linemen who will be available will be top-10 material, so Carolina might have to go with the best player on the board. That player could be Keuchly but we will see in a few weeks on Draft Day.

Should the Panthers take the "best player available" in Keuchly, he would not be a bad fit for this defense. Personally, I think a switch to the 3-4 is coming and having Keuchly as another inside linebacker along with Beason would be a nice set-up. That is if Keuchly is everything he is made out to be, but the game film I watched seems promising. He was far and away the best player on BC's defense in both the Maryland and Clemson games I watched and he really seems to know what he's doing both in run defense and pass coverage.

Keuchly would not be my first choice for the Panthers to take at #9 but I certainly would not be against having him on the team next year. I just don't know if having a strong linebacking corps is worth making the rest of the defense suffer. Although, it's not like the Panthers can not address their needs in later rounds. They just need to make those picks count even more if they do go LB in the first round.

We will be continuing to take a closer look at players in the draft that the Panthers might be targeting and our next feature is on Virginia Tech corner back Jayron Hosley. The Panthers need for a #2 corner has been well documented and Hosely could very well fill that void as he has established himself as one of the ACC's top corners during his three seasons at VT. Most scouts have him listed as the fifth best corner in the draft and see him being picked in no later than the second round. Is he the right fit for Carolina, though? We will explore that and take a closer look at Hosley's game after the jump.

Hosley had a very successful college career at VT with 12 interceptions in his last two seasons and 32 passes defended. He showed solid coverage ability in the Hokies' zone scheme and was known as a "ball-hawk" for his ability to jump routes and create turnovers. His stats in college are impressive but he won over a lot of fans at the NFL Combine, too.

It was there that Hosley showed his great speed, flexibility and agility, which are all great assets to have to be a good corner. At 5'10" and 179 lbs., Hosley is not the biggest guy out there, so his coverage skills have to be top notch, which is why it is nice that he has these other attributes. He also has an impressive vertical leap and a long reach for a guy his size, which gives him the ability to not get abused by bigger wideouts. We saw some of this in his college career, and the biggest example is probably during Virginia Tech's game against North Carolina.

Hosley was put up against Dwight Jones, one of the best wide receivers in the ACC, and while he gave up a lot of yards against him, Hosley managed to limit big plays and not let Jones abuse him. Hosley did allow a few catches, but he managed to stay with Jones and bring him down before he could pick up the first down a few times and he also showed solid man-to-man coverage abilities in this game too. He managed to blanket Jones a good few times in coverage and force Bryn Renner to make a couple bad throws or simply throw the ball away. He seemed to play it safe this game when it came to gambling for an interception, which I thought was nice to see.

Hosley also played well in coverage for most of the game against Miami as their QB, Jacory Harris, avoided throwing the ball in his direction and when he did, Hosley managed to prevent a big gain from happening. I did see some of his flaws in the Miami game, though. The first of which is obviously his size preventing him from being as effective as he could be in short yardage situations.

Miami had a goal line situation and Hosley was matched up against Tommy Streeter, who is 6'5", and Harris was easily able to take advantage of this mismatch by throwing a TD to Streeter. He basically threw the ball as high as he could and it was way out of Hosley's reach while Streeter didn't have to make much effort to make the TD catch. Hosley might have to deal with this kind of matchup a few times in the NFL.

The other issue with Hosley's size is that he has a lot of trouble with bringing down ball-carriers. He has the speed to close the gap on them but his tackling technique is very poor. Whenever he gets close to a ball-carrier, he usually tries some kind of arm weak arm tackle and ends up giving up a lot more yards than he should. He was especially bad in run support at times, as he either struggled to take down bigger running backs, or they just bulldozed over him. I saw this a lot of times against both Miami and Clemson, but it is something that can be corrected after he spends some time with an NFL coaching staff.

The biggest thing that I notice with Hosley is that he has the tools to play more than one position on defense. If he were to stay at corner in the NFL, he would likely be a nickel back because of his size, especially in a man-to-man scheme. However, I think he might be able to make the transition to free safety because of how well he can play zone coverage. He will need to improve his tackling skills and his physical play, but he has great awareness and speed which makes me think that he can possibly play safety at some point in his career. Hosley also returned punts at Virginia Tech and if he can do that in Carolina then that would be a nice addition.

So, is Hosley the right fit for the Panthers? This is where we run into the same problem that we had with Stephon Gilmore; he has more experience playing zone than man-to-man and making that transition will be tough. Hosley has shown the ability to play man-to-man style coverage at times, but not at a consistent basis. Also, we have an undersized corner on the team in Captain Munnerlyn and I don't know if Hosley is worth taking in the second round if there are better players available. If Hosley and Gilmore are still available when the Panthers make their second round pick, it could possibly come down to the two of them. Although, I am still not sure if either are the right pick for this team right now.

Smith is a very talented defender and was great as a cornerback at Oklahoma University, he has yet to define himself as a starter at the NFL level yet, though. He is only 25 and did play well in the games he started during the 2010 season. It's also very possible that he could have been the starter last year if the 49ers didn't re-sign Goldson, so the door is still open for him to be starting in the NFL. It doesn't appear that the Panthers got themselves a future star, but it's never a bad things to acquire depth at safety, especially after last season. 

The Panthers didn't exactly receive stellar play out of either Charles Godfrey or Sherrod Martin last season and Jordan Pugh is really nothing more than a depth option, so adding a player like Smith gives them more depth at a position of need. We saw them make a similar signing by acquiring former Baltimore Raven, Haruki Nakamura at the start of free agency.

Nakamura and Smith are capable of starting in this defense and Martin could definitely use some competition after going into last season as the incumbent starter and failing to live up to a lot of people's expectations. Smith and Nakamura should be competing for the starting spot in camp and even if they don't make it, they provide solid depth options and can contribute on special teams, as well.

It's no secret that the Panthers will heavily address the defensive side of the ball in the upcoming NFL draft.  The real question is, where do they start? The 2011 season featured a defense that was very thin and struggled to stop opposing offenses, both in the air and on the ground.  Due to the lackluster performance, the Panthers ranked near the bottom of league in almost every defensive category.  With a top 10 pick in this year's draft, Carolina has the opportunity to pick up a dynamic player who can come in and make an immediate impact on the defense.

The Panthers don't have to look far to find that impact player. Quinton Coples, from the University of North Carolina, is a local prospect with freakish athletic ability and the prototypical size and stature for a defensive end in the NFL.  While many believe DT or CB are bigger needs for the defense, one could argue that a more effective pass rush will take pressure off these positions.

Last season, the Panthers only recorded 31 sacks, ranking 25th in the league. Teams were able to focus on the team's best pass rusher Charles Johnson due to the inexperienced DTs and lack of consistency from Greg Hardy on the other side. Factor in injuries at the LB position and the pass rush was, at times, non-existent. Opposing quarterbacks often had an excessive amount of time to throw the ball, leaving the secondary exposed and vulnerable.  

Coples has shown throughout his college career that he is more than capable of being a dominant pass rusher.  However, many question his motor or desire to play due to his somewhat underwhelming senior season. After the jump, we will take a closer look at Coples' impressive skill set as well as some of his weaknesses. 

The 2010 season got off to a shaky start for the Tar Heels. Shortly before their season-opening showdown against LSU, the team was hit with numerous suspensions due to NCAA rule violations. The majority of the suspensions came down on defensive players, including many starters. Luckily for the Tar Heels, Coples was not included in the list of players. However, due to the number and length of the suspensions, Coples was forced to switch to defensive tackle, which was not his natural position. Despite his lack of experience as an interior lineman, Coples dominated opposing offensive lineman and turned 2010 into his best season yet. Coples finished the 2010 season with 59 tackles (15.5 for a loss) and 10 sacks, good enough to earn him 1st team All-ACC and 2nd team All-America.  

Perhaps one of his strongest performances at DT came against Florida State. Coples showed his ability to explode off the line and used his superior upper body strength to penetrate the FSU offensive line consistently throughout the game. When he was not acting as a pass rusher, Coples used his long arms to disrupt passes at the line. During the FSU game, Coples also showed great ball pursuit, rarely giving up on a play. Once Coples had the ball carrier within reach, there was no escaping. Another impressive performance came later that season against North Carolina State where Coples, once again, showed great effort in pursuing the ball. For example, during one play N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson escaped the pocket and took off downfield. Coples stayed alive and chased down Wilson almost 30 yards from the line of scrimage. Even though Coples was penalized for a late hit on the play, he displayed the willingness to not give up on a play until the whistle.  

Despite being primarily used as a tackle in the 2010 season, UNC also used some packages that showcased Coples as a DE.  An example of this can be seen in the game againt N.C. State.  On one play, Coples exploded off the line and tossed the offensive tackle to the ground with little effort before hitting Wilson from behind, knocking the ball lose.  Coples officially returned to the defensive end position during the Music City Bowl against Tennessee.  In this game, Coples absolutely dominated the Tennessee offensive line, recording 6 tackles, 2 QB hurries, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.  Performances like this is why NFL scouts were drooling over the possibility of drafting Coples to their team. 

With Coples moving back to DE for the 2011 season, expectations were through the roof. Almost every draft scout had him ranked as the top defender in the country and a top 5 pick in the draft. However, as the season progressed, Coples did not. His numbers dropped and many began to question his desire to play. Although the dominant performances were not consistently seen, Coples still had some impressive moments to remind everyone why he was so highly touted. In the game against Virginia Tech, Coples constantly applied pressure to the quarterback, fighting off double teams and beating the tackle around the edge. While watching film from this game, I did notice what seemed to be a lack of effort on some plays. There just wasn't the same explosiveness as seen on other plays. However, there were still several times where Coples chased down the ball carrier all the way across the field to make the play.  

This lack of consistency became a red flag for some pro scouts and many began to speculate as to why he seemed to be taking plays off. Some say he was playing not to get hurt while others believe the dismissal of head coach Butch Davis affected him mentally. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, Coples' draft stock took a hit as a result. Several draft experts believe teams will be scared to draft a player who does not seem to have the desire to be great.  Coples responded to the criticism with a dazzling performance at the Senior Bowl followed by another impressive showing at the combine. However, some people still question his motor and believe Coples only "plays when he wants to."

Despite such a glaring concern, it's hard to overlook the strengths of Coples. His ability to throw the offensive tackle out of his way, his quickness off the snap and when coming from the outside, the second burst of speed he shows once in the backfield, and the versatility he offers is too much to pass on for a team that is struggling as much as the Panthers are on defense. If Coples is available when the Panthers are on the clock with the #9 pick, don't be surprised if his name is called.

He had 66 tackles in the seven games he started last season and 71 overall. He also had an interception and forced three fumbles. That is a very impressive line for a guy who was a third stringer beforehand. The team lost some depth with Dan Connor signing with the Dallas Cowboys, so keeping Senn around is a good move, especially after the way he played at the end of last season.

Senn is a very solid run defender, but pass coverage is the one area that he struggles in, and he was forced to play that role a lot as the team's weakside linebacker. In the game against Tampa Bay where I tracked pass coverage stats, every ball thrown Senn's way was caught and he allowed a few first downs, as well. I expect this to be an area that he works on during the off-season but he's 27 and pretty small for a linebacker so his ceiling probably isn't too high.

Still, keeping Senn around is a good move for the Panthers because the team knows that they can count on him to fill in if one of their linebackers goes down. It'll be even better if he can improve his pass coverage skills.

In the weeks leading to the draft, we are going to be taking a look at some players the Panthers might be targeting. With the team having so many needs on defense, there's a lot of players who Carolina might be interested in. The purpose of this series is to help you, the readers, become more familiar with these picks and determine if they are a good fit for the Panthers or not.

To start things off, we are going to look at one of the somewhat local favorites, Stephon Gilmore from the University of South Carolina. Anyone who watched the Panthers last season knows that the team needs to strengthen their pass defense. Outside of Chris Gamble, they don't have any corners that are starting material. Captain Munnerlyn and Darius Butler would make good nickel and dime options but their play last season showed that they are not starters. Opposing quarterbacks could easily make Gamble not as much of a factor by picking on one of these two instead, which is why a #2 corner is needed. Gilmore is one of the players the Panthers have shown interest in and is projected to be a late first/early second round pick, so it's very possible that we could see him in Charlotte next year.

Is Gilmore a right fit for the Panthers, though? After the jump, we'll take a look at Gilmore's strengths, weaknesses and attributes to determine if he is someone the Panthers should target.

Gilmore is a stout, physical corner who has decent ball-hawking skills and was selected to the all-SEC first team. He has been very successful throughout this entire college career and has started 40 games during his time at South Carolina. He was very impressive at the NFL Draft Combine as he placed second among cornerbacks with a 20-yard shuttle time of 3.94 and had an unofficial 40 time of 4.40. He had 46 tackles and four interceptions in 2011 season and decided to forgo his senior year to enter the draft.

Gilmore has the size, strength and athleticism to be a starting corner in the NFL but the scouting reports, combine notes and stats can only tell you so much. To me, finding out how effective a player is in a game situation is more valuable than anything and the best way to judge that is by studying game tape. Stats are great, but I always like to have visual evidence to back-up the numbers to judge prospects, especially ones that are projected to go in a higher round. The college football stats available online are also less than idea, so I put a lot of though into game film when looking at potential draft picks.

For Gilmore, I watched South Carolina's games against Nebraska, Arkansas and Clemson to get an idea of what kind of player he is. All three teams have very strong offenses, so his performance in these games can help us project how Gilmore will perform as a pro. After watching these games and Gilmore's performance more closely, I have a few opinions on him.

One thing that sticks out to me about Gilmore is how quickly he converges on the ball-carrier and how he always seems to get involved with helping stop the run. Run support is a very important attribute to have in a corner and Gilmore always seemed to be one of the first guys to go after the ball-carrier if they went to the outside. I noticed this a lot against Nebraska, who ran the ball a lot in the Capital One Bowl. Gilmore is big and physical enough to be an effective run stopper, so I think this will definitely help him as a pro, but something else I noticed is that he was blocked very easily, especially in the Nebraska game. Nebraska's tight and and wide receivers were able to hold off Gilmore for at least 5-6 seconds which allowed them to push the play downfield before Gilmore could get to the running back. That's something which could be a problem when he takes on bigger and stronger tight ends and blocking receivers in the NFL. 

As for his coverage skills, Gilmore is very, very good in the zone coverage scheme that South Carolina uses. He is great at jumping routes and taking advantage of bad throws, which is a skill welcomed in every defense. Gilmore is also solid at blanketing receivers in short yardage routes and if he does allow a catch, the receiver never gains much after the play. He was particularly good in goal-line situations against Arkansas and Tennessee. His play reminds me a lot of Bengals' corner Leon Hall.

A problem that arises here is that the Panthers do not play zone coverage and utilize more of a man-to-man system instead. Gilmore has the tools to be a successful man-to-man corner but I haven't seen enough from him to say if he will be effective as one in the NFL. The few instances where he was forced into man-to-man coverage weren't terribly promising, though. The most glaring instance came in the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska where the Nebraska wide-out had a step on him and Gilmore panicked at the last second by electing to tackle the receiver even though the ball was overthrown. That showed poor decision-making skills on his part and it doesn't reflect well on his man-to-man coverage skills either.

The other flaw I noticed in Gilmore's game is that he has a tendency to go for the big play instead of taking a more safe approach. Case and point, in the Nebraska game he had perfectly defended an attempted end-around and had an opportunity to wrap-up the ball-carrier for a loss but instead, he went for a big hit, which was evaded, and the Huskers got a first down in the red zone. I saw this again in the Clemson game when he had solid coverage on one of their receivers, but he tried to go for the INT and allowed a first down as a result. I call this "Aqib Talib Syndrome." These are all correctable mistakes and Carolina's coaching staff can definitely help fix the problems that Gilmore has in his game, but is he the right corner to take for us?

Here's the big issue with the Panthers taking Gilmore. Carolina is picking in the top 10 and there is going to be better talent available there. Corner is a big need for this team, but they have other issues that need to be addressed, as well. From what I see, Gilmore is not worth picking in the top 10, even if he is the best corner available then. He might be available in the second round, but it's possible that he might be gone by then because of how impressive he was during the combine. I also have some questions about whether or not he can fit with Carolina's defense because he played a completely different system in college. South Carolina also had one of the best pass rushes in football, which definitely helped Gilmore's play a lot. QB's make more bad throws when they are under pressure and one of Gilmore's strongest asset's is his ball-hawking skills. He probably won't have that luxury in Carolina.

I think Gilmore has the skills to be a solid man-to-man corner but it'll require some coaching/training for him to be one, so I'm not sure if the Panthers should take him if there are better players available in the second round.

Here's a video showing some highlights from Gilmore at the Capital One Bowl including his blocked extra point return.