Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We\u2019re in full combine swing, meaning the Draft is only two months away! Of course, we\u2019ll have free agency in between, but this week\u2019s mailbag was all about tomorrow\u2019s NFL Draft picks. Let\u2019s dive right in!<\/p>\n
DBelt: How do you think you would perform at the combine? I want specific numbers for the 40, vertical, shuttle, three cone, bench press, and I want a detailed breakdown of your hip fluidity in the on-field drills<\/p>\n
I would do poorly. My 40 numbers were never great in high school, I think the fastest I ran was a 5 sec flat. Shuttle, three cone, and hip fluidity all would not be great because I\u2019d likely trip up an old injury, dislocated a vertebrae in my back during my football days and one wrong flip can make it awful. But I did run a heck of a slant route, I\u2019m tall, and I can kinda jump. So I\u2019d probably get drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
@WTMealey: What two Panthers would you combine to make a better player?<\/p>\n
They can play the same position and you just combine their best attributes and get rid of the negative<\/p>\n
They can play 2 different positions and maybe you pick one of those for them to play now giving player A some of Player B attributes that will make him better at his position<\/p>\n
If you combine them maybe now they play a 3rd position neither has played but now they would excel at it<\/p>\n
I\u2019d combine Nick Scott and Colin Jones. You\u2019d have the best special teamer of all time, who can also be a 17 game starter at free safety, strong safety, or nickel corner when needed.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d also combine Jordan Gross with Ikem Ekwonu. You\u2019d probably have the best left tackle of all time between Gross\u2019s pass protection and Ekwonu\u2019s run blocking ability.<\/p>\n
bulletooftony: Brian, if there was one player who was found out to have a \u201cmysterious heart condition\u201d, and they fell to 19, who would it be?<\/p>\n
Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles. Please and thank you.<\/p>\n
KeepPounding88: What do you think is the most overrated or overhyped part of the Combine? Could be an individual drill, a storyline, etc<\/p>\n
I kind of think the 40 yard dash is the most over-hyped, at least for the guys you\u2019re drafting to be starters on offense or defense. How many times do they get to run straight ahead for a full sprint for 40 yards? Sure, there\u2019s the Chris Johnsons of the world where that drill ends up upping their star power and paying off, but then you have plenty of John Rosses where that drill really didn\u2019t matter a ton. For special teams, that drill makes sense.<\/p>\n
I also am not a fan of how much the measurements of things like hand size and height are scrutinized. There\u2019s definitely some merit to it, but people change entire draft projections over it. Just watch the tape, if tiny hands have an impact, you\u2019ll see it there.<\/p>\n
PantherBlueBlood: Do you draft a LT, Defensive Tackle, Edge or ILB at 19?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m definitely hoping the Panthers next starting interior linebacker is available at 19. Even if they sign one in free agency. They just don\u2019t have enough there. But I would not be unhappy with any of the other choices. Left tackle may grind some gears, but they need a plan for Ekwonu and Taylor Moton in the future. It would be more of a forward thinking decision than an immediate impact decision (aside from Ekwonu\u2019s injury rehab), and I am definitely in the camp of drafting for immediate impact. But any one of those positions makes sense. The Panthers are in the rare scenario where they have to basically wait to see how the Draft falls and make a decision.<\/p>\n