Carolina Panthers: Which rookie will make an impact in 2009?

The Panthers had some pre draft issues that were outlined in the general team synopsis. In this installment I aim to explore which rookies I think will have an impact on the team, and those who will fall into the cracks. On average, only 40% of a team’s draft class ends up contributing or even on an active roster within 3 years. I just wish to get ahead of the curve and explore who those contributors will be going into the 2009 season. I will highlight players that I think will make a contribution in 2009, or need to, for the team to have a successful season.

Every player that was recently drafted will not make an impact on the team this upcoming season, no matter the hopes and dreams of fans and front office personnel alike.

Possible Contributors:

Everette Brown

The Panthers do not have many proven players at the defensive end position other than Julius Peppers; who is anything but a long term option for the club given the contract issues both sides have had. Tyler Brayton had a career year in 2008, registering 4 sacks, and bringing his career total to 11. Charles Johnson showed some pass rush ability, but he again registered only 6 sacks in 2008. Johnson is still very young and could see his playing time and production increase, but he is still unproven.

Everette Brown has been brought to Carolina to bolster the Panthers ability to bring pressure off the edge. Brown, is an up the field rusher who struggles to adjust or redirect back inside. Mickey Andrews’ scheme at Florida State makes his defensive ends very one dimensional. Andrews’ scheme asks for his ends to fly up the field, typically on the outside; trying to take advantage of collegiate offensive lineman. If Brown wishes to see playing time early on he must prove that he can expand his limited pass rush repertoire. Coming out of college, Brown’s best redirect was a spin move. Whilst somewhat effective, Brown’s spin could be handled by better than average offensive tackles, leaving Brown blocked and ineffective.

Brown must work on stacking and shedding blockers if he wishes to be a fulltime player. Brown must also become fundamentally stronger in order to hold the point of attack against the run. Brown relies on his athleticism and quickness to defeat blocks rather than technique and strength. Quickness and agility are effective weapons against slower footed blockers, but the trade off is allowing the runner to gain more yardage before the play can be made.  Personally, I believe that defensive lineman must effectively play off of blocks in order to be successful on the next level. Currently Brown does not show the variety, nor refinement of hand fighting techniques to be a consistent force

Brown’s inability to shed blockers quickly is only exasperated by his lack of ideal size for the position. Whilst he has long arms for his height, Brown is still shorter than the archetype for an NFL defensive end. These two factors can see him engulfed at the point of attack initially. However, in Brown’s defense, whatever he lacks in terms of refinement and secondary pass rush moves, he more than makes up for in sheer hustle. It is not uncommon for Brown to be seen chasing down the ball carrier 20 yards down the field at a full sprint. The former Seminole star will never quit on a play; a quality that should endear him to his teammates, coaches and fans alike.

The good news is that Brown has at least one year to learn the ropes with Peppers across from him. Hopefully Brown will grow enough as a player to shoulder more of a burden in 2010, as it just may be financially unfeasible for the club to tag Peppers again. Brown is a player with a great deal of upside, but also question marks regarding his refinement, but if he is initially brought along slowly, he could blossom into a star in Carolina.

Sherrod Martin

The Panthers had issues in their secondary towards the end of the 2008 season. However, the fall in the level of play cannot be attributed to a woeful pass rush during that stretch. Over the final 5 games, the Panthers recorded 15 of their season total of 37 sacks. The Panthers did have some talent in the secondary, but overall the team’s reserve players are better suited for special teams duty rather than a great deal of game action. This past off season, the team released Ken Lucas; a move that should allow Richard Marshall to start opposite Chris Gamble.

However, with Marshall now a starter, the team’s suspect depth just got thinner. Neither C.J. Wilson, nor Dante Wesley have proven themselves to be solid talents thus far in their careers.  As such, the door is wide open for Martin to come in and make an impact in 2009. Martin does have some issues he must overcome, such as a lack of experience at corner as he played both safety and corner whilst in college.  Martin does take some bad angles to the ball and he is not a very refined player in terms of his technique. He will need to improve on these areas as he will likely see a few passes thrown his way as opponents test him in the slot. In 2008, the Panthers tended to keep their corners on their side of the field, rather than mirror motion and formation shifts. If the defense continues to operate as such, Martin may find himself tested often as opponents know that both Marshall and Gamble will stay outside of the formation, leaving the rookie isolated.

Martin may have trouble adjusting to the NFL in terms of coverage, but he should be an adequate run defender from his nickel corner position. Martin can blitz and is physical enough to work his way through trash to find the ball in close quarters. The Panthers did blitz from their secondary in 2008, but Ron Meeks is the new defensive coordinator, so it remains to be seen if that trend continues. Allowing the rookie to blitz off the edge may allow him to make plays, and in turn increase his chances of making an impact in 2009. Martin may be forced into action more than he outright wins the job to begin the year. His development will be key to the Panthers success in shutting down opposing pass offenses.

Duke Robinson

The Panthers like to be physical along the offensive line in general. Currently Keydrick Vincent is slated as the starter at right guard, but I believe that Duke Robinson will push him for playing time by the end of the season. Vincent is not overpowering at the point of attack despite being 325lbs, and can have trouble anchoring against bigger defensive tackles. He will give ground more often than he drives his man off the ball. Vincent also struggles to reach the second level consistently, making him a bit of a liability in this regard. Vincent benefits from playing between the very agile Ryan Kalil and a thumper in former 1^st rounder Jeff Otah. The Panthers could use to uograde the right guard position and depth overall along the offensive front.

Robinson is a physical presence, although he will have to make the transition from a wide open pass first offense to more of a traditional attack. Robinson’s experience playing in this style of offense may help his chances of making an impact for the Panthers in 2009. At Oklahoma, he displayed good straight line speed, enabling him to reach the second level on a regular basis. Robinson is physical at the point of attack, but he does not show a great deal of knee bend making Robinson play tall at times.  But he still manages to create the requisite movement along the front.

Whilst Robinson does show better speed than you might expect, he is not very nimble when asked to move laterally. The former Sooner does possess quick hand however, which does help to stymie a defender’s advance. Robinson has limitations, but his upside and athletic ability are better than Keydrick Vincent’s at this stage. Thus, I see Robinson making an impact as the season progresses. I just don’t see Vincent holding off the rookie for the entire season. Regardless of who wins the battle, the team wins as the interior depth has been addressed whilst building for the future.

Possible Disappointments:

Corvey Irvin

The Panthers could use to add a defensive tackle that has the ability to penetrate into the opponent’s backfield as Damione Lewis is 31 before the season starts. Nick Hayden saw only limited action at the end of the season and failed to make a solid impression. Therefore the team decided to add more talent to the interior of their defensive line with the selection of Corvey Irvin. Unfortunately, I don’t see Irvin as being ready to contribute on a regular basis at this stage unless he really improves in certain areas.

Irvin has decent lower body strength and can absorb initial contact fairly well. However, he lacks the upper body strength to stand his ground; allowing himself to be turned or uprooted. The former Georgia standout also needs to show more consistency in terms of his pad level, as he often plays taller than he should. This lack of technique and leverage allows offensive linemen to control and manipulate him more so than his talent would indicate.

However, none of these concerns bother me as much as Irvin’s inability to separate from his blocker. Irvin allows his hands to go silent rather than continuing to work himself free using an arm over, rip or swim move. Irvin’s lack of upperbody strength affects his ability to lock out his arms, maintaining separation from his opponent. Put simply; Irvin allows blockers to get into and control his pads far too often. Irvin is more of a one gap penetrator than he is force against the run, but he still must become much stronger if he wishes to compete for playing time. Irvin will flash his ability, especially against athletically limited offensive lineman, but better than average players will control this rookie more often than he will make plays.

Irvin has a great deal of potential, but at this stage there is too many “ifs” in his game for him to be considered a candidate to make an impact. If he gets a full year in the team’s strength and conditioning program and refines his technique, he could blossom into the type of player the Panthers are looking for.

Tony Fiametta

The Panthers may not have initially appeared to need a fullback coming into the draft, but Brad Hoover will be 33 by season’s end. Hoover has not garnered a great deal of attention during his NFL career, but he has been a solid pro who has stepped up when the team has asked him to do so. Fiametta will be groomed to replace Hoover in the near future, but for now the rookie must hone his skills.

Whilst Fiametta was a solid college player, he will need to adjust to the NFL. In all likelihood, he will see time on special teams as he gets stronger and hopefully more refined in some of techniques. Fiametta does have issues maintaining his blocks downfield as he lacks good lateral quickness. However, the former Syracuse Orangeman does have solid receiving skills, is a capable, albeit not overpowering blocker. He was also a running back in high school making him a threat to run the football.  The Panthers know all too well the importance a fullback who can handle carries. Fiametta will need to work on route running if he wishes to be involved in the passing game as he can be a little sloppy with his footwork; allowing his defender to shadow him better..

I think the Panthers will work Fiametta into the fold slowly, as he needs to make strides in some areas of his game, but he has all the necessary skills to be a solid fullback in the near future. As such, his ability to make a big impact on the 2009 season may be somewhat limited.

Captian Munnerlyn

Munnerlyn was billed as a corner who can run with most receivers. What has been shown during the pre draft process is that Munnerlyn can have trouble staying low when he transitions from a backpedal to full sprint, and that whilst he is quicker than fast, he may have issues with his foot speed in a small area. I do not wish insinuate that Munnerlyn has no chance of making the roster, but I do believe that he will face an uphill battle.

Munnerlyn may not be physically strong enough at this stage of his career to compete effectively. The former Gamecock standout is not a fundamentally sound player, and will struggle when his physical gifts cannot get him through the game. His lack of technique can lead to big plays on double moves and superior routes. He has enough talent to handle the slot initially; in part due to his ball hawking nature. But, that same aggressive nature, combined with his lack of fundamentals could see him victimized.

Despite the Panthers lack of depth at the position, I believe Munnerlyn will have his best chance to compete on special teams. However, if he fails to secure a spot, I believe he will have to be allocated to the practice squad if he is not outright released. His reliance on his physical gifts may have allowed him to compete in college, but in the pro game he will no longer standout. Without the physical ability to standout, he will be forced to rely on techniques he is not adept at using.

Mike Goodson

I would like to start by saying that Goodson’s chances of making an impact may have been greater if he had been selected by another team. The Panthers are already well stocked in the offensive backfield thanks to Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. It will simply be too hard for Goodson to take carries away from either runner unless one suffers a serious setback. However, I have mixed feelings about placing Goodson in this half of the draw as the Panthers do find ways to use running backs well.

Goodson is an effective runner, who can make tacklers miss in the open field. His quick feet do not disappear in the hole as he is adept at making cuts at high speed. The former Aggie star has shown the potential to take a play the distance, although he may find it tougher to do so in the pro game. Goodson does not manage to keep the pile moving much when there is not a crease for him to attack. He has functional leg drive, but he is not the type of runner that can stop and restart in the backfield and generate a good deal of push. He must be moving forward if he is to provide any movement. Whilst he can bounce off of some tackles, Goodson is not back who runs over many defenders.

Goodson’s best chance to make an impact as a runner may come as an option on third downs, but again, it would mean taking plays away from one of the other talented backs on the roster. It may be a case of Goodson needing an injury to occur for him to truly get a chance to shine during games. Goodson has good hands and has experience as a route runner in college, although he still relies on his speed rather than sheer fundamentals in this area. The former Texas A&M star could get a few reps as a returner due to his elusiveness and speed, although he does not have a great deal of experience doing so. If Goodson can show enough as a receiver out of the backfield or as a returner, he could see some game action. Otherwise, he’ll be hard pressed to relieve either of the co starters of any carries.