Time to think Draft!

Happy Monday! NHL Playoffs have been (for the most part) fairly awesome. More on that later.

I'm not a mock draft kinda guy. I never saw the fun in trying to determine exactly which player an NFL team would try to select. I don't knock those that enjoy it, it's just not me. Makes me glad that I am that way, considering the Panthers don't have a selection (at the moment) until round 2 in Saturday's NFL draft. It would make me looney trying to figure out where the first 58 picks would be spent.

Last week Friday, Darin Gantt from the Rock Hill Herald was in studio to talk about the Panthers and how they sit, and I agree with him--Carolina likely won't be sitting on the sidelines waiting until their number comes up in round 2. At some point, SOMETHING has to break on the Julius Peppers front (whether he gets a an offer sheet, signs his contract tender, whatever), and that will break the Panthers free from their current shackles and move forward. Until then, they are just kinda waiting things out. I think there will be some activity leading up to Saturday. Stay tuned.

As for the Charlotte Observer's thoughts on the draft from Sunday's paper, it's nice fodder, but it's not on the radar. Pat White, QB from W. Virginia, would be a nice draft pick if the Panthers were desperate for a quarterback, but they aren't. They will, at some point, address the QB spot, but it won't happen during this draft. I would be shocked if it did happen this weekend. White is a dynamic athlete, but he doesn't seem to be a fit with the Fox/Hurney style of football. Couple that with Jake Delhomme being locked in as the starter for at least the coming season, and I suspect the Panthers like what they have at that position, and won't spend a high pick (higher than what they have now), to take White.

We'll have reaction to whatever the Panthers do this week leading up to the draft on Sports Night, and more thoughts on it here at the blog. Enjoy the week!

Mike Solarte