Carolina Panthers Spoiled For Choice at #1

The moment I heard the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers Ron Rivera speak at his introductory press conference, I knew we were on to a winner. I know that sounds strange, but it is how I feel. Normally you can almost mouth the words a head coach says along with them because, let's face it, we've heard it all before. In Rivera's case, it was less about what he said and more about how he said it.

Confidently, with conviction and belief.

We are going to turn this ship around for the better.

That was the message I got from the press conference. Slowly but surely, Rivera's coaching staff is beginning to come together. Offensively, Rivera hired former San Diego buddy Rob Chudzinski who not only played tight end in college, but also coached some of the best tight ends the NFL has seen in recent years in Kellen Winslow and the inimitable Antonio Gates. Chudzinski's philosophy revolves around the vertical passing game, something that the Carolina offense lacked (or simply couldn't execute) in what was the poorest offensive year in the franchise's history last season.

Sean McDermott, after being abruptly dismissed by the Eagles brass, was offered the position of defensive coordinator in Carolina. This hire definitely got my attention. Rivera preaches a strong defensive mentality which employs aggressive, attacking defensive schemes. He has coached both 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, and while he claims that the Panthers' 4-3 scheme will remain in place, including some 3-4 looks would certainly make things more difficult for opposing offenses on game day. McDermott meshes perfectly with Rivera philosophically and should be a good fit on this coaching staff.

We can jabber on about which coaches have been hired all day and what their potential effect will be on this young team, but ultimately it rests on the player's shoulders to win games on the field. The first big decision facing this new staff and GM Marty Hurney is the #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. After the unfortunate news of Andrew Luck opting to return to Stanford instead of declaring for the draft as a redshirt sophomore, the Panthers organisation have been forced to reshuffle their deck and a previous comment by owner Jerry Richardson intimating that Carolina would not trade down from the #1 pick is now moot.

The good news is that the number of impact players on both sides of the football is plentiful in this draft, aided by a strong group of underclassmen. Here are a few of the players that Carolina could consider taking #1 overall.

CB Patrick Peterson, LSU

LSU's Patrick Peterson is rated by many scouts as the best player from a talent standpoint in this draft. The Panthers held interviews with Peterson at the Senior Bowl a few days ago and should have a keen interest in this very charismatic playmaker from the CB position. Peterson isn't as legitimate a shutdown corner as his fellow 2011 draftee and likely top 10 pick Prince Amukamara, but the kind of return ability and athleticism offered by Peterson in all facets of the game is tough to pass up on. Some may argue that our interest in him is just covering all the bases, but with Richard Marshall more than likely heading out of town and Captain Munnerlyn suited to more of a nickel corner role, Peterson could be the perfect compliment and eventual replacement for Chris Gamble.

DT Nick Fairley, Auburn

The "fairley good" pun has been made far too many times for my liking, but let's just say I wouldn't get tired of hearing this guy's name mentioned in Carolina for the next ten years. Nick Fairley is a defensive lineman who simply takes over football games. Some scouts criticise him for getting too high and losing his leverage at the point of attack, but that is only a minor concern. Fairley, like Ndamukong Suh, is a difference maker from the interior defensive line. The Panthers have lacked a presence of his caliber for a long, long time. Defensive tackle is probably, besides QB, the biggest need the team has. Of course, need shouldn't dictate who you pick #1 overall, but in this case an exception may have to be made. Fairley has all the hype right now after a dominating game in the National Championship against Oregon. I have never come away from an Auburn game without being thoroughly impressed by what I saw from him.

DT Marcell Dareus, Alabama

Marcell Dareus is another player who can make a difference from the interior defensive line. He has scheme versatility and was coached by one of the great defensive minds in football, Nick Saban. Another feather in his cap is that he had the dominant college career he had in the SEC playing 3-4 defensive end for the most part. Dareus is all man and wreaks havoc on seemingly every play. His presence alone dictates to the offense which way they have to scheme their blocks, motion and run their plays. That is exactly the kind of player we desperately need on our defensive front. One thing that stands in Dareus' favour right now is his lack of any character issues unlike Fairley, who has had some immaturity issues in the past. Fairley's past is nothing to be overly concerned with, but I give Dareus the slight edge right now and I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear his name called first by Roger Goodell when April 28th comes around.

WR A.J. Green, Georgia
A.J. Green doesn't strike you as an all-world talent at wide receiver when you first lay eyes on him. He appears skinny, frail and more like a beanpole than a pass catcher. Turn on the tape and you see just how unbelievable a talent he is. I am disappointed to say that I have only been able to watch Green play two or three games this season, but I came away impressed every time. Green has legitimate ability to take over a game and can be a No. 1 target in the NFL. Wide receivers have a high bust rate in the NFL, but Green has been lauded by scouts as the surest thing at wideout since Calvin Johnson. The Panthers need playmakers on the offensive side and offense is definitely the problem of the team. Steve Smith won't be around forever and if the CBA gets a quick resolution then we could see Smitty going packing. From that point of view, the pick makes perfect sense. However, I would like to see the Panthers trade down a couple of spots to take Green. I think we could still select him #3 overall. He would be a very exciting talent to have on our roster, but it is the QB position that needs addressing first, otherwise why have the ammo if you ain't got the gun?

These four players are my choices for the most likely selections for the Carolina Panthers at #1 overall based on everything I know about my team and their tendencies on draft day. Some tendencies will be broken with a new coaching staff, but some will remain the same. I just hope Hurney doesn't trade away any more future picks. We could really use that #33 pick right now.

Whatever happens, it will be a very exciting lead up to the NFL Draft and I think the mystery surrounding who we pick will be one of the more anticipated ones in our draft history. You may notice I didn't mention a QB above. I think Rivera will bring in a veteran presence. I don't know who yet, but Clausen needs some mentoring this offseason. I don't doubt Clausen's work ethic for a second; he just needs more time to develop and learn.

Thank you for reading!