A week ahead of the NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers have sent their scouts home. After months of prep work and 12 days of meetings at Bank of America Stadium, all that's left is to go through a few more mock drafts and maybe do some final tinkering.
For the first time in the Dave Gettleman era, the Panthers used all 30 of their allowed in-house visits with prospects. And because Gettleman is unlikely to use the capital it would take to move up in the first round, 30 is where the Panthers will pick next Thursday night. Maybe.
"There could be teams at the top of the second that have an interest in coming into the first. Maybe that's something that happens."
There's been a growing sense the Panthers' 1st-round slot is open for bidding. Trading out of the first isn't likely, but it's possible, and Carolina could be in a power position.
The Broncos, who sit at No. 31, desperately need a quarterback. If one of the fringe 1st-round QBs is there when the Panthers are on the clock, they could field calls from a team wanting to jump Denver.
"It's hard to pass that up, it really is. It's hard, but we'll see."
While Gettleman could grab some extra picks if he traded out of the first round, he'd also lose one of the most valuable tools of the current CBA. In what's essentially a poor man's version of the franchise tag, teams can eventually place 5th-year options on first rounders. That flexibility is, as Gettleman said, hard to pass up.
"[If] you need hog mollie help, you're not mad about this draft."
This year's class isn't elite at the top, but it contains plenty of talent in the trenches. There's incredible depth at defensive tackle, a host of good options at defensive end and some studs on the offensive line.
Gettleman doesn't usually toss out names ahead of the draft, but he briefly raved about Alabama center Ryan Kelly and Stanford guard Joshua Garnett. Each will probably be gone before the Panthers pick, but for those still hoping Gettleman will use an early pick on an offensive tackle, he believes there are four with 1st-round talent.
"Big men allow you to compete, and I'm a firm believer in it, ... It makes people in the backend better. Trust me, it does. I've been blessed; I've been with teams that have had big-time fronts, and I've seen the value of that. I'm an open book. There's no magic here. There's no pixie dust."
This one is notable for a few reasons. First, it's a great quote. Plus, it yet again reaffirms Gettleman's philosophy of building from the inside out. It also shows why he wasn't willing to meet Josh Norman's contract demands. He was a really good cornerback in 2015, but, as Gettleman told me in July, "If there’s no pass rush, there’s no shutdown corners."
"It's a nice group."
That's about as much as Gettleman was willing to offer when asked about the quality of the corners in this draft. It's doesn't mean he's down on them, it really means ... who knows?
"No. We're going to take the best player available."
Because Norman's departure has left a huge hole in the secondary, many assume the Panthers will change their draft plans. A corner could happen, but Wednesday's bombshell didn't blow up Carolina's draft board.
"I don't subscribe to the theory that going into this draft, I gotta get one of these, one of these, two of these, one of these, three of these. We're not shopping in the supermarket ... We're going to take the best player."
See above, re: cornerbacks. Rinse, repeat for defensive end, safety, running back, etc.