Not with Marty Hurney calling the shots.
Hurney likes to tell the Carolina fanbase — and far too many gullible local reporters — that the Panthers have a “plan” and that “plan” is to build through the draft. Except that Hurney’s drafts have been unremarkable to horrible.
In fact, it is fair to say that the signature personnel event for the Panthers under Hurney was a bottom-fishing free agent signing. It was stumbling on to a guy named Jake. Without the Delhomme lightning, Hurney is probably working on the fringes of the league right now. That is the brutal, unvarnished truth and explains why Hurney ran both Delhomme and John Fox out of town — so Marty could continue with his myth-making unconstrained by institutional memory.
From Hurney’s first draft in 2002 exactly none of the players remain on the team. From 2003, Jordan Gross remains, ahead of a horrid 2nd round pick in C Bruce Nelson. The 2004 draft went like this: Chris Gamble, Kerry Colbert, Travelle Wharton, Drew Carter. And 2005 speaks for itself as a root of the 2-14 debacle: Thomas Davis, Eric Shelton, Evan Mathis, Atiyyah Ellison, Stefan LeFors.
You might have to rate 2006 as Hurney’s best draft despite some huge clunkers: DeAngelo Williams, Richard Marshall, James Anderson, Rashad Butler, Nate Salley, Jeff King, Will Montgomery, Stanley McClover. The trouble is we already know that Marshall — only the Panthers best CB right now — is gone and that Williams and Anderson might be as well. Drafting well does not matter if you are too cheap to re-sign talent when you do not have anything on deck to replace them.
And 2007 was crippled by the WR whiffs in the 2nd and 4th rounds: Jon Beason, Dwayne Jarrett, Ryan Kalil, Charles Johnson, Ryne Robinson, Dante Rosario, Tim Shaw, C.J. Wilson. Even the selection of Pro Bowl beast Beason has to be seen in the context of Hurney running off functional LB Chris Draft, creating a void the draft had to fill. Maybe a Ben Grubbs (G) or a Greg Olsen (TE) would have been a better long-term fit.
It is a tough to get a handle on 2008 due to all the injuries even though all the guys remain on the roster: Jonathan Stewart, Jeff Otah, Charles Godfrey, Dan Connor, Gary Barnidge, Nick Hayden, Hilee Taylor, Geoff Schwartz, Mackenzy Bernadeau.
Godfrey stands out as a true Packer-Steeler type pick, 3rd rounder who quickly becomes a solid starter. Otah? If he does not come back and play at a high level you’d have to rate him a bust, simple as that. Stewart is another guy who has to stay healthy to solidify his value, the same for Connor. Schwartz and Bernadeau were simply handed starting jobs by Marty before they were ready — something which the Packers or Steelers would never do. Schwartz might be a functional RG going forward, but Bernadeau needs to improve if Wharton cannot come back from his injury woes.
For 2009, a stretch dictated by the looming Julius Peppers fiasco: Marty seriously over-spent for DE Everette Brown. Again, the Packer-Steeler model does not draft out of panic or spite. Brown is a bust and defines this draft. Still, decent finds down the board: Sherrod Martin, Corvey Irvin, Mike Goodson, Tony Fiammetta, Duke Robinson, Captain Munnerlyn. The interesting thing is that both Martin and Fiammetta could have really used another year with vets Chris Harris and Brad Hoover in their ears, but Marty’s fire sale “youth movement” did not allow for that. Munnerlyn is a nice nickel-back-punt returner find, but no way is he a opening-day starting NFL CB — as the Panthers seem doomed to find out next year.
Finally, 2010. Never, ever forget the huge grin Marty sported after Jimmy Clausen fell into his lap. Brandon LaFell? Might be something there, might be out of the league in four years. Armanti Edwards. Whew? What can you say? Some GMs would already be out of job for a deal like that. Eric Norwood is a game teamer and tweener, but a little pricey in the 4th round for that. Good what the hell pick in DE Greg Hardy, but some Panther fans are already putting Hardy in the Pro Bowl. We’ll see. WR David Gettis is the one real wild card, great size and crazy speed. Jordan Pugh gives a Panthers a solid S rotation for years to come — probably the team’s strongest position right now. David Shula, Tony Pike. Tony Pike, David Shula. Who knows? CBs R.J. Stanford and Robert McClain, solid teamers.
A fair reading of Hurney’s nine drafts produces a track record of mediocrity. And mediocrity does not get you to a Super Bowl. Marty has simply missed on far too many 2nd-3rd-4th round picks, the picks that top franchises turn into consistent, quality NFL starters. The 05-07 drafts should have produced at least eight more starter-quality players than they did — and that goes a long way to explaining why the Carolina Panthers will be chipping-and-dipping on Super Bowl Sunday along with the rest of us wanna-bes.
