This is an issue that me and my buddy Carlos have been going back and forth on. After months of vitriol towards Auburn's Heisman-winning QB Cam Newton, Carlos switched sides pretty much directly after the Combine and has given Cam a vigorous co-sign as the Panthers' franchise QB. I, on the other hand, think the Panthers are better served to look outside the QB position, snatch up one of the Draft's better prospects(I'm high on Georgia WR A.J. Green, personally), given current incumbent Jimmy Clausen another year and then go all in for Andrew Luck next year if Clausen tanks yet again. The debate between me and Carlos has raged for weeks and I finally decided to say "Screw it!" and manifest this topic into a more public forum.
So, in the triumphant return of the "Dumb Honest Question of the Week", I ask, whole-heartedly, do the Carolina Panthers NEED to take a QB with the first overall pick?
Now, my answer is no. For one, as bad as Clausen was last year as the Panthers QB (3 TDs, 9 INTs, 1,558 yards, 58.4 QB rating in 11 starts), keep in mind that you're closing the book on a 23-year old kid who has 11 starts to his name on a team that was battered, beat up and mailing it in by midseason. I'm not saying Jimmy Clausen is the second coming of Joe Montana, but we've seen teams give up on young QBs early for what they believed to be better alternatives only for the departed youngster to go on to bigger things. It happened in 2004 when the arrival of Phillip Rivers as the Chargers' first round pick lit a fire under the ass of Drew Brees(Granted, the move worked out for both men. Brees went on to win a Super Bowl lighting it up in New Orleans while Rivers has been a Pro Bowl QB in San Diego. Still, you wonder what would have happened had San Diego opted for, say, Pittsburgh WR Larry Fitzgerald and held on to Brees. Would we be thinking of the Chargers differently if they had spent the last half decade with a foursome of Brees-L.T.-Fitzgerald-Antonio Gates? I guess we'll never know.). A couple years ago, the Bears swapped Kyle Orton for what they believed to be an upgrade in Jay Cutler. Orton went on to be a solid QB in Denver while Cutler has been shaky to say the least.
What's the risk of giving Clausen one more year and, if you're going to give up on Clausen, why not replace him with a veteran rather than roll the dice on yet another inexperienced rookie QB? Both Newton and Blaine Gabbert are better options, on paper, than Clausen but are they head and shoulders better? I don't think so. Bengals QB Carson Palmer, who is desperately seeking a way out of Cincinatti, is a big upgrade over Clausen. Yes, he's 31, coming off a terrible season and is owed $10 million for 2011 but he's a veteran whose best years aren't THAT far behind him(2005 and 2006 being his best seasons). How about Kevin Kolb? Now, word on the street is the Eagles have found a team willing to give up a first(supposedly Arizona) for Kolb's services. If that's the case, it may be worth it to pass on the 26-year old Eagles backup because the first overall pick is a bit much for a guy with a less-than-stellar track record. If the price comes down though, Kolb would be a great fit. Another cheap option: Packers backup Matt Flynn. Even as a Packers fan, I worry that Flynn is nothing more than this generation's Jay Fiedler but he played admirable in his only start of his career and he'll come at a much lower price than Palmer or Kolb or Newton and Gabbert. He could be a decent starter. If nothing else, he can give Clausen work until next year when the Panthers will be in the running for Andrew Luck.
By tabbing a veteran at QB, the Panthers can shift focus to another one of their many needs. A.J. Green has been considered by some to be the best WR prospect since Fitzgerald and has already drawn Randy Moss/Andre Johnson comparisons. You pair him with Steve Smith and newly acquired TE Jeremy Shockey to go with the backfield of Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson and your offense is improved significantly.
On the other side of the ball, there are a bunch of other highly-touted prospects. Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers is big, athletic defensive end. The kind of beast the Panthers had when they had a similar-sized freak in Julius Peppers. In a division with pass-happy teams like New Orleans and Atlanta, a pass rusher the caliber of Bowers would pay dividends for the Panthers. At a position where talent is a bit more rare to find, there's defensive tackles Marcell Dareus of Alabama and Auburn's Nick Fairley. Dareus outplayed Fairley(considered the top DT in the draft going into the Combine) at the NFL Combine but Fairley bounced back with an impressive pro day. Both can be disruptive forces on the interior(as Fairley proved in the National Championship) and both significantly upgrade a position that hasn't had something close to adequate since Kris Jenkins was traded. Now, all three defensive standouts come with their red flags. Bowers has been battling an injury with his knee that required surgery in January. Fairley has had issues with his weight and some concerns over his character and Dareus has had some character issues as well. All three men also have the stigma of being one-year wonders, but the same can be said for Newton and Gabbert.
That brings me back to Carlos' case. According to Carlos, Cam Newton has the size, speed, athletic ability and, most importantly, leadership ability to be a difference maker for Carolina. Carlos believes there isn't a QB in the draft or available in trade that he'd take over Cam Newton(Editor's note: When I texted Carlos to clarify his stance, he softened a little saying he would consider trading a 3rd for Kolb but that's it). If the Panthers were to go QB, I would prefer they go Newton over Gabbert even with Newton not looking the sharpest in throwing drills at the Combine(The fact that he was willing to participate in those drills knowing what he may lose if he failed is something that earned him props from both me and Carlos, especially since Gabbert waited til his Pro Day to show off his arm) for the exact same reasons as Carlos. I think Newton will be a fine QB if given time to sit and learn(preferably from a vet) before jumping into being a starter. Newton doesn't have much experience with a pro-style offense(or really being a starter, for that much) and it's a lot of pressure to thrust a young guy in there and tell him to save a franchise. Yes, it worked for Sam Bradford and Matt Ryan. It also didn't work for Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Cade McNown, Matt Leinart and David Carr. The same holds true for Gabbert, who played in a spread offense at Missouri for two years. The scouts are high on Gabbert and he's certianly in the running to bypass Newton as the Panthers' pick, but there's just something I don't like about him(He did only have 16 TDs last season with the Tigers and his bowl game against Iowa wasn't the greatest either). It's just a hunch. Granted, it's the same hunch that thought Ryan and Bradford would flop and Joey Harrington would flourish but whatever.
So, in conclusion, my strategy is I were running the Panthers next month would be this: Take A.J. Green with the #1 overall pick. Yes, it's unconventional and the four-game suspension to start off his final season at Georgia was a bit of a red flag but the guy has all the makings of being a star in this league(I like Green over Bowers or Fairley or Dareus just slightly. Though I think all four are better prospects than Newton. Still, I would rank Newton 6th, behind these four and LSU CB Patrick Patterson). After you draft Green, get Clausen some veteran competition. Marc Bulger wants another crack at starting. Tarvaris Jackson or Dennis Dixon could be interesting(both free agents) or you could take a flier on Palmer or Flynn(Kolb is probably out of the running if the Cardinals are willing to give up the 5th pick in the draft for him). You could try trading back and getting back that second round pick you gave away to New England last year but that might be farfetched. You go into next season(if there is one) with a healthy offensive line, a two-pronged running attack and some solid weapons for whoever is behind center. Yes, defense wins championships but this team is years away from that(especially in that division). If all else fails, you're right back on top of the draft next year and you get Andrew Luck. Newton and Gabbert are good QB prospects. They don't get this team out of picking in the Top 10 next year or probably even 2013. Clausen is worth another year at starter and, while Newton and Gabbert are upgrades, they aren't big enough upgrades to bypass the other value you can get at this spot or blowing the chance at taking your QB too early when you're probably picking high again next year.
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