| In the last issue of Pro Football Weekly,
our review of the 2001 NFL draft, the editors were asked to pick a team’s draft that
intrigued them the most. My choice was the St. Louis Rams, an obvious selection given
their three first-round picks. But a not-too-distant second was the Carolina Panthers, who
quietly put together a fine draft. The Panthers chose my favorite player of the draft,
Miami (Fla.) LB Dan Morgan, in Round One. Not only was he a tackle machine in college, he
has all the intangibles, the most important being leadership and work ethic.
In meeting with Morgan at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, reporters learned of a
notebook Morgan keeps to track his personal goals. The idea was proposed by Morgan’s
father, who believed that setting goals was the best way to achieve success.
No one who watched Morgan grow into a multi-award winner in college would argue that
point. Now Morgan will continue his practice in the pros, where he will play for a
Panthers team that ranked 27th in defense. He immediately becomes a
team-leading-tackler candidate.
Remember how Bears LB Brian Urlacher took the league by storm last season? Morgan has
that kind of ability. He has excellent speed, he can cover a lot of ground and he has good
instincts. He’s a football player through and through, and his dedication to the game
is complete.
But the Panthers didn’t stop with Morgan. You have to like Florida State’s
Chris Weinke in Round Four. Given the sorry state of their QB position, the Panthers were
a perfect suitor for Weinke, who is arguably the most ready of the rookie quarterbacks.
He’s instantly the team’s oldest quarterback (28), and he might prove to be
the best. By returning for his senior season, Weinke lost weight, gained quickness and
greatly improved his passing skills. Jeff Lewis hasn’t earned any ringing
endorsements from head coach George Seifert, and Dameyune Craig isn’t the answer by
many accounts.
Weinke, you’ll recall, won the Heisman Trophy. Not that winning the award leads to
fame and fortune in the NFL, but it sure says something about the player. Weinke won the
honor after completing 62 percent of his passes for 4,167 yards with a TD-interception
ratio of 33-11.
But wait. There’s more. S Jarrod Cooper (Kansas State), the Panthers’
fifth-round pick, put up the best workout numbers of any collegiate safety. He just has to
learn to translate them to the field. DT Kris Jenkins (Maryland), the team’s
second-round selection, could be a monster if he can erase his habit of playing too
upright and losing his leverage. Heck, as an undrafted free agent, Carolina signed RB R.J.
Bowers (Grove City College, Pa.), the NCAA’s career rushing leader for all divisions.
It wasn’t a very highly touted draft among analysts, but mark my words, the
Panthers found themselves some talent. If they find success in the near future, you can
point to this draft as the catalyst. |
