http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=5988254 I'm not surprised they let this leak early, as knowing he'll be the #1 pick makes it pretty tough for Luck to stay in school and turn down the ridiculous contract that would already make him one of the highest-paid players in the league if he declares. Panthers wouldn't be a bad organization to go to anyway--good run game (though I think DeAngelo is a free agent), Steve Smith at WR, new coach.
odd that they dont have a new coach and have already decided who his QB and first draft pick will be. but it makes sense for the reasons that you stated. Make it known to luck he will go first and he will find it nearly impossible to go back to school...
No one knows what kind of money he will get paid. The NFL will hold a draft but the days of rookie qb's getting 50 million guaranteed is probably over.
Maybe. No one really knows. Could be like the NBA where everyone is slotted a small salary but they hit free agency sooner.
Panthers are ther real joke of the NFL and are probably run by a "highly" trained team of monkeys... especially the scouting department and whoever the GM is. That said Luck makes a ton of sense and it doesn't matter they drafted Clausen last year.
Luck will be the new face of the franchise. New Coach and staff with a fresh start. I'd be excited to be a Panther fan. I could see Carolina putting up Jimmy C for trade bait.
I wrote an article about this kind of thing, but about the NBA. I hate when teams ruin the kid's draft day by leaking their selection.
I think in this case they're trying to make Luck absolutely certain he will be #1 if he decides to come out. There will certainly be people with interest in Stanford football who will put things into his ear about how Newton or Green could jump him if he declares as a Soph. Not saying there will be a lot of those people, but I wouldn't put it past them when a lot of money could be involved.
The only two opinions that matter to him are Oliver's and Jim's. In the case of the latter, ever since Luck was his prime target, I always figured Harbaugh would stay through Luck's grooming and college career. Their departures depend on each other IMO.
I cant believe the Panthers are giving up on Clausen. He really isnt that bad, he was put under tremendous pressure to perform. Especially with no Offensive Line, injured run game, and his only WR Smith was double covered most of the time. Besides you do not waste a high draft pick for a QB only to give him one year then just throw him away. The Panthers should: Draft A.J. Green, have him learn under Steve Smith Focus on bolstering the Offensive Line, Carolina is known for their run game Bolster the Deffensive Line and Safety position Signing DeAngelo Williams Getting Green would give them another dangerous playmaker and big target for Clausen, Carolina is known for their run game so bolstering the Offensive Line has to be done to take pressure off Clausen to perform, and Williams and Jonathan Stewart can do their thing.
Clausen is not a top pick, he was made by a diffferent regime. Clausen could net a late round pick as trade bait. You just don't pass up a guy like Luck who is supposedly the best prospect since Peyton for a guy like Clausen, who might be good but also might not be.
You absolutly do not pass on Luck, I don't care if you've got Peyton Manning. Look what happened in GB. Rodgers was drafted and sat on his ass for what? 4 years? Now he's one of the best in the NFL, probly in large part because he was able to sit for awhile and adapt to the NFL game.
I'd bet they find a taker for Clausen and send him out before the draft. The Niners would be a good fit, he's from out there and they could use any kind of upgrade at the position at this point. The fact that they have a legitimate offensive line will give him a chance to succeed without getting beaten up too bad.
Clausen to SF would be a good fit... or maybe to the Seahawks or anywhere they have an aging starter (Jacksonville?).
Why impossible? There's a good chance that Luck wants nothing to do with the Panthers and will refuse to go there.
