FanHouse JeffOtah

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

John Fox and Marty Hurney have always done a good job selecting first-round talent. Since Fox took over the coaching reins in 2002, they've picked Julius Peppers, Jordan Gross, Chris Gamble, Thomas Davis, DeAngelo Williams, Jon Beason, Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah. So, yeah, not too shabby. This year, the Panthers didn't have a first-round pick, but somehow managed to stumble into first-round talent anyway, landing Everette Brown with the 43rd-overall pick in the draft.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

Yes, the Carolina Panthers are late to the party. But I thought it only appropriate given that the Cats have no first round pick in this year's NFL Draft. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing whatsoever. Last year, the Panthers traded this year's first-rounder (plus 2008's second and fourth round picks) for the Eagles' first round pick (No. 19 overall) and selected Jeff Otah. Carolina made the playoffs and looked like a Super Bowl contender late in the season.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

John Fox and Marty Hurney headed into 2008 with their jobs on the line after an underwhelming 2007 that featured a whole lot of Mittens and not a lot of excitement in Charlotte. They decided to throw caution to the wind and play for "now" by trading their 2009 first-round pick for a chance to pick up both Jeff Otah and Jonathan Stewart in the first round of the draft.

With a healthy Jake Delhomme, Julius Peppers finally deciding to care, a road-grading offensive line and a rejuvenated Smash and Dash running game that featured DeAngelo Williams and Stewart, the Panthers surprised some people by winning the NFC South and looking like a Super Bowl-caliber squad.

Every week we look at some aspect of line play around the league with our Between The Lines feature.

As the playoffs get closer and closer, the Panthers may supplant the Plaxico Burress-less Giants as the NFC's No. 1 seed. If they do, a lot of the credit will go to an offense that can run (with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart) and pass.

But an even bigger reason the Panthers are 6-1 over the past seven games is because they have finally gotten their starting offensive line playing together.

Early in the season, injuries wrecked the Panthers' line. First guard Travelle Wharton missed two games with a knee injury. Tackle Jordan Gross missed a game with a concussion. Then ankle injuries sidelined tackle Jeff Otah (four games) and center Ryan Kalil (four games). Because of all the injuries, right guard Keydrick Vincent is the only lineman to start all 14 games this season, and three different Panthers' substitutes have started a total of 11 games this year.

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges was arrested Sunday night for assault and battery and communicating threats.

The charges stemmed from an incident Saturday night involving Dom Perignon champagne and a bouncer at Villa Antonio Restaurant in Ballantyne, according to Bridges' attorney, George Laughrun, and the restaurant's manager.

Bridges turned himself in Sunday night and was expected to be released after posting $2,500 bond. Laughrun said he expected Bridges would plead not guilty.

Apparently, Bridges ordered a bottle of bubbly at the bar, shook it up and got some of the other customers wet. He was asked to leave, which he attempted to do. However, a female customer who received the champagne shower took issue with Bridges. He didn't like that -- not one bit.

So Bridges started yelling at the customer and pushed away a bouncer. Because he is a big man and was obviously angry, the police were called.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Jake Delhomme is coming off Tommy John surgery so no one knows what to expect. At the end of 2006, some fans wanted someone new at quarterback. Before he was injured in 2007, he was off to a white-hot start. How he recovers will go a long way to a successful Panthers season. Matt Moore filled in nicely late last season and may be the team's future. Brett Basanez isn't ready for prime time. No more Vinny or Mr. Mittens. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: The Panthers have been looking for a Stephen Davis type back and may have found one in rookie Jonathan Stewart. He's the kind of bull coach John Fox likes to center his offense around. DeAngelo Williams will be more efficient as a change-of-pace back. Brad Hoover is back again as an effective fullback. Nick Goings is always around to back up anybody. Heat Index: 5

With less than a week to go before training camp begins, the Carolina Panthers have all but two of their draft picks signed. Unfortunately, it's these two:


Running back Jonathan Stewart (left) and tackle Jeff Otah (right) remain the only players who have yet to dot the I's and cross the T's. All the team's second-day picks -- including 3rd-round picks Dan Connor, who is expected to push the other linebackers in camp, and Charles Godfrey, who will compete with Terrence Holt for the starting free safety spot -- are signed and ready to go.

Given how important Stewart and Otah are expected to be to John Fox's revamped running game this season, the Panthers clearly want to avoid another Jon Beason-style holdout, which was only eight days long but still caused massive consternation in the front office. However, only six first round picks are signed as of today. (The updated list is here.) That could mean all these rookies are waiting to see how much money the others make before they come to terms. If they're waiting for Joe Flacco money, we could all be waiting a while.

Then again, given their various knocks in minicamp, maybe missing a weekend of two-a-days isn't the worst thing for these two.

Detroit Lions 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (17): Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
Round 2 (45): Jordan Dizon, OLB, Colorado
Round 3 (64): Kevin Smith, RB, Central Florida
Round 3 (87): Andre Fluellen, DT, Florida St.
Round 3 (92): Cliff Avril, OLB, Purdue
Round 5 (136): Kenneth Moore, WR, Wake Forest
Round 5 (146): Jerome Felton, FB, Furman
Round 7 (216): Landon Cohen, DE, Ohio
Round 7 (218): Caleb Campbell, S, Army

The Good: I don't care what anyone thinks, I like the Cherilus pick. Most wanted a running back in that spot, but the Lions needed one of those first-round tackles and the only other viable option, Jeff Otah, is overrated to me. And the Lions got a very good running back anyway in Smith, who never got the recognition he deserved while being incredibly productive in college. He's the perfect big back for the Lions' new zone scheme and will surprise people with his NFL-ready talent.

The divisive story of Campbell is feel-good to some and has been good fodder for talk radio today, but forget about that. He's simply a very good player. He's smart, talented, and has the personality Rod Marinelli likes. Campbell will begin his career as a special teams demon but with steady development can get time in the secondary either this year or next.

There had been talk of the Panthers trading down, but trading up shouldn't surprise anyone. GM Marty Hurney had suggested that the extra picks he got from the Kris Jenkins trade would give Carolina some flexibility. Clearly, they used it to get the extra tackle they needed in Jeff Otah, who, along with Jonathan Stewart, fits in with John Fox's power-rushing philosophy.

Still, Carolina had to give a lot to the Philadelphia Eagles get Otah -- their 2nd-round pick and 4th-round pick this year, plus their 1st-round pick next year. If Jeff Otah really worth two 1st-round picks?

I suppose we'll find out soon enough, but it's clear that Fox wants to use this draft to get back to basics -- specifically, the basics that helped him get to the Super Bowl. Less than one round into this draft, he's got a big beefy power runner and a big beefy tackle to block for him. Perhaps the only question now is whether Jordan Gross moves to left tackle to accomodate Otah. Either way, though, the Panthers have a lot more options on their offensive line than they did before.

Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jeff Otah has a major feather in his cap: He outplayed Chris Long when Pitt played Virginia. But he's more than just a one-game wonder, and the Panthers will be glad they traded up to get a second first-round pick and select him in the NFL draft.

Between Otah and Jonathan Stewart, there's no question that the Panthers' running game got a lot better today. But it's a bit of a surprise that the Panthers traded up for someone other than a quarterback. It's on you, Jake Delhomme.

Previously on FanHouse:
FanHouse Mock Draft: Carolina Panthers Select Derrick Harvey No. 13
Panthers Focus on Big Boys for Draft
Why Ryan Clady's Wonderlic Score Might Make Chris Williams a Better Pick for Carolina
Panthers Don't Need Rashard Mendenhall
Panthers GM Has Pretty Lousy Draft Record