FanHouse RyanKalil

With NFL teams going though OTAs and minicamps this offseason, we look at 10 young players who can make an impact in 2009. These players have five years or less than NFL experience.

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.

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

When the Carolina Panthers gave center Justin Hartwig a 5-year, $17 million deal two years ago, the team figured he would anchor the Panthers' rushing attack. It didn't quite turn out that way. Groin injuries ruined him for 2006, which prompted the Panthers to draft Ryan Kalil. After Hartwig suffered more knocks in 2007, the coaching staff penciled Kalil to start at center in 2008, with Hartwig shifting to guard.

One problem -- Hartwig still wants to be a center. So he asked the team for a trade to a team that would play him there.

Alas, the Panthers were unable to find a taker, so Hartwig was released yesterday. The move didn't save Carolina any salary cap space, but it does continue a necessary overhaul of the Panthers' offensive line -- one that involves players staying healthier than Hartwig did.

Kalil is expected to start at center with Geoff Hangartner backing him up, while Keydrick Vincent, Jeremy Bridges and Hangartner will compete for the right guard spot. Travelle Wharton is expected to move to left guard, and Jordan Gross will start at one tackle spot. The Panthers are expected to pick either Boise State's Ryan Clady or Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah in the draft to be the other starting tackle. Which of those two would you prefer, Panthers fans?

The Carolina Panthers' season ends this Sunday, but for center Justin Hartwig, the season is already over. Hartwig was put on injured reserve earlier this week after spraining an MCL in his right knee in Saturday night's loss to the Cowboys.

For Hartwig, it's another knock in an injury-plagued two years with the Panthers. After signing a $17 million deal with Carolina in 2006, the former Titan missed most of 2006 with groin problems. Geoff Hangartner started at center in Hartwig's place for most of 2006, and the Panthers drafted Ryan Kalil out of USC with one of the picks it got in that draft-day swap with the Jets.

In fact, both the picks from that trade were used to draft potential replacements for players who missed most of 2006. Jon Beason eventually did replace Dan Morgan at middle linebacker. Will Kalil, who will start on Sunday in Tampa Bay, end up replacing Hartwig at center?

Perhaps the real question here is whether the Panthers can rid themselves of big contracts like Hartwig's and Morgan's without taking a huge salary cap hit. Carolina needs breathing room more than it needs players on IR, and drafting players to put out spot fires at those positions isn't a solid long-term strategy.

Over the last few years, the Carolina Panthers have done a decent job avoiding holdout drama with their draft picks. This year, however, the team appears not to be immune to the current NFL plague of unsigned first-day picks. Training camp opens tomorrow, and the team's first three picks -- linebacker Jon Beason, wideout Dwayne Jarrett and center Ryan Kalil -- remain unsigned.

There is hope that Jarrett and Kalil will sign today, but it appears that Beason isn't close to contract terms at this point. Perhaps that will change as more 1st-round picks start signing contracts, but not too many have at this point. I can't remember seeing this many holdouts the week that camp opens.

Thankfully, this is the only contract drama the Panthers have with their rookies. All their late picks, including defensive end Charles Johnson and return specialist Ryne Robinson, are signed and ready to go. Hopefully, the same will be true about at least two of their early picks by the end of the day. Perhaps once all that dust settles, they can start hammering out a long-term deal for Julius Peppers, too.

Soon, Natalie Nelson will be headed East with husband Ryan Kalil to join the Carolina Panthers, but she took time to say a final goodbye to the Trojan Nation with an Exit Interview with WeAreSC.

The cheerleader, once linked romantically to Washington Redskin Dallas Sartz gained notoriety for cheering whilst Texas quarterback Vince Young scored a touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

But although the interview is hardly 60 Minutes, Nelson addresses the incident, claiming the mis-timed cheer never happened: One of the toughest things was definitely the Photoshopping. It was hard to see myself that way because none of the referees hands are up and I'm just there trying to get the crowd pumped up because everyone in the stands was nervous we were going to lose because they were right in front of us."

Interestingly, "photoshopped" is the same answer we were given by the head of the Song Girls when one of them exposed her John David on national television during the 2007 Rose Bowl.

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Today's the day, folks. That's right, the NFL Draft is here. And for the University of Southern California, it could be a really good day. That's because strength coach Chuck Berry's innovative workout regimen has the draft-eligible Trojans in the best shape of their lives. Or something like that.

Actually, this is an NFL Network commercial set to air during today's draft coverage and, well, it's magnificent.

Sack ... and delicious. Thanks to Sports by Brooks for the link.

Ever since she infamously cheered when Texas quarterback Vince Young scored against the USC Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl, people have derided USC Song Girl Natalee Nelson has a reputation for being, um, confused.

Suspicions were confirmed, however, this week, when Daily News blogger Scott Wolf reported that Nelson will marry former USC center Ryan Kalil.

The news sent shock waves around the Trojan Nation, which had believed that Nelson had been dating golden-boy linebacker Dallas Sartz, a former teammate of Kalil. We were so incredulous we tried contacting Dallas through Facebook but Sartz has not returned our request for confirmation or comment.

One thing Nelson may not be confused about, however, is which player is most likely to get taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.
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NFL scouts think they know him, but they're wrong ...

Ryan Kalil: senior center, USC

WHAT NFL SCOUTS ARE SAYING

Pro Football Weekly: The most athletic center in the draft, he maximizes his ability with tremendous savvy and football smarts. Great football character. Unselfish team player. Good work ethic. Has NFL bloodlines and a great understanding of the game. Tremendous football intelligence --- makes all the line calls and adjustments. Is a little undersized. Is not an overpowering in-line blocker.

Street and Smith's: Agile and able to work in space on the second level. Excellent technique and is like a coach on the field. Has a problem with massive defensive tackles, but has the frame to get bigger.

PROBABLY GETTING DRAFTED ...

Middle first to early second round. Kalil is the consensus top center, much like Ohio State's Nick Mangold last year. Mangold did well for the Jets, indirectly boosting Kalil's draft stock. The NFL rarely drafts centers in the first round, but Kalil's about as good as they come at the position and won't fall very far if he isn't a first rounder.

GUY WHO WATCHED HIM FOR FOUR YEARS IS SAYING

The NFL guys pretty much have him pegged here. Kalil is the complete package. His father played in the NFL so he knows how things work. He's a three-year starter who led the inner attack on one of the best collegiate lines ever assembled in 2005. Easily beat out Jeff Byers - considered the best high school lineman in a generation and the Parade Magazine Player of the Year - as an inexperienced sophomore in 2004. Has an easygoing and affable personality with zero character concerns. Oozes leadership.

Will give his all and looks to be a great investment as a player who can make a 10-year career or more in the NFL. Very light on his feet, moves quickly as a pass blocker but can also get nasty and drive block or quickly disengage and push to the second level to spring longer running plays.

Bonus video below: Kalil hanging with the USC Song Girls at their "Boot Camp"
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