With the 2011 season freshly over it is time to go back and evaluate every team’s draft classes based on performance this year. I will use a formula to grade each pick and calculuate a final grade for each team. First up are the Carolina Panthers.
GRADING SYSTEM
ROUND 1 – graded from a 0-5 scale
ROUND 2 – graded from a 0-4 scale
ROUND 3 – graded from a 0-3 scale
ROUND 4 – graded from a 0-2 scale
ROUND 5 – graded from a 0-1 scale
ROUND 6 & 7 – no scale, point awarded if player was productive
*I reserve the right to award a bonus point to any player who outperformed their draft position.*
FINAL GRADING SCALE
90-100 - A
80-89 - B
70-79 - C
60 – 69 - D
0-59 - F
2011 Draft Class
Round 1.:Cam Newton QB, Auburn – 4,051 Passing Yds, 21 TDs, 17 INTS, 706 Rush Yds, 14 TDs
Analysis: Newton had arguably the best rookie QB season in history and looks to be a future star at the postion for many years to come.
Grade: 6/5
Round 3: Terell McClain DT, South Florida – 19 Tackles, 1 Sack
Analysis: McClain was brought in as a run stopper, but the team still gave up 130 yards a game on the ground. He played in 12 games, and his impact was minimal.
Grade: 1.5/3
Round 3: Sione Fua DT, Stanford – 9 Tackles
Analysis: Fua played in 11 games before getting hurt, but his rookie season was quite forgettable.
Grade: .5/3
Round 4: Brandon Hogan CB, West Virginia – 3 Tackles
Analysis: Hogan appeared in only three games and mustered a measley 3 tackles. Not good for a 4th round pick.
Grade: 0/2
Round 5: Kealoha Pilares WR, Hawaii – 0 Catches
Analysis: Pilares didn’t see much time on offense but he did turn out to be a good returner with 590 yards and a TD. He also played a little defense.
Grade: 1/1
Round 6: Lawrence Wilson LB, UCONN – Cut
Grade: 0/0
Round 7: Zack Williams C, Washington St. – Reserved
Grade:0/0
Round 7: Lee Ziemba OT, Auburn – 6 Games Played
Analysis: Ziemba was a 7th round pick who made the team and played in 6 games, not bad at all.
Grade: 1/0
Undrafted: Thomas Keiser DE, Stanford: 12 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 INT
Analysis: Keiser was a pleasant surprise for the Panthers as he made some big time plays on the defensive side of the ball and outplayed his undrafted status.
Grade: 1.5/0
TOTAL SCORE: 11.5/14
GRADE: 82% B-
Analysis: If I was just handing out grades based on my opinion I’d probably give the Panthers an A just for the Cam Newton pick alone. Since I’m using this formula that accounts for all picks, the grade is considerably lower. This class has the potential for the grade to increase, especially if either McClain or Fua emerges as a run stuffing defensive tackle.
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