Breaking down the Carolina Panthers' class in the 2019 NFL draft. Round 1, No. 16 overall: Brian Burns, OLB, Florida State My take: New Panthers owner David Tepper said before the draft that his responsibility in the draft room was to make sure "we don't do anything incredibly stupid." It would have been hard to do something stupid with the way the board shaped up. The Panthers had their choice of a much-needed offensive tackle or edge rusher. Ultimately, the need to pressure the quarterback was greater than finding a potential player to protect Cam Newton. Burns has elite speed and position flexibility, meaning he can play outside linebacker and end, which fits what coach Ron Rivera is trying to do with the defense. He can make an immediate impact on a team that finished 27th in the NFL in sacks last season. When general manager Marty Hurney said he was "thrilled" that Burns fell to No. 16, he really meant it. 2019 NFL DRAFT COVERAGE What you need to know from Rounds 1-7: • Pick-by-pick analysis » • Kiper's grades » | McShay's best picks » • Team-by-team analysis » | Takeaways » • Best undrafted » | Fantasy reax » • More NFL draft coverage » Size concerns? : Burns weighed 249 pounds at the NFL combine and 242 at Florida State's pro day, a concern for some who considered him undersized to face huge tackles. The Panthers are perfectly comfortable with Burns playing in that weight range because they'll ask him to drop back into coverage as well as rush the passer and hold the end in the run game. They don't want him to bulk up at the risk of losing speed. Burns was an every-down player at FSU, and the Panthers believe he'll be able to do the same for them, though they often use a four-man rotation. Spider-Man: The Panthers have one superhero in Newton, aka Superman. Burns says his alter ego is Spider-Man. He even wore Spider-Man socks for the draft. His long wing span and ability to get to the quarterback fast does resemble his hero's traits. "I always loved Spider-Man as a kid," he said. Burns is quite familiar with the Panthers, by the way. His brother, Stanley McClover, was a seventh-round pick by the organization in 2006. So he has been to Charlotte more than once. The Panthers traded up to pick offensive tackle Greg Little of Ole Miss in the second round. Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Sports Round 2, No. 37 overall: Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss My take: Offensive tackle was the second-biggest need outside of an edge rusher, which the Panthers got in the first round. So it should come as no surprise that GM Marty Hurney traded the 47th and 77th picks to move up 10 spots to 37 to get Little, huge at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds. His strength is pass protection, and protecting Cam Newton has been a priority since the offseason began. Hurney believes Little will compete immediately at left tackle with either Taylor Moton or Daryl Williams, so the trade seems worth the risk. Remember, Williams is coming off an injury and both have played predominantly right tackle. play 1:03 NFL draft profile: Will Grier Will Grier is a quarterback out of West Virginia who has a quick release, adequate arm strength and the ability to extend plays. Round 3, No. 100 overall: Will Grier, QB West Virginia My take: It was time. The Panthers hadn't drafted a quarterback since making Cam Newton the top pick of the 2011 draft. With Newton coming off shoulder surgery, turning 30 next month and his contract up after the 2020 season, the organization needed to look at a long-term option as an insurance policy. GM Marty Hurney said Newton "has known this was a possibility." But Hurney insisted the move was about improving depth at the position, not Newton's health. Grier has been in multiple schemes at Florida and West Virginia, so he should have no problem adapting to Carolina's scheme. He grew up in the Charlotte area so he's familiar with the organization. He actually watched the draft a few miles from Bank of America Stadium. Alabama's Christian Miller is the second pass-rusher the Panthers have added in this draft, joining Florida State's Brian Burns. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Round 4, No. 115 overall: Christian Miller, OLB, Alabama My take: Like first-round pick Brian Burns, Miller is another edge rusher as the Panthers transition to multiple defensive fronts. He is 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, so he could play outside linebacker or end, depending on the formation. He's got ties to the Carolina as a Columbia, South Carolina, native. He also has good pedigree as the son of former South Carolina player Corey Miller. Rushing the passer is his strength and that's what the Panthers are trying to bolster after finishing 27th in the league in sacks last season. Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire Round 5, No. 154 overall: Jordan Scarlett, RB, Florida My take: The Panthers want to find a back with a similar skill set as Christian McCaffrey to give the 2017 first-round pick a break from the 91.3 percent of the snaps he played last season. Scarlett is similar in size at 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds. He has good speed, running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at the combine. He hasn't shown McCaffrey's ability as a receiver, catching only 10 passes for 84 yards last season. One draft report said he had "dreadful hands.'' Scarlett's also not squeaky clean like McCaffrey was coming out of Stanford. He was cited for marijuana possession his freshman year and was a part of a credit card fraud scandal with several other teammates in 2017 that led to a suspension. His skills as a runner is why he is here. Round 6, No. 212 overall: Dennis Daley, OT, South Carolina My take: One of the goals of this draft was improve depth on the offensive line. Daley is the second player with left tackle experience. The 6-foot-5, 317-pounder faced some of the best pass rushes in the country while playing in the SEC. He will be a project, particularly in pass protection, which is considered a weakness. But he did hold his on this past season against Clemson end Clelin Ferrell, the fourth overall pick of the draft. Round 7, No. 237 overall: Terry Godwin, WR, Georgia My take: You figured the Panthers would take a receiver in the draft, and they did with their final pick. Godwin is a more of a slot receiver whose senior season was slowed by leg injuries. He'll have to compete with Curtis Samuel, Jarius Wright and Chris Hogan for a spot on this roster if he is to make it in the slot. At 5-foot-11 with a 40-yard dash time of 4.55 seconds, he has decent speed, but not as fast as most of those he'll be competing against.<doc-sep>The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Seminoles’ Brian Burns is off the board, as the Carolina Panthers chose the ’Nole edge defender in the first round, with the 16th overall selection. Of course, every pick, especially those in high-rounds, is rated almost immediately, and the Panthers’ choice of Burns is certainly no exception. And the early returns on Burns are quite glowing. Here are some grades given Carolina for grabbing Burns where it did: Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com: This is one of the guys when you look at him you see speed, speed and more speed. The Panthers had all kinds of problems rushing the passer last year and Julius Peppers retired, so this makes sense. Good pick for the Panthers. I really like this pick. Grade: B+ Andy Benoit of SI.com: Pliability and burst are vital for edge rushing, and edge rushing is vital in Carolina’s true 4-3 zone-based scheme. Burns, lanky and explosive, fits the profile. The Panthers are set—for now—at right end, with underappreciated star Mario Addison (though he’ll be 32 and is a free agent in 2020). In the meantime, Burns can split time with the recently acquired Bruce Irvin at the left edge spot that opened up when Julius Peppers retired. Size and playing strengths are a concern with Burns; don’t be surprised if he plays only in obvious passing situations as a rookie. Grade: B+ Steven Ruiz of USA Today Sports: The Panthers had plenty of needs to address and decided to go with the best player left on the board. Brian Burn is a lanky pass rusher with the kind of explosiveness and agility we see in all of the NFL’s elite pass rushers. He won’t make an impact in the run game, but who cares? Today’s NFL is all about passing and defending the pass, and Burns will help with the latter. Grade: B Dan Kadar of SB Nation: The Panthers, in need of pass rushers, were fortunate to see Burns drop all the way down to No. 16. Burns’ get off and bend around the edge are special. In that regard, he’s comparable to Bruce Irvin. As a pro, Burns needs to get stronger and play the run better. But he fits a big need for the Panthers at a premium position. Carolina was one of the worst teams in the NFL at getting after the quarterback. That should change with Burns. Grade: A We’ll keep tracking Seminoles in the draft, and you can follow along with that here. But in the meantime, what grade would you give the Panthers’ picking Burns at No. 16?<doc-sep>
The Carolina Panthers selected Florida State defensive end Brian Burns with their 16th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, and that pick has been well received across the sporting world. Most importantly, nearly 90 percent of our readership on Cat Scratch Reader graded the pick a B or higher. Here is a round up of some of the national outlet grades: This is one of the guys when you look at him you see speed, speed and more speed. The Panthers had all kinds of problems rushing the passer last year and Julius Peppers retired, so this makes sense. Good pick for the Panthers. I really like this pick. Pliability and burst are vital for edge rushing, and edge rushing is vital in Carolina’s true 4-3 zone-based scheme. Burns, lanky and explosive, fits the profile. The Panthers are set—for now—at right end, with underappreciated star Mario Addison (though he’ll be 32 and is a free agent in 2020). In the meantime, Burns can split time with the recently acquired Bruce Irvin at the left edge spot that opened up when Julius Peppers retired. Size and playing strengths are a concern with Burns; don’t be surprised if he plays only in obvious passing situations as a rookie. Too low, just right, or too high? Just right. The Panthers needed help both on the defensive line and in edge rushing. Burns is a speedy edge rusher — he had 24 sacks in three years. Top-20 prospect and a well-addressed need? Success, even if he has plenty to prove in run defense. USA Today: B The Panthers had plenty of needs to address and decided to go with the best player left on the board. Brian Burn is a lanky pass rusher with the kind of explosiveness and agility we see in all of the NFL’s elite pass rushers. He won’t make an impact in the run game, but who cares? Today’s NFL is all about passing and defending the pass, and Burns will help with the latter. The Panthers badly needed an infusion of youth and talent on their defensive line, and they get both with Burns. The former Florida State star is one of my favorite players in this draft—I ranked him no. 7 on my board thanks to an explosive first step, incredible flexibility, and a burgeoning repertoire of pass-rush moves. The former Seminole can stress the edge with pure speed but knows how to use his hands and a nice spin move to counter back to the inside. He lacks mass—he played in the 230-pound range at Florida State before bulking up to 249 pounds for the combine—but if he can keep that weight on (and maybe even add a little more) to help him rush with power and take on blocks, he’s got tremendous upside as an every-down edge defender. Burns isn’t a perfect prospect, and his lack of power could keep him off the field on base downs. But with rare athleticism and extraordinary flexibility, he comes into the league with infinite upside. The Panthers get great value at this spot. I slotted Brian Burns as high as No. 8 in my mock draft at one point. I thought that was a bit too high for them, but the 16th-overall selection provides good value for the Seminole. The Panthers are moving to a 3-4 defense, and they needed to select one of the talented edge rushers. They certainly got one in Burns. He has explosive ability and high-character marks, as he was a captain at Florida State. This is the right move by the Panthers, though Andre Dillard could be argued for at this juncture. As you can see, everyone at least thinks it was a good pick, if not a great one. My personal opinion is that Burns has one of the highest floors in the draft, and with some technique refinement, added bulk, and coaching could explode many predicted ceilings as well. his pure athletic traits are just too good to ignore, and he will almost certainly see a lot of work early as Ron Rivera likes to rotate his defensive linemen. I can see him carving a very nice spot for himself next season in hybrid or odd personnel looks, and he’ll be at his best stunting from a wide split back to the inside. As he adds bulk and knowledge, and hopefully better play in the run game, he could be a full time option.