DRAFT GRADES FOR EVERY NFL TEAM - PANTHERS A-

I don't know where to bring this up..  but this'll  do probabaly.

Many say the Mike Linebacker on a team is basicly the QB on defense.

Do you think we did enough at linebacker  ( Christian Rozeboom from the Rams )  to be better this coming season ?

We were bad most of last season at linebacker.  At times J Jewel  and Wonnum had good moments.  But we were awful against the run.
When they were better it was near the end of the season , when we were actually competitive ..

Hmm...
Not sure if you're talking about LB (as in ILB) OR OLB (as in EDGE).???  Our OLB guys (EDGE) were pretty sad last year and were the "main" point of emphasis. That is where DJ Wonnum lives.  Josey Jewell is ILB. Different animal of course. Our ILBs were not terrible. They were often put in a bad situation because our Defensive front was SO bad, especially after Derrick Brown was injured. Without a strong D-Line, the ILBs cannot function at a high level. The front end D-Line stops the first line of attack AND keeps the ILBs "clean". If they stay clean and/or get off of the blocks, then they are pretty effective. In general, I think our ILBs were pretty much OK. Our OLBs were abysmal as was our D-Line.

I think we did a LOT for our OLBs - EDGE guys. They should be much improved. Our ILBs could be a question.... We have Jewel and Trevin Wallace who were both satisfactory last year (when they were CLEAN..). In addition we have Jon Rhattigan who played fairly well, and Claudin Cherelus as well. Then add in Rozeboom and the new Draftee/UDFA guys (one or two - depending on who you listen to..). I would have preferred to get another ILB earlier in the draft, but...... In addition, our new draftee Strong Safety, Lathan Ransom, SHOULD support the ILBs against the run. So should be better.....

So, I guess the short answer would be, ... "it depends". If our interior D-Line can hold up we'll be a LOT better, AND our ILBs will EAT. If the D-Line struggles .... all bets are off. The OLBs - EDGE guys should be much improved.

At least, ... That's the view from here.