Panthers Oline:
LT Travelle Wharton
Positives: Has a thick, muscular frame, with good overall body mass and long arms … Physical in-line drive blocker who has the leg drive to generate movement off the snap … Shows above-average initial quickness into his setup … Uses his hands well to turn his man, displaying the kick slide needed to seal the corner in pass protection … Has above-average balance and body control, delivering a strong hand jolt while using his upper-body power properly to position and wall off … Does a very effective job locking on with his hands to redirect and sustain the defender working in-line … Plays with good knee bend, anchoring firmly vs. the rush and picks up stunts well, doing a nice job of redirecting fluidly to fire out and neutralize linebackers operating in the second level … Works to finish and mirrors consistently vs. the power charge … Takes proper angles on the move, showing the ability to fire out low, generate movement and swing his hips around to seal … Battles with good leverage and is active away from the play, displaying proper angle awareness … Tough pass protector with quick feet, extending his arms and bends his knees properly when riding an inside move past the quarterback.
Negatives: Lacks ideal bulk, but compensates with good hand usage to lock on and sustain … More of a finesse-type of blocker (lacks explosion off the ball in the running game) … Will impact on the edge, but needs to maintain aggression to consistently finish at the point of attack (not a road grader) … Has the upper-body strength to turn his man, but struggles some when trying to adjust to double moves or the speed rush … Consistent player, but needs to show more aggression … Shows good kick and slide movements off the snap, but appears a little sluggish changing direction when working in space.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/travelle_wharton
Panthers T Travelle Wharton will miss the 2006 season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Don't underestimate this loss. Wharton has grown into a solid starter at the most important position on the offensive line. Carolina has no obvious replacement. RT Jordan Gross has tried it before with poor results, and LG Mike Wahle isn't athletic enough.Source: Gaston Gazette
Perhaps the weakest link of the Oline at the most important position LT. Missed all but the 1st game of the 2006 season which had a negative effect on overall line play. Sounds like he is recovered but his injury was severe enough that he might still be another year away from playing at optimal level. Backup would be Jordan Gross who is better suited to play RT, Rashad Butler who also missed all of his rookie season in 2006 to injury.Based on Wharton's write up above he seems better suited to a ZBS than a power oriented blocking scheme the Panthers have been using for many years now.
LG Mike Wahle 30 years old 9 year veteran who played most of his career with the Pack. Very good at pulling which also compliments the ZBS. Can move out to LT if needed there but that is not his best position.
C Justin Hartwig Free agent starter from the Titans entering his 6th year. An above average starting center who missed all but 2 games due to a groin injury. Now healthy Hartwig will be one of the Panthers best linemen and anchor the pivot of thier blocking schemes.
RG Evan Mathis Going into his 3rd season. Started 15 games for the Panthers last year. Very strong player but like most of the Panthers Oline is a bit undersized. Should benifit from ZBS.
RT Jordan Gross 5th year veteran who started his career at LT but struggled there. Plays much better as a RT.
Positives: Very good athlete with above-average speed, quickness, body control and change-of-direction agility … Technically sound drive blocker who shows good explosion in his initial step off the snap … Has fluid lateral agility, easily redirecting while gaining movement with his kick slide … Keeps his balance working into the second level and has a wide leg base in his pass set … Hard worker who will do anything the coaches ask and is a model for good work ethic, especially in the weight room … Shows good hip swerve and leg explosion, delivering good hand punch coming on the rise … Stays on his feet moving down the line and is very quick handling the switch-off … Will jolt the defenders on contact with his hands, locking on to steer out … Shows proper knee bend and hip flexibility setting up in pass protection … Has no problems handling movement and is quick to react to stunts and blitzes … Can run his feet, stay up and sustain his blocks, showing aggression throughout his play … Works to finish and is very quick on the pull, breaking down and staying under control at the second level … Can sink his hips and redirect, coming off the double team with good balance and anchor.
Negatives: A little light in the leg department and might need to add more bulk to his frame … Might be better suited for right tackle, as he does whiff a lot on a quick set (inconsistent hand placement), but the rest of his game has no flaws.
This entire Oline is a bit undersized but athletic and should work better in space and on the move with the ZBS.ETA- Panthers have added Ryan Kalil one of the best Oline prospects in the 2007 rookie draft.
Positives: Has just adequate muscle definition, but is naturally strong with very good lateral agility and the short-area burst to generate movement off the snap and get into the second level blocks … Has room on his frame to add at least another 20 pounds of bulk with no drop-off in quickness … Builds his acceleration nicely and runs with a normal stride, body control and good balance … Has the loose hips to work his way down the line and does a very good job of locking on and controlling defenders working in space … Is a smart, instinctive type who is quick to pick up twists and games … Colorful character who likes to keep his teammates loose … Has a quick hand punch to shock a lethargic defender and while he can use more leg strength to drive his man off the ball, he has good hand placement to pull, jerk and drag down … Unquestioned team leader who will not hesitate to get vocal when the need arises … Quick to adjust to the blitz and has a smooth kick slide in pass protection … Shows very quick hand-snap action and can handle long-snapping chores … Gains advantage most of the time due to his burst coming off the ball … Does a consistent job of getting his hand on the defender … Has enough force behind his punch to impede the defender's forward charge … Quick to gain position setting up in pass protection, displaying the body control to sustain … Does a good job of walling off and shows good desire to control the action in the middle, using his hands effectively to widen the rush lane … Even when he is mismatched (size issues), he will get movement off the ball, as he is consistent at taking proper angles … Usually gets a good surge due to his explosion, and is light on his feet to pull and run down the line … Effective when asked to impact on the edge, consistently turning and sealing … Gets into the second level with good urgency and looks up other people after neutralizing his man … Has the agility and quickness to move or cut off … Lacks ideal bulk, but has a good pass set and punch to stop the pass rushers frequently … Shows good hand technique and hits with authority … Can sink his hips and stay square with good recovery quickness … Knows how to grab and control defenders … Can readily adjust on the move and uses his lateral agility to make the reach block … Can shuffle and slide his feet with good base and is alert to movement and over-arm action.
Negatives: Because of a lack of size and bulk, he needs to keep his hands active in order to gain movement … Needs to improve his lower body strength to prevent the mammoth nose guards from walking him back into the pocket … Very quick to get into the second level, but sometimes gets out of control in his pursuit and gets washed out on the play … On the move, he sometimes gets his hands too far outside his frame and will whiff on a few blocks … Vulnerable to the bull rush, but knows angles and sticks to his blocks.
Compares To: Tom Nalen of the Denver Broncos … Outside of Nalen, few centers get their jerseys as dirty as Kalil does … Kalil is a tough-as-nails blocker who compensates for size limitations with very good hand placement, a strong punch and quickness off the snap … He gets movement with his ability to take angles and shows good alertness on pulls and traps … He keeps his hands active to handle multiple defenders and his body control, balance and vision lets him consistently neutralize second-level defenders … He is susceptible to a strong bull rush from a nose guard, causing him to walk back in the pocket, but he has an array of moves and is a solid enough technician to make the game a long afternoon for his opponent.
Remains to be seen where Kalil will play for the Panthers but he should be an upgrade wherever he does.
the way SA plays but I would be SHOCKED if he ended up in the top ten this year I personally agree, I do think Edge will have a good year this year but I think he is also on the downward spiral of his career.But again good list and way to put your thoguhts out there.
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