Now this would not surprise me in the Panthers LB Corp.

[PantherDave]

They drafted to Beason to play his normal or one of the OLB positions, and now take some one who is use to playing center feild as a former S to take over at MLB for Morgan...alla Thomas Davis. They tried to move him over to MLB before letting Draft handle the MLB duties last year....so, I beleive they will move TD inside to eventually replace Tender Dan and Anderson and Beason will be the OLB's.

[Randall]

From Darin Gantt

 

Panthers land coveted LB

By Darin Gantt · The Herald - Updated 04/29/07 - 1:11 AM

 

 

Miami linebacker Jon Beason was selected as the Panthers' first-round pick.

CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers walked into this year's draft unsure how long their Miami middle linebacker would be with them.

So they took another one with their first pick.

 

After trading down to add a second-rounder earlier Saturday, the Panthers chose Miami's Jon Beason with the 25th overall pick. He'll likely replace Na'il Diggs as the starting weakside linebacker in the short term, but he provides valuable cover in case oft-injured middle linebacker Dan Morgan can't stay on the field.

 

Morgan's missed 40 of a possible 96 games the last six seasons because of injuries, and all but the first half of the opener last year with the latest in a series of concussions. They knew they needed to find an above-average replacement if the problem continued, and Beason was their guy.

 

"The position flexibility was the key," coach John Fox said.

 

Beason said he knows Morgan well -- since many of the former Hurricanes usually reconvene in Coral Gables to work out in the offseason -- and was quick to point out he doesn't view his mentor as someone he was looking to replace.

 

"I'm going to come in and say, 'Dan, just tell me what I have to do,'" Beason said. "If he tells me to run through a brick wall, I'll do it. I'm sure he's going to put me on his schedule and I'm just going to follow him.

 

"Is he my competition? No, I look up to him. I'm going to work extremely hard and obviously try to earn a starting job, but he's a guy that I know Carolina has a lot of respect for and I have a lot of respect for."

 

The Panthers held Beason in equally high esteem, since they bypassed a chance to obtain Cleveland's 2008 first-round pick to take him. The Panthers traded down from their original 14th spot with the N.Y. Jets, electing to take a first-, second- and fifth-rounder for their own first and sixth.

 

But the Browns called while they were on the clock, offering a second and next year's first. Given the Browns went 4-12 last year, there's a chance that pick would have been a good one.

 

The Panthers rolled the dice to go to 25. According to multiple league sources, they targeted Miami safety Brandon Meriweather, but he was chosen one spot before by New England.

 

That left Beason, a player they fell in love with despite his lack of tangible numbers. He ran an OK 4.72-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, but Beason said he was struggling with a lingering knee problem at the time. It didn't matter to the Panthers, who saw on film what they liked.

 

"Sometimes you get caught up in underwear-timed speed versus how they carry their pads and playing speed," Fox said. "Jon played very fast and that's the key."

 

For the speed they saw on tape, they chose to take a slightly undersized player (6-foot, 237 pounds) to potentially play in the middle of their defense. They also cited his ability to make big hits, apparently convincing them he plays bigger.

 

"He's very active, but one thing that stood out, he's an explosive player," college scouting director Don Gregory said. "When he hits you, you feel his hits, so he's very explosive. And he's got outstanding quickness. You talk about his speed. He does play faster than his timed speed, but his quickness is outstanding.

 

"He has great feet as a linebacker so he gets in and out of traffic very well."

 

The feeling seems mutual. Beason said he had a hunch this might be his destination after meeting with Panthers coaches at his pro day workout, and seemed to go on and on with why this was such a perfect fit.

 

"Ever since I declared I was coming out, I wanted to be a Carolina Panther," Beason said. "I think it's a great scheme with me. Coming in and playing with Dan, a guy that I trust and who's a Hurricane, so I know he's going to look out for me.

 

"I think it's a great place to live. I love everything, the uniforms, the real estate market. It's a great place man, a great place."

[Randall]

They drafted to Beason to play his normal or one of the OLB positions, and now take some one who is use to playing center feild as a former S to take over at MLB for Morgan...alla Thomas Davis. They tried to move him over to MLB before letting Draft handle the MLB duties last year....so, I beleive they will move TD inside to eventually replace Tender Dan and Anderson and Beason will be the OLB's.

 

 

 

Don't you think you should draft Beason with the 1.03 rookie pick?

[PantherDave]

Don't you think you should draft Beason with the 1.03 rookie pick?

 

 

[Randall]

 

 

 

He'll probably be there at 2.03 too.

 

Last year's LB'ers went

 

1.11 11. M & M Hawk, A.J. GBP

2.01 13. The Pron Stars Greenway, Chad MIN

2.05 17. Youre Going Down Sims, Ernie DET LB