The Panthers go three deep with quality fullbacks for 2008 so they are set. Brad Hoover is 6′0″, 245 pounds and he’s a solid all around fullback as he is a decent blocker, runner and receiver. Hoover has played in 16 games (12 starts) last season for the Panthers and he carried the ball 12 times for 39 yards (3.3 ypc). He also caught 10 passes for 58 yards (5.8 avg) last year. Hoover should have another good season to help him add to his solid career numbers. Hoover has now played in 125 games (78 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 255 times for 891 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs. He has also caught 135 passes for 984 yards (7.3 avg) with 5 TD grabs in his career.
Nick Goings is essentially a tailback playing fullback. He is 6′0″, 225 pounds which means he might not be the best lead blocker around but he’s a solid runner and receiver. Goings played in only 4 games (0 starts) last season and he didn’t touch the football. Goings has now played in 89 games (13 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 391 times for 1,460 yards (3.7 ypc) with 6 TD runs. He has also caught 107 passes for 879 yards (8.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.
Troy Fleming also brings a nice skill set to the Panthers. He is 6′0″, 245 pounds and he’s a solid blocker and receiver. Fleming played in 13 games (2 starts) last season for the Titans and he caught 10 passes for 69 yards (6.9 avg) with 1 TD grab. Look for Fleming to get on the field any way that he can as he is a good special teams player also. Fleming has now played in 29 games (2 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 7 times for 40 yards (5.7 ypc). He has also caught 29 passes for 233 yards (8.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B+
