The Panthers drafted one outstanding player and seven guys that didn’t do much at all in 2011.  Here is a look at the rookie’s performance in 2011:

22-year old Cam Newton was outstanding as a rookie in 2011.  He was the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.  Newton played in all 16 games and he completed 310 of 517 passes (60%) for 4,051 yards with 21 TD passes and 17 INTs (84.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 126 times for 706 yards (5.6 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  Newton even caught a 27-yard pass in 2011.  There is nothing that Newton can’t do and the sky is the limit for him in the future.

23-year old DT Terrell McClain came to the Panthers in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He played in 12 games for the Panthers last year and he had 19 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery.  McClain could see his role start to expand a little in 2012.

23-year old DE Sione Fua also came to the Panthers in the 3rd round last April.  He played in 11 games for the Panthers last year and he had 9 tackles.  He will need to play better than he did in 2011 if he wants to have a somewhat longer NFL career.

23-year old CB Brandon Hogan came to the Panthers in the 4th round.  He got off to a very late start last year due to a knee injury.  Hogan only played in 3 games for the Panthers last year and he had 3 tackles.  Hogan has a nice upside if he can stay healthy in 2012.

23-year old WR Kealoha Pilares was picked in the 5th round by the Panthers.  Pilares played in 12 games for the Panthers last year and he didn’t catch any passes.  He did however return 23 kickoffs for 590 yards (25.7 avg) with 1 TD return.  Special teams are Pilares’ future as the Panthers are pretty well stocked at WR.

24-year old LB Lawrence Wilson was a 6th round pick last April.  He didn’t last long as the was cut before the 2011 season began.

23-year old OT Zachary Williams came to the Panthers in the 6th round of last April’s NFL Draft.  He spent his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List due to knee surgery.

22-year old OT Lee Ziemba was picked in the 7th round by the Panthers.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last year.

GRADE FOR 2011:  B-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B

22-year old QB Cam Newton proved all of his naysayers wrong in his rookie year for the Panthers.  True, they were only 6-10 (37.5%) on the season….but it wasn’t Cam Newton and the offense’s fault.  Newton played in 16 games (all starts) for the Panthers in 2011 and he completed 310 of 517 passes (60%) for 4,051 yards with 21 TD passes and 17 INTs (84.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 126 times for 706 yards (5.6 ypc) with 14 TD run and he caught 1 pass for 27 yards.  Newton set all-time records in passing yards for a rookie (4,051) and TD runs by a QB (14).  The sky is the limit for Newton and they will start making it back to the playoffs when the defense starts to improve.

UPDATE:  (2/5/2011) – Cam Newton has been named as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011.

The Saints kept their starters in for most of the game yesterday as the Panthers never had much of a chance.  Cam Newton completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 158 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 32 yards (5.3 ypc) in this game.  Jonathan Stewart led the way on the ground for the Panthers in this game with 79 yards rushing on 9 carries (8.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 7 yards in this game.  DeAngelo Williams also had a solid game with 53 yards rushing on 7 carries (7.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 20 yards.  WR Steve Smith led the way in the passing game for the Panthers with 6 receptions for 86 yards (14.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Panthers finished up with 164 yards rushing on 24 carries (6.8 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 137 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 25:26.

The defense was pathetic  for the Panthers yesterday, plain and simple.  LBs James Anderson (15 tackles) and Jordan Senn (11 tackles) led the way for the Panthers in this game.  Safety Chris Godfrey (6 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and CB R.J. Stanford (an interception that he returned 53 yards) also pitched in for the Panthers on D.  The Saints finished up with 208 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 38 passes (81.6%) for 409 yards.  The Panthers finish the 2011 season with a 6-10 record.