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

The Panthers have lost rookie DTs Sione Fua (hamstring) and Terrell McClain (knee) for the rest of the season.  Fua played in 12 games for the Panthers this year and he had 9 tackles.  McClain played in 12 games for the Panthers this year and he had 19 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 1 sack.  The Panthers took Fua & McClain in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  They were in line to see more P.T. the rest of the year, so this will hurt both of them.

22-year old rookie QB Cam Newton has been very solid for the Panthers so far this year.  He has played in all five games for the Panthers so far this year and he has completed 113 of 194 passes (58.2%) for 1,610 yards with 7 TD passes and 6 INTs (84.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 40 times for 160 yards (4.0 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  The Panthers are only 1-4 so far this year, but that isn’t Newton’s fault as the defense has really let the team down so far this year.

The Carolina Panthers made the decision to go with QB Cameron Newton as the #1 overall pick and now they will have to live with it.  Newton only started one season in division 1 football at Auburn.  He was very impressive that year but he reminds me a lot more of Akili Smith than Warren Moon or Randall Cunningham.  I don’t doubt his talent on the field physically, just from the neck up.  The Panthers then focused on improving the interior of the D-Line with DTs Terrell McClain and Sione Fua, and they should help out the run defense.  CB Brandon Hogan has off the field issues, but if he has his head on straight, he could really help out the Panthers’ secondary.  WR Kealoha Pilares is a slot type receiver who isn’t scared to go over the middle.

PROJECTED GRADE:  C-

The Carolina Panthers picked 22-year old OT Lee Ziemba out of Auburn with the 244th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Ziemba is 6’6″, 317 pounds.  Ziemba is a tough guy who tries to finish blocks by burying defenders into the dirt.  He plays tall too much and he has problems with speed rushers.  He was projected to get picked in the 2nd or 3rd round by a lot of draft experts, so the Panthers got good value with this pick.   Ziemba played in 14 games (all starts) with Auburn last year.  He played in 52 games (all starts) in his four years with the Tigers.  He could develop into a starter on the right side for the Panthers down the road.

The Carolina Panthers took G/C Zachary Williams out of Washington State with the 203rd overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Williams is a big guy at 6’3″, 309 pounds and he plays a big man’s game.  He whiffs a lot on blocks on the second level but he wins most of his battles in line.  So, he’s a pretty good pass blocker or on power running plays.  He played in 12 games (all starts) at center last year for Washington State.  Williams played in 20 games (19 starts) in his two years with the Cougars.  Williams can handle any of the interior spots on the offensive line, so he could help the Panthers as early as the 2011 season.

The Carolina Panthers picked 23-year old OLB Lawrence Wilson out of Connecticut with the 166th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Wilson is 6’0″, 225 pounds and he runs a 4.69 40.  Wilson was a four year starter for the Huskies and it was because he was tough for his size.  He can actually handle covering a TE or a RB out of the backfield.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for Connecticut last year and he had 123 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, broke up 3 passes and he had 1 interception.  Wilson played in 52 games (all starts) for the Huskies and he had 449 tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, he broke up 10 passes and he had 5 interceptions.  This was a nice pick for the Panthers who are rebuilding on defense.

The Panthers have selected 23-year old WR Kealoha Pilares out of Hawaii with the 132nd overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Pilares is 5’10″, 213 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  Pilares is a classic possession receiver as he has great hands and shows toughness both over the middle and in a crowd.  Pilares played in 13 games (12 starts) last year for Hawaii and he caught 88 passes for 1,306 yards (14.8 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He played in 47 games (30 starts) in his four years with Hawaii and he caught 209 passes for 2,491 yards (11.9 avg) with 22 TD grabs.  This was a good pick for the Panthers as Pilares could get a lot of P.T. as a rookie in 2011.

The Carolina Panthers selected 23-year old cornerback Brandon Hogan out of West Virginia with the 98th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Hogan is 5’10″, 192 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Hogan torn an ACL last December and he has had a lot of issues off the field, so the Panthers took a significant risk in taking Hogan despite his ability on the field.  Hogan is very aggressive so he sometimes gives up big plays but he also makes a lot of positive ones.  He’s a DB that can actually catch a football, which makes him very dangerous to opposing offenses.  Hogan played in 11 games (all starts) for West Virginia  last year and he had 37 tackles, broke up 6 passes, had 3 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Hogan played in 46 games (34 starts) in his four years with the Mountaineers and he had 171 tackles, broke up 24 passes, had 7 interceptions (156 return yards), forced 1 fumble and he recovered 4 fumbles.  This is a boom or bust pick for the Panthers as Hogan has the talent to be a really good player if he is focused and motivated.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Panthers have placed Brandon Hogan on the PUP list as he continues to recover from knee surgery.  He will miss at least the first six games of the 2011 season.

The Carolina Panthers took DT Sione Fua out of Stanford with the 97th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Fua is a big guy at 6’1″, 307 but he’s very slow.  He also gets taken out of plays rather easily against the double team.  He is strong and can make some plays against the running game when he gets only one guy trying to block him.  Fua played in 13 games for Stanford last year and he had 23 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  He played in 50 games in his four years at Stanford and he had 80 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, batted down 2 balls and he forced 2 fumbles.  The Panthers needed a DT pretty badly but this was a terrible pick as most draft experts listed Fua to be a undrafted free agent.