The Panthers have signed DT Darwin Walker.  Walker played in 11 games with the Bears last season and he compiled 17 tackles and had 1 sack.  Walker has now played in 98 games in his NFL career and he has compiled 189 tackles, defensed 14 passes, has 28.5 sacks, forced 5 fumbles and he has intercepted 1 pass.  This was a solid depth signing for the Panthers.

The Panthers hit a homer with their first pick of the 2007 NFL Draft.  Linebacker Jon Beason was outstanding as a rookie for the Panthers.  Beason played in 16 games (all starts) last season for the Panthers and he made 140 tackles, defensed 6 passes and he intercepted a pass.  This is just the tip of the iceberg for Beason as he might graduate to even higher levels of play in the near future.  The first of the 2nd round picks of the Panthers from USC was WR Dwayne Jarrett.  Jarrett played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last season and he caught 6 passes for 73 yards (12.2 avg) and he also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards.  The Panthers cut Keyshawn Johnson because they had high hopes for Jarrett that never materialized.  The other 2nd round pick from USC for the Panthers was center Ryan Kalil.  Kalil played in 5 games (3 starts) as a rookie for the Panthers.  He might be a starter down the road for the Panthers but he has to play much better than he did last season.  DE Charles Johnson was the 3rd round pick of the Panthers last season and he played in 3 games (2 starts).  Johnson only made 2 tackles last season for the Panthers which was a huge disappointment.  WR/KR Ryne Robinson played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last season and he only caught 4 passes for 35 yards (8.8 avg).  Robinson made his money on special teams for the Panthers last season.  He returned 26 kickoffs for 598 yards (23.0 avg) and he also returned 30 punts for 262 yards (8.7 avg).  5th round pick Dante Rosario (TE) has the potential to be a starter down the road.  Rosario played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Panthers last season and he caught 6 passes for 108 yards (18.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The other 5th round pick for the Panthers last season was linebacker Tim Shaw.  Shaw played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last season and he finished with 14 tackles.  Cornerback C.J. Wilson was the final pick (7th round) of the Panthers last season.  He played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last season and Wilson finished with 5 tackles.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C+

The Panthers have wanted to get bigger at guard and they certainly did that by signing Toniu Fonoti.  Fonoti stands at 6′4″, 350 pounds!  Fonoti didn’t play in the NFL last season but he has played 40 games (33 starts) in his NFL career.  This was a good low risk/high reward signing for the Panthers.

The Panthers have signed OG Milford Brown.  Brown is a huge man at 6′5″, 330 pounds and he’s a road grader in the running game.  He played in all 16 games (15 starts) for the Rams last season.  Brown has now played in 47 games (43 starts) in his six year career and he should definately help the offensive line of the Panthers this season.

The Panthers have signed 26-year old WR D.J. Hackett to a 2-year, $3.5 million dollar deal.  Hackett will battle Mushin Muhammad for the #2 WR job in Training Camp.  Hackett played in 6 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 32 passes for 384 yards (12.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Hackett has now played in 33 games in his NFL career and he has caught 105 passes for 1,394 yards (13.3 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Hackett is a rising player and the Panthers got a bargain here for $1.75 million dollars per season.