TEN WORST
10. Ryne Robinson WR/RS (2007: 4th Round)- In 2006, the Panthers boasted a horrible return game. They could've used DeAngelo Williams but putting their first round pick on special teams was just an unnecessary risk. They ended up putting Gamble on punt returns replacing Steve Smith, and he did horribly. They put Nick Goings in KR, but he was not anything more than a stop gap there. Enter Ryne Robinson, he was pretty much drafted to take their place. ...He did such a good job the Panthers decided to replace him there with Mark Jones after only a year. Talk about your failures. Now we've got a WR who isn't good at returning punts/kickoffs and isn't good at receiving either. I smell a cut this offseason.
9.Mike Seidman TE (2003: 3rd round)- All Panthers fans talked about the 4 years he was here was that he was going to replace Mangum and catch 50 passes a year and be better than Wesley Walls. But he could never stay healthy. After averaging a little more than 4 receptions a year, the Panthers cut their losses in 2006.
8. Nate Salley S (2006: 4th round)- The Panthers picked up this safety who wasn't on anybody's radar in the middle of the draft one year, then a year later, decided, "HEY! Lets start this guy! He's got Potential!" I mean, it seemed like a good idea. All he had to compete with was Deke Cooper, Mr. Ballhawk Extraordinaire. He was slowly but surely improving during Training Camp 07. ...then he blew out his knee. Hasn't done a thing since.
7. Bruce Nelson C (2003: 2nd round)- Nelson was one of the top Centers in the 2003 draft. That year the Panthers were taking a real "get stronger on the line" initiative. They drafted Bruce to be an eventual replacement for Jeff Mitchell, who was in the twilight of his career. He started ONE game in his career. Hip injuries were his downfall, and I think that was also a question mark also coming out of college. The worst busts are ones that you can see from a mile away. Bruce is retired now.
6. Evan Mathis OG (2005: 3rd round)-Mathis was drafted by Carolina, played as backup for a year, and then was pushed to be a starter for 2006. In training camp, Mathis was touted by a few fans and beatwriters alike as "one of the strongest linemen on the team". He failed miserably, and the revolving door at Right Guard continued the next year. He plays in Cincinnati now, ....as a backup.
5. Stefan Lefors QB (2005: 4th round)-Lefors was probably drafted by the Panthers because he was somehow related to Jake Delhomme. He was, I guess, a half-hearted attempt at an heir to starting QB in the future. He was outperformed in preseason play by an undrafted rookie just a year later. He plays Canadian Football right now and starts for some team I don't care to look up because it's just the CFL.
4. Randy Fasani QB (2002: 5th round)-I don't know if it's just the talent they pick or McCoy but the QB position for the Panthers was never one to churn out prolific passers. Fasani received a lot of playing time for a rookie in 2002 and put up a pathetic 15-44 for 171 yards, 0 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. After that he went team-hopping and got cut everytime, so he finally left football and became a cop. ...At least he ended up doing something productive with himself.
3. Keary Colbert WR (2004: 2nd round)-As far as bust possibility was concerned Colbert's first year in the league suggested he wasn't anywhere near that question. As a matter of fact he was so good in 2004 when Moose's contract expired in the 2005 offeason and he wanted more money Hurney basically told him "haha go fuck off" and went with the younger option to start opposite Steve Smith. What do you think happens? He catches 30 passes his next 2 years. As a starter in 2005, he was so horrible DeShaun Foster had more receptions and yards than he did. In 2006, he was pretty much buried in the depth chart. After 2007 the Panthers basically let him loose to go as a free agent. He signed a 7 million dollar deal with Denver and was traded to Seattle that same season. How does he keep getting work?
2. Eric Shelton RB (2005: 2nd round)-In a best-case scenario Eric Shelton is the starting running back for the Panthers and be the new Jamal Lewis. He had the size at 245 lbs. He was one of the better prospects. But he failed miserably. He somehow ended up on IR before the regular season even began in his first season. I mean look at his career stats: 8 carries, 23 yards for a 2.9 yard average. Worst part about this is when you consider the running backs drafted after him. Brandon Jacobs, Frank Gore, Marion Barber III. One of those guys is the best pure power back in the league, the other two are probowlers. Not to mention, we swapped 2nd rounders with Seattle that year. They got Lofa Tatupu with our pick, another Probowler.
AND THE NO.1 BIGGEST FAILURE....
1. DeShaun Foster RB (2002: 2nd round)-Foster was drafted top of the 2nd round in 2002, ahead of Clinton Portis, who pretty much is an annual shoe-in for the pro bowl, and if you ask me, I would've sent Foster's under-achieving ass to Washington/Denver just to have Southeast Jerome. NOT Portis, but just one of his schizo personalities would've done more good for this organization than Foster. Panther fans waited year after year for this guy's "breakout" season, but it never happened. He never even sniffed 1000 yards in a regular season. He has more career fumbles than touchdowns. He constantly struggled with injuries. He was terrible near the goal line. Flashes of breakaway games were few and far between, surrounded by poor, ineffective performances. I guess what I'm trying to say is he was pretty fucking terrible.
The Panthers gave this guy every opportunity they could and he never stepped up to the challenge. He is the #1 Panthers bust but he does hold the distinction of making one of the toughest runs in Panther history against Philadelphia in the 2003 conference championship game, in spite of the other 99% of his career which suggested he did not have any power at all. Foster now plays in San Francisco, where he's continuing his legacy of not hitting the hole well and not dropping his pads and turning the ball over on the west coast.
Tune in tomorrow when I list the 10 best Fox/Hurney draft picks in Panthers history! (I would've combined the two in one post but this is getting too fucking long)
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