Panthers surprise again, trade up to draft Michigan's Devin Funchess
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Well, if nothing else, at least the Carolina Panthers are consistent.
Each of Carolina's first two selections in the 2015 NFL Draft is viewed as a reach and both are tweeners, meaning the players are a hybrid of two positions rather than being a stud at one.
With their second-round pick Friday night, the Panthers took Michigan wide receiver/tight end Devin Funchess, which followed Thursday night's first-round selection of outside linebacker/safety Shaq Thompson. The Panthers moved up 16 spots from 57th overall to 41st by trading away their second-, third- and sixth-round picks to get the pick of St. Louis.
Like with Thompson, prognosticators and executives in the NFL are scratching their heads with the pick of Funchess. But an argument can be made for the choice.
Funchess is a very big receiver at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds. He is a matchup nightmare for smaller defensive backs.
But maybe more importantly, because Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is often erratic with his passes, Funchess is big enough to corral the wild throws. In fact, Funchess is used to passes not being on target after having played with the extremely wild passes Devin Gardner the last few seasons.
And because he played with Gardner, who is a low-level passer, many believe Funchess hasn't been able to show all his true capabilities as he might have had he played with a quarterback that can actually throw.
Carolina painfully needed a receiver and he has a chance to come in and start right away. The problem is he's not a burner, which the Panthers need, having ran a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash.
What also makes Funchess an intriguing selection is that he can also play a "move" tight end, where he'd once again be a matchup nightmare, but this time it'd be for opposing linebackers and safeties trying to cover him.
However, initially the Panthers are expected to use him solely as a receiver.
As a receiver at Michigan, he played on the outside, inside and at slot, where he did particularly well. However, his hands were a problem. Funchess had a very high percentage rate of dropped passes, which is exactly what the Panthers don't need considering that Kelvin Benjamin, who just finished his rookie season, was second in the NFL in dropped passes last season.
Earlier in the day, Thompson met with the local media less than 24 hours after being chosen in the first round.
Thompson was calm and even keeled as he talked about the thrill of starting a new chapter of his life. He also said the Panthers told him he will be used as a linebacker, at least initially.
"It's whatever they want, whatever role they want me to play in that certain package, that's what I'm going to play," he said. "I'm going to learn that position. I feel like I'm able to play in space as one of the linebackers that came into this draft class. And I'm able to cover people, cover tight ends, running backs. I'm able to do a lot."
To his credit, Thompson admitted that like all the prognosticators, he believed he was going in the second or third round and that it was a complete shock when the Panthers called him Thursday night.
"Honestly, I about had to go to the hospital because my heart was beating so fast," he said. "I didn't know what to do. I had never been so excited in my life."
Even while describing his jubilation of the previous night, Thompson stayed monotone and chill. He said staying poised is the best way to play the game.
"I feel excitement in football raises your anxiety level," he said. "That's just me. I am a calm person. I don't really get too excited for things, unless it's a big win. Other than that, I am really calm and relaxed."
Follow Brett Jensen on Twitter at @BrettJensenFOX
