Round 1 (#13): RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
After releasing DeShaun Foster, the Panthers had to make a decision at the running back position as to whether former first round pick DeAngelo Williams will be able to carry the bulk of the load for them. Based on this pick they obviously decided that he couldn’t  and that they needed a powerful back to play alongside him. However, with Stewart coming off an injury, Rashard Mendenhall still on the board and greater needs at other positions, this pick came as a bit of a shocker. The Panthers obviously feel Stewart can have a great contribution as a rookie, but I’m not sure he was the best pick for them at that point, but he is a very good pick nonetheless.
Pick grade: B+

Round 1 (#19): OT Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
The Panthers had better hope that Otah works out for them as they gave up their second round pick, their fourth round pick, and their first round pick in 2009 to move up and get him. Otah is a true mauling offensive tackle who is probably better at run blocking than pass blocking, but perhaps that is what they were hoping for after getting Stewart. Otah was a great value pick at this point for the Panthers, probably the reason they moved up for him, but I’m not a big fan of mortgaging the future. However, Otah will most likely start at RT in 2008 and that can only be a good thing for what was a poor line in 2007.
Pick grade: B+

Round 3 (#67): CB Charles Godfrey, Iowa
The Panthers secondary wasn’t up to standard in 2007 and as such corner was always likely to be an area they addressed in the draft, especially given the depth at the position. Grabbing Charles Godfrey early on the second day was a good pick for the Panthers as he combines good size with decent speed and will likely be a contributor in nickel packages early in the season. Undoubtedly the Panthers will be looking to increase his workload over the season with an attempt to get him up to starter quality in 2009, something which I believe he will be capable of doing.
Pick grade: B+

Round 3 (#74): LB Dan Connor, Penn State
Look no further than here for the steal of the draft, the Panthers and Dan Connor can comfortably run away with that award. How on earth a first round prospect with this amount of talent from “linebacker U” ended up in the third is totally beyond me. Perhaps some teams were concerned as to just where Connor fits in at the next level, but I see him an outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense and I fully expect him to excel in that role for Carolina. Connor is a tackling machine and comes from a long line of fantastic linebackers from Penn State and should have been taken very highly given the lack of quality in the linebacking group this year. This may be a bold prediction right here, but watch him make a run at the DROY award.
Pick grade: A+

Round 5 (#141): TE Gary Barnidge, Louisville
In their continuing quest to improve the offensive unit, the Panthers took Gary Barnidge here, a predominantly pass-catching tight end. Almost certainly they were expected to draft a receiver, but adding a big guy who can go over the middle well and make plays for you is just as good, if not better, than adding a receiver at this point in the draft. It has to be said that his blocking ability is somewhat lacking, but with some work he could become good enough at it to cope at this level. He will also bring an extra intensity on special teams, which is always what you look for later in the draft, though with guys like Kellen Davis still on the board, he was a slightly surprising pick.
Pick grade: B-

Round 6 (#181): DT Nick Hayden, Wisconsin
Adding bodies on the defensive line is always important for any team, but being able to add a three year starter who excelled as a run stuffer in college in the sixth round is a pretty good deal for any team. Hayden is an aggressive, hard nosed guy with great strength, though he will need to work on being more consistent as he will come up against some very good NFL offensive linemen.
Pick grade: B

Round 7 (#221): LB Hilee Taylor, North Carolina
Taylor is a guy who played defensive end as a senior at North Carolina but will likely play as a linebacker at the next level. He should be another guy who comes in on special teams and contributes early on. Not exactly a flashy pick at this point with guys like Ali Highsmith still on the board, but Taylor is hard to dislike.
Pick grade: B

Round 7 (#241): OT Geoff Schwartz, Oregon
At this point in the draft teams are often looking for good value picks, and I’m not sure Schwartz would be considered that – he was most likely a priority UDFA who the Panthers didn’t want to miss out on, so they drafted him to add depth to their offensive line. He has the ability to maybe become an average starting RT, but will never be a LT at this level.
Pick grade: C+

Round 7 (#250): OG Mackenzy Bernadeau, Bentley College
Bernadeau was a two-time conference offensive lineman of the year award winner in division II and was a three-time all conference first team selection. He will need to learn a lot of skills if he is to make the grade at NFL level, but with his size and athleticism he should be able to make some improvements and stick on the roster for a while.
Pick grade: B

The general feeling around the Panthers draft is one of slight uncertainty. They appear to have mortgaged their future on Jeff Otah who hasn’t convinced many people that he will become a true left tackle at this level. The value at the #19 pick was excellent, but the Panthers lost out on the chance to draft two good players and that may come back to haunt them. There’s no real shocking picks, but getting Connor in the third round already looks like a huge steal. The future of Coach Fox probably depends on the play of Jonathan Stewart, so he’d better hope that toe injury has fully cleared.
Final grade: B+