Defensive back Charles Godfrey (Iowa) and linebacker Dan Connor (Penn State) are the Panthers third-round picks. In the fifth round, the Panthers added tight end Gary Barnidge from Louisville and just added defensive tackle Nick Hayden from Wisconsin in the sixth round.
The Panthers selected outside linebacker/defensive end Hilee Taylor from North Carolina, offensive tackle Geoff Schwartz from Oregon and offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau from Bentley College in the seventh round.
We'll get to talk with Marty Hurney and John Fox soon.
Here's the breakdown on Godfrey:
Godfrey is listed as a cornerback, but he projects as a free safety. That means Godfrey has a good chance to start this year because the team didn't re-sign Deke Cooper. Godfrey's a guy who also should be a fixture on special teams, too. He's heralded for his toughness. An unheralded player with the versatility to play any position in the secondary, Charles Godfrey emerged as one of the few bright spots on the Hawkeyes' defense in 2007. Facing some of the best receivers in the country, his main pass coverage assignments accounted for just 15 receptions for 117 yards (7.8-yard average) and no touchdowns during his final season at Iowa.
Godfrey flew under the radar for most of his college career, but the Iowa coaching staff regarded him as a vital cog in the Hawkeyes' defensive scheme. He began playing for the Hawkeyes as a reserve free safety, shifting to strong safety as a sophomore. With the departure of the entire Iowa secondary after the 2005 campaign, Godfrey shifted to right cornerback as a junior, starting at that position during his final two seasons.
Godfrey earned first-team All-Greater Houston and All-Conference as a senior at Robert E. Lee High School, along with Class 5A honorable mention All-State. He was named Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and selected to play in the Global Junior All-Star Game and the Bayou Bowl. He led his team to an 11-2 record, as he recorded 90 tackles, two interceptions, six pass break-ups and two blocked punts as a senior. He also returned kicks and had a 31.5 yard average.
The brother of former Kansas State star quarterback El Roberson, Godfrey rejected a scholarship offer from the Wildcats to enroll at Iowa in 2004. One of three true freshmen to letter, he appeared 11 games behind Sean Considine (Philadelphia) at free safety, posting 10 tackles (seven solo) while recovering two fumbles.
In 2005, Godfrey shifted to strong safety, starting twice at that position while also filling in at free safety vs. Illinois. He registered 35 tackles (27 solo) with a stop for a loss in 11 games, as he also caused one fumble, earning Reggie Roby Special Teams Player of the Year honors.
Godfrey shifted to right cornerback in 2006, but still excelled on special teams with the punt team. The team's Special Teams Hustle Award winner posted 83 tackles (61 solo), the third-best total on the team. He had two stops for losses, a forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two interceptions. He also broke up five passes.
As a senior right cornerback, Godfrey garnered All-American honorable mention and All-Big Ten Conference second-team accolades. He started all 12 games, ranking fifth on the squad with 65 tackles (42 solo) and a stop for a loss. He intercepted five passes and broke up nine others.
In 47 games at Iowa, Godfrey earned 28 starting assignments, with 25 coming at right cornerback, two at strong safety and one at free safety. He recorded 193 tackles (137 solos) with four stops for losses of six yards, three fumble recoveries and a pair of forced fumbles. He deflected 14 passes and gained 38 yards on seven interception returns.
Godfrey's five interceptions in 2007 were the most by an Iowa player since Jovon Johnson had six pass thefts during the 2003 season.
Here is the breakdown on Connor, who happens to have the same name as my brother-in-law:
Joe Paterno's first perfect season came in 1968, his third year of coaching the Nittany Lions. Ever since, the Penn State coaching staff has produced an incredible number of NFL-quality linebackers who had success at the next level. From Dennis Onkotz in 1968 to Paul Posluszny in 2006, Penn State boasted 16 linebackers garnering All-American first-team honors, with Onkontz ('68-69), Shane Conlan (1985-86), LaVar Arrington (1998-99) and Posluszny ('05-06) receiving that prestigious honor twice.
At the end of his standout '07 season, Dan Connor became Joe Pa's Sweet 17th.
In addition to his All-American selection, the PSU middle linebacker was the recipient of the Bednarik Award (top defensive player), was a finalist for the Butkus Award and set the school record with 419 career tackles while his 145 tackles in 2007 led the Big Ten Conference and ranked seventh in the nation.
Connor comes from a family of football players. The Crime, Law and Justice major learned from his older brothers and became the third sibling to play in the collegiate ranks. Jim played football at Boston College and Mike played at Lehigh. But even before he stepped on the field at Penn State, Dan Connor earned national attention.
At Strath Haven High School, Connor was a consensus All-American, and the four-year starter was selected the nation's top prep linebacker by Parade. He earned first-team All-American accolades from USA Today, Super Prep and numerous other media outlets. The 2003 Associated Press Big School Player-of-the-Year, Connor was named first-team All-State three times. He also earned All-Region, All-City, All-County and All-League honors.
The captain and MVP of his team, Connor also won the Maxwell Football Club's prestigious Jim Henry Award as the Philadelphia Area Player-of-the-Year and was the Philadelphia Inquirer Southeastern Pennsylvania Player-of-the-Year as a senior. He totaled 4,556 rushing yards and 77 touchdowns during his prep career. Defensively, he made 451 tackles, 18 sacks, 16 interceptions and six fumble recoveries.
As a senior, Connor rushed for 1,807 yards on 251 carries, for a spectacular 7.2-yard average, scoring 28 touchdowns. He was instrumental in Strath Haven winning the 2000 Pennsylvania Class AAA state championship and played in the AAA state title game in 2001 and '02. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2004 and also lettered in basketball and track, where he participated in the high jump, javelin, discus and shot put.
Connor enrolled at Penn State in 2004, appearing in 10 games while earning four starting assignments.
After lining up at outside linebacker most of the season, the Freshman All-American shifted to middle linebacker for the season's final three games, leading the team in tackles in each of those contests. In 558 plays, he finished second on the team with 85 tackles (50 solo), adding a sack, 4 1/2 stops for losses and an interception.
During the 2005 offseason, Connor was charged with making prank phone calls to a former PSU assistant coach. Joe Paterno suspended the linebacker in August for his involvement in the incident, keeping him out of the lineup for the team's first three games. He started six of the nine contests in which he played, posting 76 tackles (38 solo), 1 1/2 sacks and 5 1/2 stops for losses, to go along with eight quarterback pressures from his right outside linebacker position. He also recovered a fumble that he returned for a score.
In 2006, Connor gained national attention for his exploits on the football field, walking away with All-American and All-Big Ten Conference first-team honors. He combined with fellow All-American Paul Posluszny (116 tackles) to become the first Penn State tandem since Andre Collins (130) and Brian Chizmar (110) in 1989 to record more than 100 tackles in a season.
The right linebacker started all 13 games, participating in 908 snaps. He finished second to Posluszny with 113 tackles (70 solo), adding five sacks, nine stops for losses and three forced fumbles. He also deflected a pair of passes and intercepted two others. Connor and Posluszny will be forever linked. The two star linebackers squared off against each other in the 2002 PIAA Class AAA championship game. Posluszny, then a senior, led Hopewell High School to a 21-10 victory against Connor's Strath Haven team.
Posluszny later served as Connor's host for his official visit to Penn State. Both broke into the starting lineup as freshmen at Penn State, albeit a year apart. "If you ask me, I'd say Paul's better," Connor said. "If you ask him, he'd probably say the opposite."
Connor joined Posluszny as one of three finalists for the Bednarik Award in 2006, as Connor became the 13th Penn State linebacker to earn first-team All-American honors under Paterno. He was the 77th Penn State player selected a first-team All-American. Connor moved back inside to middle linebacker as a senior. He finished seventh in the nation in tackles and led the conference with a career-high 145 stops (69 solo). He delivered 6 1/2 sacks with 15 stops for losses and two fumble recoveries. He also picked off a pass and deflected six others. He would record at least 10 tackles in eight contests, giving him 20 games during his career that he reached double digits.
Connor started 36 of 45 games in which he played at Penn State, including 16 contests at middle linebacker. He holds the school's career record with 419 tackles (227 solo), produced 14 sacks for minus-101 yards and 34 stops for losses totaling 141 yards. He recovered three fumbles, returning one 18 yards for a touchdown and had three forced fumbles. He deflected eight passes, gained five yards on four interception returns and registered one safety.
Here's the breakdown on Barnidge:
Professional scouts gush about the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers at Louisville, but Gary Barnidge is worthy of a little attention. In his last two seasons as the full-time starter at tight end, Barnidge showed consistent skills as a receiver. His blocking needs work, but he accounted for 84 of his 98 career receptions and 11 of the 17 touchdown catches as a junior and senior.
Barnidge followed in the footsteps of former Middleburg High School product and Louisville tight end Richard Owens, who played four years with the Cardinals. Barnidge played both tight end and defensive end, recorded 17 receptions and five touchdowns and was named to the Florida-Times Union Top 24 as a senior. Barnidge registered 65 tackles, 10 for a loss, three sacks, three caused fumbles, six fumble recoveries, eight quarterback pressures and one blocked kick that he returned for a touchdown that season. He also lettered in basketball, averaging 18.0 points per game.
In 2004, Barnidge enrolled at Louisville as a 215-pound tight end, turning down scholarship offers from South Florida, Louisiana-Lafayette, Mississippi and Florida. He started two of 12 games, and caught four touchdowns among his seven catches for 85 yards (12.1-yard average).
As a sophomore, Barnidge started five of 11 contests. He ranked seventh on the team with 17 catches for 240 yards (14.1-yard average), scoring twice. In 2006, Barnidge started all but the Middle Tennessee State game. He finished third on the team with 31 grabs for 511 yards (16.5 avg) and four touchdowns. He also performed well on the punt-coverage team making four solo tackles and causing one fumble. Barnidge was named All-Big East Conference first-team after a senior campaign that saw him generate 655 yards and rank second on the team with 53 receptions, including seven grabs for touchdowns. He again performed capably on special teams, causing a fumble while delivering six tackles (five solo), including two stops while playing briefly on defense.
In 47 games, Barnidge started 29 times. He caught 98 passes for 1,491 yards (15.2-yard average) and 17 touchdowns. He recovered an onside kickoff for a two-yard loss and recorded 10 tackles (nine solo) while causing two fumbles.
Here's the breakdown on Hayden:
One of the Big Ten's strongest players, Hayden took advantage of that power to excel in his role as a stay at home type of run stuffer along the defensive line. A three-year starter for the Badgers, he has that long arm reach and aggressive nature to consistently defeat blocks to make plays working down the line. But where he excels the most is as a bull rusher, where he has an array of power moves to dominate the offensive guards and centers.
Hayden was one of the more highly recruited prep prospects coming out of Arrowhead High School, where he was named the state's Defensive Lineman of the Year by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and earned first-team All-State honors for second straight year as a senior. That year, he registered 89 tackles, including 18 stops for losses and 11 sacks, as he also caused five fumbles and blocked two kicks. He also had five receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, adding Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team and Super Prep All-America honors. He was also ranked 51st nationally (all positions) by Tom Lemming and 81st by Rivals.com.
Hayden played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio (Alamodome) and caught a touchdown pass for the East team. The two-time Conference Defensive Player of the Year served as team captain his senior year. As a junior, he made 105 tackles with 28 stops for losses and 21 sacks. He also lettered in basketball. Scheduled to red-shirt in 2004 at Wisconsin, Hayden was forced into action for five games when injuries depleted the defensive line depth. He managed just one assisted tackle, but gained valuable experience, taking over for a graduated Jason Jefferson at right defensive tackle in 2005. He earned All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention, as he posted a career-high 56 tackles (29 solos) with 5.5 sacks, nine stops for losses and four pass deflections. He also recovered three fumbles and caused another.
Hayden started all 13 games in 2006, but had a subpar campaign. He managed just 27 tackles (16 solos) with four stops for losses. He bounced back as a senior, picking up All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention. He totaled 48 tackles (25 solos) with 4.5 sacks, two pressures and 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also recovered three fumbles and deflected two passes.
Here's the breakdown on Hilee Taylor:
One of the bigger risers in the 2008 draft class, Taylor (6-3, 242) is cashing in on his excellent senior campaign. He was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2007 with 59 tackles, 16 for loss, 10.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He'll likely need to transition to linebacker (where he played as a freshman at UNC) at the next level, but a team will give him that chance as a late-round pick or priority free agent. He has good strength and relentlessness playing with his hand down. Will spin inside or outside to get past his man. Gives second effort to get to the quarterback and will chase down the line. Runs with tight ends down the seam. Should be strong enough to handle tight ends on the line as a SAM linebacker. Uses his length and strong hands to keep blocks off him. However, he will need time to transition from defensive end to linebacker if the Panthers decide to do that. He also plays stiff and a bit high, making it difficult for him to quickly plant and drive or change directions.
Here's the breakdown on Geoff Schwartz:
Massive man who, despite his 335 pounds, isn't soft around the middle. He has big hands and long arms. He flashes an impressive initial hand punch and when he delivers on it, can drive his opponent yards down the field. He lacks quickness in nearly every phase of the game and struggles to keep up with quick edge rushers and will over-compensate to the outside, making him especially vulnerable to spins back inside. Struggled mightily at times during the week of practice and the East-West Shrine Game, itself.