2011 NFL Draft Rumors – Rivera’s Arrival In Carolina Makes Top Pick Easy Guess

The new head coach of the Carolina Panthers isn’t tipping their hat when it comes to the 2011 NFL betting Draft, but it seems like a forgone conclusion now as to who they’ll take first overall. Unlike Andrew Luck, there’s somebody out there who wants actually wants to go to the Carolina Panthers, and that’s their new NFL head coach Ron Rivera. The former defensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers has left the side of Norv Turner for his own digs and his own set of clipboards and headphones.

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While Rivera isn’t the lone answer to the Panthers’ problems, his arrival does send mild shockwaves through the 2011 NFL Draft. The Panthers finished 2-14 SU this season, earning the first overall pick. With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck staying in school, that means that Carolina could look to patch up their defense with the top pick.

The answer to their prayers in that regard would be none other than defensive tackle Nick Fairley of the Auburn Tigers. Fairley had a tremendous season, and was seen causing mass havoc in the BCS Championship game against the Oregon Ducks. Fairley had three tackles for losses, including a sack, in that game and also had a touchdown saving tackle of James at the goal line.

He may not have received the otherworldly praise of Ndamukong Suh, but the 300-pound defensive linemen certainly made a case for being worthy of the top overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Suh was taken second overall last year, and Fairley had a similar impact for the Tigers. All that’s left now is to blow the hinges off the NFL combine.

To wit, Fairley’s resume is already outstanding. Along with 12 sacks this year and 56 tackles, Fairley led a defense that shut down Alabama in the Iron Bowl, and put the clamps decisively on the nation’s top ranked offense in the BCS Championship game. His stock will never be higher than it is right now, and it would be remiss of him to skip the draft, especially considering how much money he could make by entering the 2011 NFL Draft.

Rivera and the Panthers have plenty of work to do and were hoping to take Luck, who is regarded as a franchise quarterback in the same mold as Sam Bradford. He’s a gamer that can make all the throws and has the leadership intangibles to go the distance. The only quarterback who perhaps has the same set of intangibles is Cameron Newton, who is largely considered a project at the NFL level.

That’s the main hurdle for Carolina. They already have a project in Jimmy Clausen, who is one season away from being the next David Carr. He could very well revitalize his own stock with a better year next season, but his chances of surviving in Carolina are two-fold.

First, he’ll have to hope that the Panthers don’t swing for the fences with Newton, Mallet or Gabbert with the top overall pick. Then he’ll have to hope that the team doesn’t go out and sign a veteran like Vince Young to take his spot from him. He’ll also have to win over Rivera, who has been spoiled by seeing guys like Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers in San Diego.

Carolina is not taking a receiver with the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft so stop with all that chatter surrounding A.J. Green of Georgia. It’s happened twice I history and it isn’t happening again anytime soon.

The question for the Panthers isn’t about finding a great quarterback though. For Rivera to succeed, he needs to bank on his defensive aptitude and he certainly needs the players to do that. Rebuilding a defensive line that used to have guys like Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins is where Rivera has to start.

Nobody in the draft makes more sense for the Panthers than Nick Fairley. Cameron Newton will make them more watchable, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll win more games. At the very least, you’re hitting a pick with Fairley that has a far better chance of being a game changer at the NFL level than any quarterback taken in the draft.

Rivera has to ride the horse that got him a head coaching job in Carolina to begin with. He needs to stick to his guns by building solid defenses, and that starts in the 2011 NFL Draft by taking Nick Fairley of the BCS Champion Auburn Tigers.

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