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SportingNews.com – Pro Football War Room

As was last year’s mock draft, this years’ Sporting News Mock Draft is quite interesting so far — has the Panthers landing outstanding Georgia TE Leonard Pope in round one and LSU RB Joseph Addai in round two.

According to SportingNew.com, Pope is

Bottom line: Pope has excellent height and very good speed for a man his size. He must add bulk to excel in the NFL, but he has the body to handle the weight. A highly productive receiver, he came out off a solid junior season. His size, speed and playmaking ability make Pope a late first-round or early second-round prospect.

He would be an awesome fit for the Panthers’ offense, and would be what they’ve wanted for the last several years rolled into one player. They made a run for Brandon Malamaleuna from the Rams a few seasons ago, drafted Mike Seidman and Mike Gaines, and signed Freddie Jones last season, but none of those moves ever panned out. Pope would be that guy — he is a big blocker and a pass-catcher that would demand coverage up the middle and give Smith and the other WRs better matchups.

The other player SportingNews mentions is Joseph Addai, the 5th ranked RB and 44th ranked player overall in the draft.

According to SN:

Bottom line: Addai is coming off an outstanding senior season that answered a lot of questions. He has speed and the frame to add bulk, and he is a tough runner with home run speed. His versatility — aided by the many roles he played before becoming the feature back — helped scouts see him as a complete back. He is an inside and outside threat, an outstanding receiver and a capable blocker who can contribute on special teams. If not for the top-heavy class of junior running backs, Addai might have been a late-Round 1 pick. As it stands, he figures to be drafted early-to-middle of the second round

If this guy lasts till the Panthers’ pick, they’d be stupid not to take him. Much like DeShaun Foster, this guy has all the tools to be a feature back. Good hands and speed and can hit the holes up the middle, Addai could ease the pain of losing DeShaun Foster.