Dave Gettleman’s top 5 draft picks with the Carolina Panthers
By Sean Dyer
The New York Giants introduced Dave Gettleman as their new general manager on Friday. Gettleman was the GM of the Carolina Panthers from 2013 until right before training camp in 2017. Here’s a look at his draft history.
Dave Gettleman was introduced as the next general manager of the New York Giants on Friday. Gettleman takes over after four-plus seasons as GM of the Carolina Panthers and 15 years of experience in the Giants organization as a pro personnel director and senior pro personnel analyst.
The biggest concern for Gettleman’s predecessor, Jerry Reese, was that he struggled to find talent in the NFL Draft, especially in the later rounds. Does Gettleman have a better eye for young talent than Reese?
Some will look at the fact that Gettleman was the GM when the Panthers went to the Super Bowl in 2015. As impressive as that was, the top contributors on that team (Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, and Josh Norman) were drafted by Gettleman’s predecessor, Marty Hurney.
Gettleman still deserves credit for building an NFC championship team and he drafted a few studs during his tenure as Carolina’s GM. Let’s take a look at the top five draft picks that Dave Gettleman made for the Panthers:
5. LB A.J. Klein, 5th round, 2013
The New York Giants need linebackers and have for quite some time. The problem is they refuse to draft a linebacker until the later rounds. Jerry Reese used those later round picks to draft Bryan Kehl, Jonathan Goff, Phillip Dillard, Greg Jones, Jacquian Williams, Devon Kennard, and B.J. Goodson.
Not a single proven starting NFL linebacker.
Dave Gettleman, however, found A.J. Klein in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Although Klein was just a part-time starter in Carolina, that was more because Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis were in the way.
Klein signed with the New Orleans Saints this offseason and has started 12 games. With 54 total tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and four pass breakups, Klein has helped the Saints defense become one of the top units in the league.
If the Giants are going to continue to spend later round picks on linebackers, hopefully, Dave Gettleman can find more players like A.J. Klein.
4. CB James Bradberry, 2nd round, 2016
Dave Gettleman made the unpopular decision to remove the franchise tag on Josh Norman weeks before the NFL Draft in 2016. Fans couldn’t believe the Panthers would let an All-Pro corner walk and leave a huge hole in their secondary.
To fill that hole, Gettleman drafted James Bradberry out of Samford (where?). Bradberry received comparisons to Norman, a Coastal Carolina alum, as a small school corner who would succeed at the NFL level.
Bradberry has lived up to expectations thus far. As a rookie, Bradberry had 59 total tackles, two interceptions, and ten pass breakups in 13 starts. In 2017, Bradberry has started all 15 games, totaling 80 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and ten pass breakups.
Gettleman seemed crazy not to sign Norman to a long-term deal but found another solid corner in Bradberry who makes just a fraction of what Norman makes.
It is near impossible to keep all of your top players together so being able to quickly find a successor is key.
3. RB Christian McCaffrey, 1st round, 2017
Admittedly, it is still early to label Christian McCaffrey a success as he still hasn’t completed his rookie season. The early results, however, as very good.
McCaffrey is a matchup nightmare. He may even be more of a slot receiver than a running back.
Splitting time in the backfield with Jonathan Stewart, McCaffrey has 111 carries for 421 yards (3.8 ypc) and two rushing touchdowns.
McCaffrey makes his money as a receiver. He has 75 receptions for 611 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
The New York Giants had hoped to use Shane Vereen in a similar receiving role but injuries contributed to that never working out.
A lot of Giants fans wanted McCaffrey in the 2017 NFL Draft but he didn’t last nearly long enough. Gettleman snatched him up with the eighth overall pick.
There were questions about whether McCaffrey was big enough (5’11”, 205 lb.) to succeed in the NFL. Gettleman took a chance on him and although he was relieved of his duties before McCaffrey stepped on the field, early results show that it was a risk worth taking.
2. OG Trai Turner, 3rd round, 2014
The New York Giants need to fix their offensive line and Dave Gettleman may be the man to do it.
Gettleman only drafted four offensive linemen during his Panther tenure but one of them was Trai Turner who is one of the better guards in the NFL.
Turner has been a full-time starter for Carolina since 2015 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and 2016.
Turner excels as a pass blocker, allowing just 5.5 sacks in 54 career starts thus far. After three productive seasons, Turner signed a four-year, $45 million contract extension prior to the 2017 season.
Giants fans want the team to use its top picks to build up its offensive line but Gettleman may be able to improve the offensive front in the middle rounds.
If he can do so with New York, Gettleman can use his top picks for other areas of the roster.
1. DT Kawann Short, 2nd round, 2013
In Dave Gettleman’s first season in charge of the Carolina Panthers, he doubled up on defensive tackles with his first two picks. As it would turn out, the second defensive tackle Gettleman selected ended up being the better of the two.
After drafting Star Lotulelei with the 14th overall pick, Gettleman drafted Kawann Short in the second round (44th overall).
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Short spent his rookie season as a reserve and was a full-time starter by 2015 and has been ever since. He averages 45 total tackles per season and has 29.5 career sacks. Short has also collected ten pass breakups and eight forced fumbles in his career.
The New York Giants defensive line seems set for the foreseeable future. However, depth is always helpful. Gettleman drafted a defensive tackle (Vernon Butler) in the first round in 2016 despite having Lotulelei and Short in the starting lineup.
A big believer in using high-end resources on the defensive line, it’s no surprise that Dave Gettleman’s best draft pick with the Carolina Panthers was a defensive tackle.
Next: Enough is enough: Eli Apple has to go
As the New York Giants move into a new era, let’s hope Dave Gettleman can have better success in the NFL Draft than his predecessor.