NFC South: Nick Mangold
Here’s what I think is a fascinating Insider post 
by Mel Kiper. He revisits the 2006 NFL draft and does it over again from scratch.
Bush 
WilliamsObviously, Kiper’s got the benefit of hindsight. But it’s kind of fun to look back now and see how things could have been different for the NFC South teams.
Remember, the Saints had the No. 2 overall pick that year and the Houston Texans had the No. 1 choice. There was a lot of debate on if the Texans would take Mario Williams or Reggie Bush.
In the end, Houston went with Williams and the Saints took Bush. Williams and Bush each had their moments, but neither has quite lived up to his draft status. Bush was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2011.
As Kiper does the 2006 draft all over, he no longer has the Saints drafting Bush. He has them taking center Nick Mangold. Imagine that? Mangold is widely considered the best center in the league. The Saints could have the best center in the league surrounded by Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, who are considered the best guards in the league.
But it wouldn’t have worked out that way in Kiper’s scenario. Remember, the Saints had one of the all-time great drafts in 2006. They added Evans, receiver Marques Colston and safety Roman Harper in later rounds.
In Kiper’s new draft, Evans, Colston and Harper don’t make it out of the first round and they land with other teams.
The Carolina Panthers had the No. 27 pick that year and they used it on running back DeAngelo Williams. In Kiper’s new draft, Williams would have been off the board long before Carolina drafted. Instead, Kiper has the Panthers selecting Antoine Bethea, who has turned into a very solid cornerback.
In 2006, the Buccaneers drafted guard Davin Joseph at No. 23. He’s turned out to be a solid player and is at the Pro Bowl right now. But, in Kiper’s new draft, Joseph is scooped up several spots before the Bucs can take him. Instead, Kiper gives Tampa Bay Kamerion Wimbley. Hey, at least with Wimbley, the Bucs would have had a pass rush in recent years.
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t have a first-round pick in 2006. They traded it to the New York Jets for defensive end John Abraham, who has had a very productive run in Atlanta. But the Jets turned that pick into tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Had the Falcons landed Ferguson in 2006, they never would have drafted Sam Baker in 2008.
by Mel Kiper. He revisits the 2006 NFL draft and does it over again from scratch.
Remember, the Saints had the No. 2 overall pick that year and the Houston Texans had the No. 1 choice. There was a lot of debate on if the Texans would take Mario Williams or Reggie Bush.
In the end, Houston went with Williams and the Saints took Bush. Williams and Bush each had their moments, but neither has quite lived up to his draft status. Bush was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2011.
As Kiper does the 2006 draft all over, he no longer has the Saints drafting Bush. He has them taking center Nick Mangold. Imagine that? Mangold is widely considered the best center in the league. The Saints could have the best center in the league surrounded by Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, who are considered the best guards in the league.
But it wouldn’t have worked out that way in Kiper’s scenario. Remember, the Saints had one of the all-time great drafts in 2006. They added Evans, receiver Marques Colston and safety Roman Harper in later rounds.
In Kiper’s new draft, Evans, Colston and Harper don’t make it out of the first round and they land with other teams.
The Carolina Panthers had the No. 27 pick that year and they used it on running back DeAngelo Williams. In Kiper’s new draft, Williams would have been off the board long before Carolina drafted. Instead, Kiper has the Panthers selecting Antoine Bethea, who has turned into a very solid cornerback.
In 2006, the Buccaneers drafted guard Davin Joseph at No. 23. He’s turned out to be a solid player and is at the Pro Bowl right now. But, in Kiper’s new draft, Joseph is scooped up several spots before the Bucs can take him. Instead, Kiper gives Tampa Bay Kamerion Wimbley. Hey, at least with Wimbley, the Bucs would have had a pass rush in recent years.
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t have a first-round pick in 2006. They traded it to the New York Jets for defensive end John Abraham, who has had a very productive run in Atlanta. But the Jets turned that pick into tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Had the Falcons landed Ferguson in 2006, they never would have drafted Sam Baker in 2008.
Kalil tied up, Panthers free up space
August, 19, 2011
8/19/11
6:33
PM ET
By
Pat Yasinskas | ESPN.com
On the same night they’re deciding who will be their starting quarterback (Cam Newton or Jimmy Clausen) on opening day, the Carolina Panthers just made another huge move.
Center Ryan Kalil, who had been tagged as the team’s franchise player and signed a tender for $10.116 million, has just agreed to a long-term contract that will make him the highest-paid center in history, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
The deal is for six years, and although we don’t have full details yet, we know it averages more than the $7.75 million per year that Nick Mangold got last year when he became the highest-paid center in NFL history.
The move comes after the Panthers, who went 2-14 with one of the league’s lowest payrolls last year, went on a spending spree coming out of the lockout. Owner Jerry Richardson, one of the lead negotiators in the new labor deal, pledged that his team would be aggressive once there was labor peace.
He has followed through on that promise. The Panthers have paid out well more than $100 million just in signing bonuses while re-signing some of their players, such as defensive end Charles Johnson, linebackers Jon Beason, James Anderson and Thomas Davis, and running back DeAngelo Williams. The Panthers also traded for tight end Greg Olsen, and turned around and signed him to a new contract.
Throw in Kalil’s deal, and the Panthers have been one of the most active teams in the league this preseason. Although Kalil’s contract might seem like a massive long-term commitment, it’s going to help the Panthers in the short term.
They had only about $2.5 million remaining in salary-cap space, but that was with Kalil counting for $10.116 million. Again, we don’t know the structure of his deal, but it’s fair to say that no matter what it is, his new cap figure will be at least several million dollars less.
That will give the Panthers flexibility to make even more moves. They would like to add a starting-caliber cornerback and could be in the market for one more experienced wide receiver. Now, they’ve got the cap space to do whatever they want.
Center Ryan Kalil, who had been tagged as the team’s franchise player and signed a tender for $10.116 million, has just agreed to a long-term contract that will make him the highest-paid center in history, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
The deal is for six years, and although we don’t have full details yet, we know it averages more than the $7.75 million per year that Nick Mangold got last year when he became the highest-paid center in NFL history.
The move comes after the Panthers, who went 2-14 with one of the league’s lowest payrolls last year, went on a spending spree coming out of the lockout. Owner Jerry Richardson, one of the lead negotiators in the new labor deal, pledged that his team would be aggressive once there was labor peace.
He has followed through on that promise. The Panthers have paid out well more than $100 million just in signing bonuses while re-signing some of their players, such as defensive end Charles Johnson, linebackers Jon Beason, James Anderson and Thomas Davis, and running back DeAngelo Williams. The Panthers also traded for tight end Greg Olsen, and turned around and signed him to a new contract.
Throw in Kalil’s deal, and the Panthers have been one of the most active teams in the league this preseason. Although Kalil’s contract might seem like a massive long-term commitment, it’s going to help the Panthers in the short term.
They had only about $2.5 million remaining in salary-cap space, but that was with Kalil counting for $10.116 million. Again, we don’t know the structure of his deal, but it’s fair to say that no matter what it is, his new cap figure will be at least several million dollars less.
That will give the Panthers flexibility to make even more moves. They would like to add a starting-caliber cornerback and could be in the market for one more experienced wide receiver. Now, they’ve got the cap space to do whatever they want.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
