As usual, the 2014 draft reminded us that it never goes down the way it was forecasted. So how did the Panthers do? Check C3’s s rundown of Carolina’s 4th Rd selection, Tre Boston. The crew tells you if we got a blue goose or just got stuck with some Gray Goose, mmm makes me thirsty.
Crew Critique
“Mel Mayock” aka @PanthersDrafter- I really think we were targeting Pierre Desir at this spot and we just missed out on him to Cleveland. I think this is where Gettleman should have traded up to ensure we got the man we desired (get it?). But Tre Boston is a guy that I like a lot. He played four years and every spot in the defensive backfield. You also want a guy that got
better every year and he did just that when he totaled 5 INTs last year for the Tarheels. He won’t start this year but will get playing time and look for him to be the long term answer at Safety to pair with Robert Lester. He brings a swagger and hard-hitting mentality that was vacated when Mike Mitchell went to the Steelers for a big payday. But Boston is a smarter version of Mitchell. In fact he scored a QB-like 21 on his Wonderlic test and I don’t see him making the bone-headed penalties that Mitchell was famous for. Considering the DraftTek.com Big Board had him pegged as the #232 player, I think we could have gotten him a little later on. I like the pick but I was Desir(ing) someone else.
Grade C+
The Professor”- Uno, dos, Tre el Boston! Need trumped value here clearly. After losing Mike Mitchell and Captain Munnerlyn to free agency, the Panthers became thin in the secondary. Cutting the deck thin to win, only works in cards. A thin secondary, which was really a hidden vulnerability for the Panthers anyway, doesn’t get Ws. Nope, it blows them in the waning moments, ie. Buffalo and the playoff loss to San Francisco.
Safety was a need and we finally saw Gettleman stray from BPA formula applied in the Ealy and Tuner selections and go get one. Boston didn’t have a great senior season, but honestly, who does when you play for such a mismanaged program as UNC (ouch, I know..but ya’ll should be better. Go #Pirates!). Two reasons Gettleman took Boston, he has strong measurables and he has a nose for the ball. Boston isn’t ready for the NFL, but he may just have the tools. Rivera has been great at coaching up guys, particularly in the secondary. Maybe Boston’s problem was the program. A revolving door of head coaches, coordinators, defensive schemes, all in the midst UNC’s grade manipulation scandal surely didn’t help with Boston’s development. Maybe Carolina’s defensive stability will help nourish some of his athletic potential. Follow “the Professor” @Cat_Chronicles
Grade: C-
“Freakin Puerto Rican”- I do like this pick, but I also believe the Panthers had their eyes on Pierre Desir at this point in the draft. When the Browns traded up to grab Desir, the Panthers front office was a bit surprised. The war room was already in defensive back mode so Tre Boston must have been their next guy on the list. I love the fact that he enjoys coming up to support the run and that he contributed on the Tar Heels’ special teams. His special teams play in Carolina will allow him to make this Panthers team and learn the defensive scheme. He is a solid built guy at 6’ 205 lbs and he is a good tackler. In the Duke VS UNC game I watched recently, he only missed one tackle. Any time he put his hands on the ball carrier, the ball carrier went down. He also looked very comfortable blitzing the quarterback. He plays with pretty good body control and he does possess decent speed. I think he has some Mike Mitchell tendencies. Those tendencies also being he can get lost in coverage. There were a couple of times I saw in the aforementioned game where Boston looked out of place, but with dedication to his craft and some good coaching, he could become a future starter.
Grade: C+
Willie P (aka Chocolate Wonderland) - His strength is his versatility. A 6'0" 204 lbs safety that can play both safety spots and corner will help a depleted Carolina secondary. Boston has good speed and strong vertical, but his measurables don’t jump off the page. He plays the ball well, can lay a big hit, but at times is inconsistent in tackling technique. He has leadership qualities but can also be a little immature at times. Capable of big plays, for and against team, Boston can get lost in coverage, but has the physical tools to get back in the play. He's a young vocal player whose cons like Benjamin's are coachable and that's probably what Carolina saw. Follow Willie P @Begasu26
Grade: C
“First and Ken” @Ken_Dye -
I’m of the mind with the esteemed “Mel Mayock” with this one. I think “Desir was desired” by Gettleman and this is the pick we may have been caught a little flat-footed on. Boston is an average athlete with limited upside potential. He appears to be more or less locked-in at the NFL level as a strong safety. Although he had 5 INTs his senior year at UNC, he has never been known as a “ball hawk,” probably won’t develop into one in the NFL, and has average instincts overall. I do think he’s a little bit overrated as a tackler, especially in space. He does help support the run up close to the line, however, and helps add that 8th man in the box on rushing downs. He has a long way to go with his diagnostic skills especially against complex NFL offenses. Overall compares unfavorably to the departed Mike Mitchell - Boston has good smarts, won’t make the “bonehead” plays so much, but he’s not ever going to be a game-changer at the position. I think he projects long-term as a second-string SS with some special teams ability. He CAN play FS in a pinch, but would be a marginal NFL player at that position. The 4th round is a couple of rounds too high for him as well, so the value with this selection isn’t there. I’ll be surprised if he’s with the Panthers after his rookie contract expires, assuming he lasts that long.
Brock Vereen, who went 3 picks later, was higher-rated and is a more fluid athlete but fits as a FS. Donte Johnson, a CB drafted the following pick, was also higher-rated. Even Bene Benwikere, whom we traded up to get in the 5th and gave up our 7th-rounder for, was ALSO higher-rated than Boston, which makes this pick a real head-scratcher. Why not just go ahead and draft Bene “The Fed Chair” Benwikere if you’ve got him targeted, which the Panthers did, in the 4th to begin with? Then if Boston’s gone in the 5th, there would still be players with similar grades to choose from.
Unless someone was really pounding the table for Boston in the 4th, I think this pick was a clear choice of drafting for position rather than “best available.” Gettleman broke his own rule with this one.
Grade: D-
So what do you think PantherNation? Tell us your grade on the Boston pick and be sure to watch out for our grades on picks 5-6.
