SCOTT FOWLER

Published April 29, 2007 in The Charlotte Observer and on charlotte.com. All rights reserved.

By SCOTT FOWLER
Charlotte Observer

First, the Carolina Panthers traded down. Then they started buying stocks they already had in their portfolio -- another Miami linebacker, another Southern Cal receiver.

They didn't trade defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. They turned down a trade offer from Cleveland that included the Browns' 2008 first-round draft pick.

Carolina had an interesting day as the 2007 NFL draft began. I believe it was also a successful day.

The Panthers' offseason has been a yawner. They made one good move -- acquiring backup quarterback David Carr -- and otherwise have gambled by standing pat. But on draft day, the Panthers finally created some legitimate, positive buzz.

They traded from the 14th pick to the 25th, then selected Miami linebacker Jon Beason there. In the second round at No. 45, here came Southern Cal receiver Dwayne Jarrett, he of the 41 receiving touchdowns in only three seasons.

He's "much like me," Keyshawn Johnson kept exulting about Jarrett on ESPN's coverage. Keyshawn used the phrase so much that Jarrett's nickname here should now be "Much Like Me," which has a "He Hate Me" ring to it.

Carolina had a lot more holes than just those two, though (and still has several, most notably at safety). So it was smart to get an extra second-round pick from the New York Jets in return for moving down 11 spots in the first.

That pick (No.59) turned into center Ryan Kalil, also from Southern Cal, as the Panthers kept trying to improve their suspect offense. In the third round, Carolina finished up the day with Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson, who might one day replace Mike Rucker.

The Panthers could have instead traded down with the Browns for that 2008 first-round pick -- Cleveland ultimately made a similar deal at No. 22 to get Brady Quinn -- but I don't blame coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney for passing that one up.

They aren't even quite sure they're going to be here themselves in 2008. Only winning in 2007 will assure that, and what they did Saturday gave them a better chance to do so.

Beason, who considers Dan Morgan a mentor, can play any linebacker position and might be the next Will Witherspoon playing on the weakside. Beason could also ultimately be Morgan's replacement, for Morgan has missed 42 percent of his possible regular-season starts during a six-year NFL career.

Morgan is faster than Beason, 2 inches taller and was much more lauded in college, but we all know about Morgan's career-threatening concussions.

One way Beason sounds a whole lot like Morgan is single-minded dedication to football. Morgan doesn't do much of anything else. When I asked Morgan in his rookie year what else he did for fun, I remember him thinking about it and then saying, "Football is me."

Beason said Saturday his hobbies were watching DVDs and taking naps. If you're the Panthers, you love that.

The Panthers didn't get everyone they wanted. And assuming Jenkins is really back, they're going to have to smooth over some very big ruffled feathers.

But the Panthers improved themselves Saturday, and that's something they've done very little of over the past three months.