Can the Panthers get lucky at No. 7? The good and bad of that pick in the NFL draft
The Panthers have never selected seventh overall in the NFL draft.
Seven times they have made a selection in the top-10 of the first round, taking just two defensive players — Luke Kuechly and Julius Peppers — and two of those selections left the organization this offseason, Kuechly and Cam Newton. Only one remains on the team — Christian McCaffrey.
No. 7 doesn’t always turn out to be a great pick — just ask the Vikings how Troy Williamson worked out — but there have been franchise-changing selections. Hall of Famers have been taken and consecutive Josh Allens (Buffalo’s quarterback out of Wyoming and Jacksonville’s defensive end out of Kentucky) chosen at the spot in the past two years.
Here’s a look at some hits and misses who’ve been selected seventh overall.
Best picks at seventh overall
Champ Bailey, DB, 1999. One of two Hall of Famers to have been selected seventh overall in an NFL draft (Bulldog Turner, drafted in 1940 is the other), Bailey is one of the most decorated players to have been taken at No. 7. A 12-time Pro Bowler and three-time First Team All-Pro, he was selected by Washington, but went on to have much of his success with the Broncos for 10 years, including the 2006 season, when he had a career-high 10 interceptions.
He was part of a historic draft in 1999 with many strong players selected before him (Tim Couch getting selected first overall certainly looks iffy now, however), including Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, Donovan McNabb, Ricky Williams and Torry Holt.
Sterling Sharpe, WR, 1988. Sharpe’s career was cut short due to a neck injury, but the seven years he did play in the league were well worth the pick. The three-time first-team All-Pro selection and five-time Pro Bowler finished five of his seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards and was one of Brett Favre’s favorite targets. He broke several records at the time and his 18 touchdown receptions during the 1994 season, his last, is still tied for third-most in a single year with Mark Clayton.
Adrian Peterson, RB, 2007. As Peterson’s career continues in Washington with former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, his durability has been on display. The future Hall of Famer may no longer be the star running back he was in Minnesota, but he totaled more than 1,000 rushing yards in 2018. The 2012 season when Peterson went over 2,000 rushing yards remains the NFL’s second-best single-season rushing display, behind Eric Dickerson in 1984.
Browns tackle Joe Thomas and former Lions receiver Calvin Johnson were selected before Peterson, but one of the biggest mistakes ever made with the first overall pick happened in 2007 when the Raiders selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Other recent successful picks taken at seventh overall: Joe Haden, CB, 2010; Mike Evans, WR, 2014; DeForest Buckner, DE, 2016.
Not-so-great picks at seventh overall
Todd Blackledge, QB, 1983. Blackledge started 29 games, going 15-14, after being selected by the Chiefs. He ended his career with the Steelers as a backup and finished with a 48.1 career completion percentage and threw 29 touchdowns to 38 interceptions
What makes this pick even tougher to look back on is the quarterbacks that were still on the board at No. 7 — Jim Kelly and Dan Marino.
Andre Ware, QB, 1990. Ware started just six games for the Lions in his four seasons in the NFL. He completed 51.6 percent of his passes for 1,112 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Heisman winner had trouble sticking in Detroit partly because the team never settled on a quarterback. He later had some success in the CFL, including being the backup to Doug Flutie on the 1997 Toronto Argonauts team that won the Grey Cup.
The 1990 NFL draft wasn’t known for finding great quarterbacks with Jeff George and Neil O’Donnell among the most successful.
Kevin White, WR, 2015. This didn’t turn out well for the Bears. White was on the field for Chicago for just three seasons and suffered multiple injuries, including missing his entire rookie season. In 14 total games, he caught 25 receptions for 285 yards. He never scored an NFL touchdown.
The list of players the Bears could have taken instead is almost endless. DeVante Parker and Stefon Diggs were both selected later in 2015.
Other recent unsuccessful picks: Tim Worley, RB, 1989; Troy Williamson, WR, 2005; Aldon Smith, LB, 2011 (this didn’t work out for the 49ers overall due to off-the-field issues, but he is looking to be reinstated into the NFL this year with the Cowboys)
