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For Panthers, future is right now

For the second straight year Saturday, the Carolina Panthers made the bold move of trading away a future first-round pick for a player they expect to make an instant impact.

Their gamble paid off last year when Jeff Otah quickly became a force at right tackle.

They hope the same will be true next season of Florida State defensive end Everette Brown.

The Panthers had a first-round grade on Brown and aggressively tried to acquire him after he fell into the early stages of the second round.

They found a trade partner in the San Francisco 49ers, who had the 11th pick in Round 2 (No. 43 overall). The 49ers gave the Panthers that pick plus a fourth-round selection in this year's draft (111th overall) in exchange for Carolina's 2010 first-rounder.

“We thought Everette Brown was one of the better pass rushers in this draft,” said general manager Hurney.

“He helps our pass rush immediately.”

Brown led the ACC last season with 13 1/2 sacks and 21 1/2 tackles for loss.

Hurney was mentored by former San Diego GM Bobby Beathard, who didn't hesitate to trade future No.1s.

“You do it for players you think can come in and help you right away,” said Hurney. “When you look at giving up next year's first for a guy like Everette Brown, you have him for a year and then he's that much better in 2010.”

By early in the second round, the Panthers were contacting teams seeking a trade, concerned that Brown wouldn't remain available much longer.

“He was going very quickly if we didn't take him,” said Hurney. “We thought we needed to get up there.”

The trade infused spark into what began as a dull draft day for the Panthers because they didn't have a first-round pick, which was dealt to Philadelphia last year to obtain Otah.

One of the benefits of the trade with the 49ers was the Panthers didn't have to give up their second-round pick, the 59th overall choice, which they used to select Troy cornerback Sherrod Martin.

Martin is known as an aggressive, hard-tackling defender with good speed (4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash). The Panthers plan to use him as their nickel back now that Richard Marshall has graduated from that position to a starting role with the release of veteran Ken Lucas.

Brown is a bit undersized for a 4-3 defensive end (6-1 1/2, 256 pounds), but has excellent speed and strength. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds at the NFL combine and had 26 repetitions bench-pressing 225 pounds.

Because of his strength and quick burst when the ball is snapped, Brown has been compared to Indianapolis Colts defensive end Robert Mathis. Brown now will be schooled by the man who coached Mathis, new defensive coordinator Ron Meeks, who formerly held that position in Indianapolis.

Many draft analysts had projected Brown as a first-rounder. He was rated No. 21 in the Observer's Top 100.

Brown said he told the Panthers they would not be disappointed and that he's “going to be everything (they) wanted and more.”

“I have high expectations for myself,” he said.

He'll have a chance to start at the defensive end position opposite Julius Peppers.

Peppers, Carolina's franchise free agent, wasn't traded Saturday and looks set to return.

LINK >> For Panthers, future is right now | CharlotteObserver.com

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