What to Expect From Panthers' New GM Scott Fitterer
Carolina Panthers' owner David Tepper has made his latest move of establishing the franchise as his own. When Tepper took over he inherited Ron Rivera as his head coach and Marty Hurney as his general manager. Rivera was replaced by Matt Rhule at the end of last season. After another disappointing season, Hurney was next to go this year. Tepper has turned the helm over to Scott Fitterer who has spent over two decades in an NFL front office. Most of his experience came with the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Fitterer made a name for himself when he was promoted to Seahawks' director of college scouting in 2010. Many of the players that excelled in the team's 2013 Super Bowl run came from the draft. Players like cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Kam Chancellor, linebacker Bobby Wagner, and even quarterback Russell Wilson were all drafted when Fitterer was in charge of scouting. The amazing thing is that all the players mentioned above were drafted in the third round or later.
Ironically, Hurney is out as Panthers' GM because of his limited draft success outside of the first two rounds. This is why the Fitterer hire makes a lot of sense for Carolina. Charlotte is a great city but it will never attract the free agents that say New York or Los Angeles can. This means that the majority of the roster is going to have to be put together through draft picks. This is also the most financially stable way to built a team that has sustained success.
Every year there is surprise success stories of late round draft picks stepping in and contributing right away. It has become maddening that it never seems to happen for the Panthers. Don't get me wrong, many of Carolina's high draft picks have played exceptionally well. The problem is that first and second rounders are supposed to step in and play well right away.
Between Fitterer and Rhule the Panthers now have two men in charge that have followed the college game as closely as anyone for a long period of time. They should be able to find diamonds in the rough that other teams undervalue and pass up on. There should be no excuse for them not to build a future playoff contender by executing through the draft.
Expect Scott Fitterer to improve the Panthers' roster through the draft since this is his background and philosophy. Tepper has said in the past that he wants a team that competes year in and year out like the teams he became accustomed to with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only way to really accomplish this is by drafting well making the Fitterer hire a great fit.
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