The Panthers could find a Day 2 gem to bolster their pass rush by drafting former TCU defensive end Ben Banogu." Carolina Panthers Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftFilm room scouting report on TCU defensive end Ben BanoguNew Ian Thomas Jersey ,27commentsThe Panthers could find a Day 2 gem to bolster their pass rush by drafting former TCU defensive end Ben Banogu.EDTBen Banogu was recruited to the University of Louisiana Monroe out of high school. He spent two seasons at ULM before he decided to transfer to TCU. Banogu was a two-year starter as an edge rusher for Gary Patterson’s defense. He produced 24.5 tackles-for-loss, 17 sacks, and two forced fumbles during his two years in Fort Worth. Banogu is a world class athlete. He was a track athlete in high school, but Banogu showcased his athleticism at the Combine. He posted a 1.9 sigma SPARQ, which landed in the 97.3rd percentile. This was the best score among all edge rushers. Film reviewBanogu has enormous upside, but he currently possesses questionable technique. He isn’t projected to go high according to many outlets, so it could help his outlook if he refines his technique because the athleticism can’t be denied. Banogu has a diverse set of pass rush moves, but he enjoys setting up the offensive tackle with a slight hesitation before exploding. His hand usage is inconsistent Curtis Samuel Color Rush Jersey , but he does well to swat the hands away. Banogu’s athleticisim is on display here. He uses a swat and arm over pass rush, but check out his balance as the offensive tackle attempts to block him. He shows fantastic balance to force a hit on the quarterback, which leads to an inaccurate throw.Banogu’s athleticism allowed him to take his rushes inside where he can beat slower guards or catch tackles off balance. He shows a decent dip, nimble footwork, and then a strong burst to get into the backfield. TCU frequently used stunts to clear a lane for Banogu through the interior. He’s quick enough to cover the ground and affect the quarterback before he releases it. While Banogu did showcase his athleticism at the Combine, it didn’t translate with his speed rushes. On both of these rushes, he doesn’t use a dip to condense the surface area between him and the quarterback. It’s not like he can’t do it, but there are some technical areas that he has to improve upon to harness this rush. He has to take less steps and then his feet have to point toward the quarterback so his rush can flow directionally. Banogu tested above average in the agility drills. It would be more concerning if he didn’t Daeshon Hall Jersey , but due to his high level traits he should project to improve in this area.Banogu creates havoc on run downs by taking an inside path to the backfield. He’s not easy to block when he’s against interior linemen. Despite not using the proper leverage, his speed and hands are too strong for the blockers.Banogu takes another inside route to the backfield on this run. It’s similar to how he wins as a pass rusher on inside moves. He doesn’t use great leverage, but he does enough to dip and then use his speed to close down.On runs where he’s being read by the offense or pulls, Banogu shows patience and elusiveness. He avoids the pulling block, but then explodes into the backfield for the tackle-for-loss.Fit with CarolinaBanogu is not scheme dependent. He could line up in a 2-or-3-point stance for the Panthers. He has to improve his pass rush arsenal, but he has the hand use to do so. Furthermore, his athleticism is a clear signal that he can develop his speed rush. He is okay at setting the edge, but his football intelligence and quickness allows him to shoot gaps in the run game. The Panthers need more edge rushers and Banogu would be a start in improving this unit. Carolina should consider him as early as their second rounder. Fans of the Carolina Panthers have spent years selling themselves on the idea that ‘this year’ would be the year that a long standing team weakness would suddenly become a strength. Every season has opened with the hope that a new undrafted free agent could be the next Steve Smith Trai Turner Color Rush Jersey , that the likes of Byron Bell could truly fill the shoes of Jordan Gross. The hope has never truly been that a knight in shining armor would come riding out of the forest in our moments of distress so much as that leadership would notice there was distress in the first place. Too many games have ended with banal press conferences that left no impression upon the viewer that anybody making decisions was aware that there were decisions to be made. That all stopped when Ron Rivera fired Mike Shula and brought in Norv Turner as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator.Turner’s hire may have hardly moved the needle, as he was brought in to run essentially the same offense that Cam Newton had been in for most of his career, but it seems to have done enough. Rivera has always believed that his teams were good teams that were very close to being great. He was confident in and loyal to his guys (Shula, McDermott). Losses, from this perspective, were generally failures in execution or bad luck. Never you mind the legions of Panthers fans screaming from their couches about stodgy offensive philosophies or zone defenses that gave premier wide receivers softer cushions than a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. For the most part Taylor Moton Jersey , Rivera may have been right.The fans should get their credit, too. This season so far has shown patient game planning and a willingness to play to the strengths of the existing personnel in a way that Carolina hasn’t in years. It has shown an ability to slide help to various members of the offensive line while still having play designs that could be successful. The system may have been fine all along, but an upgrade on the coaching staff was necessary to help it — and Newton — reach their potential.So, again, Turner’s arrival in Charlotte may not have shaken the earth, but the difference he provided has been critical. Maybe that validates Rivera’s lack of public concern over his team at a time when fans, also somewhat rightly, were clamoring for heads. Rivera was loyal to people who were so close to being what the team needed. Fans were frustrated with having been so close for so long. That is born out by what Rivera has accomplished in his career as a head coach. He has put the Panthers in the playoffs in four out of his seven years so far. Three of those teams won over 10 games. Those kinds of records don’t happen by accident.I’ll continue to gripe all I can about conservative calls on 4th downs (though Rivera is making me proud in 2018) Wes Horton Color Rush Jersey , but the fact that Chris Clark has walked into Bank of America stadium off the streets and done, with significant assistance, a serviceable job at left tackle proves that the fans and the coaches were right all along: the Panthers have spent a long time being in the vicinity of greatness. They really were just one player (or maybe one coach) away.Why isn’t this a bad thing? Rivera should be lampooned and run out of town by mobs carrying buckets of hot tar and bags of chicken feathers with Marty Hurney close behind him. After all, he is the guy who preached loyalty. He stood by Shula for years when all the arm chair general managers in the world could plainly see that the former offensive coordinator couldn’t hack it.In the NFL that should be damning. By the all of the logics the league has taught us they work by, that should be his end with the Panthers. Rivera should have been fired after failing to make the playoffs in 2016. He then should have been hired by the Browns or the Chargers or the Titans so that he could prove himself to be the same man to team after team after team. But Ron Rivera is not Jeff Fisher. He is not John Fox.Rivera’s failure to move on from Shula should be countered by the simple fact that he did move on from Shula. He may have actually learned. His renewed risk taking, measured as it may be, is a sign of actual evolution as a coach. He might should have been fired years ago, but it would be silly for us to call for his head this year.The only NFL decision maker who has proven capable of change and adaptation over the past couple of decades is this guy named Bill Belichick. Rivera isn’t exactly Belichick Stephen Curry Jersey , but he has taken a step in the right direction. He doesn’t have to step very far.Turner’s hire moved the needle. The Panthers have optimized their talent and a weak free agent class to create a surprisingly robust depth at offensive tackle. They have gone through a laundry list of receiver transactions looking for better and faster guys. The safety position tried to bury themselves alive and the Panthers signed Eric Reid in the middle of a lawsuit against the NFL. It seems that the team’s leadership —be it Rivera, Hurney, or David Tepper— knows that there are decisions to be made to elevate this team. They finally tried. Look at them go.