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Reviewing Ron Rivera’s draft history on Days 2 and 3

By Jacob Camenker

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 29: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers watches on before their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 29: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers watches on before their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 30: Defensive lineman Terrell McClain #97 of the Carolina Panthers looks on from the sideline during a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on August 30, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Panthers 17-16. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 30: Defensive lineman Terrell McClain #97 of the Carolina Panthers looks on from the sideline during a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on August 30, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Panthers 17-16. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

2011 NFL Draft

The Panthers were without a second-round pick in 2011, as they gifted it to the New England Patriots in the 2010 Armanti Edwards deal, but they had seven selections outside of the first round including two third-round picks.

Round 3, Pick 65: DT Terrell McClain, South Florida. Redskins fans will be familiar with this name, as he spent a year with the team in 2017. He was the second pick of the Ron Rivera era after Cam Newton, but he didn’t last with the Panthers. After recording one sack as a rookie, McClain was cut by the Panthers before the 2012 season. He has played for eight different teams and was certainly a bust.

Round 3, Pick 97: DT Sione Fua, Stanford. The Panthers spent two third-round picks on defensive tackles. Neither panned out. Fua lasted a couple of years in Carolina and started 11 games as a rookie. But he only had 35 career tackles and never generated much as a pass rusher. He has been out of the league since 2015.

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Round 4, Pick 98: CB Brandon Hogan, West Virginia. This was yet another poor pick by the Panthers. Hogan appeared in three games as a rookie after dealing with a knee injury. He was waived from Injured Reserve in 2012 and never played in the NFL after that.

Round 5, Pick 132: WR Kealoha Pilares, Hawaii. Pilares was a solid kick returner for the Panthers during his first two seasons and averaged 25.2 yards per return. He also logged a then-Panthers-record 101-yard kickoff return touchdown. But after missing the 2013 season with an injury, Pilares failed to make the Panthers in 2014 and turned to the CFL for employment.

Round 6, Pick 166: LB Lawrence Wilson, Central Connecticut State. Wilson never played a down in the NFL but did spend a few seasons on the offseason roster of five different NFL teams.

Round 6, Pick 203: OL Zachary Williams, Washington State. Williams played in one game with the Panthers over the course of two years with the squad. He spent more time in the Arena Football League than the NFL.

Round 7, Pick 244: OT Lee Ziemba, Auburn. Ziemba played in six games for the Panthers as a rookie. Following that, he was placed on IR and waived from there. He spent time with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 but that was the last stop in the NFL.

Overall: Outside of first-round pick Cam Newton, this was an incredibly weak draft class from Rivera and the Panthers front office. They got zero contributors for their team and no players lasted more than a few seasons in Carolina. This certainly ranks as one of Rivera’s worst overall draft performances.

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