With a gleam in his eyes and a grin on his face, Panthers GM David Gettleman said "I just couldn't help my hog-molly self." Nothing he could have said in the moment could have been more true. By selecting Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler with the 30th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the prophecy and the preacher once again united and divided Panther Nation.

We knew it was coming, but yet we could not open our eyes to see.

We could hear the pounding footsteps of big men ringing through the caverns of our brains... yet they were drowned out by loud shouts of need.

We could taste the blood, sweat, and tears of NFL trench warfare, but could not speak the truth.

The Panthers would draft the best player available. Their best player available. As true to themselves and their philosophy as they possibly could be, yet even in his 4th NFL draft as Panthers GM, Dave Gettleman's mantra still wasn't heard by everyone.

"We had a lot of teams calling us... but the value was just too good. This kid is really... he's big. He's Powerful. He's athletic. He's got all the stuff." said Gettleman.

That didn't help matters. "We could have had more picks. We could have got more players!" yelled the fans.

"Do you want a dollar? Or do you want three dimes?" said Gettleman, ages ago.

"We need a corner! Josh Norman is gone! We'll get picked apart! DT was not a need!" came the cries.

"This is a big man's game, I don't care what anybody says. The game's evolving, the style of play's evolving, but it's a big man's game. Big men win, it's just the way it is." proclaimed the G-Man in the days of yore.

"He wasn't good value!"

"This kid is really talented. We are really kind of shocked he was there. WE don't know why he fell... it was like my first draft watching Star (Lotulelei) drop."

"HE WON'T START!"

"It's no different from drafting Shaq last year. You can't have too many good players at one position. When you can roll guys in and out like we can, and there's no drop off... makes it a long day at the office for the offensive line."

It is fitting that the NFL draft coincides with Passover this year. That an old Boston-born Jewish man standing true to his values and beliefs stands before his people and leads them into the unknown. He has given his commandments, set in stone and hardly malleable, for all people to see. All he can do is hope they will understand them.

Thou shall draft the best player available Thou shall be true to thine board Thou shall not reach for need Thou shall embrace thine draft position Thou shall winnest thy games in the trenches Thou shall acquireth the hoggiest of the molly at thine chosen position Thou shall not waste time in giving thine pick to the commissioner Thou shall not covet thy neighbors draft board Thou shall giveth entertaining press conferences ripe with fruitful quotes HOG. MOLLIES.

So welcome, Vernon Butler. Welcome to the most dominant defensive unit in the modern NFL. May your cup runneth over with the blood of fresh quarterbacks. Cheers sir, and...



KEEP POUNDING.