And with the 43rd pick in the 2008 Arrowhead Pride Community Mock Draft, the Carolina Panthers select:

Delaware QB Joe Flacco

Draft Profile

stag with the pick:

Carolina loves Jake Delhomme. He's a great guy, but he's coming off Tommy John surgery, and at 33 isn't the future of the franchise anymore. Matt Moore is a nice QB, but looks more to be the career back-up type. The Panthers would have loved to have seen Brohm fall to them at this spot, but decide to take a shot at the next best thing with Flacco. Big kid, quick release, super accurate, unflappable under pressure. Questions loom concerning his ability to make the leap to prime time from a smaller school, but Flacco certainly seems to be a cut above the remaining options at QB.

Obviously this pick would pretty definitively mark the Carolina Panthers as a team in rebuilding mode, but there doesn't seem to be any reason why a divisional championship with a team built around Flacco and an upgraded defense would be out of the realm of possibility in the sub par NFC South. The Roethlisberger comparisons seem pretty apt (minus the reckless motorcycle habits, hopefully), and that's exactly what the team is shooting for here.

1. Miami Dolphins - QB Matt Ryan
2. St. Louis Rams - OT Jake Long
3. Atlanta Falcons - DT Glenn Dorsey
4. Oakland Raiders - DE Chris Long
5. Kansas City Chiefs - DT Sedrick Ellis
6. New York Jets - RB Darren McFadden
7. New England Patriots - DL Vernon Gholston
8. Baltimore Ravens - OT Ryan Clady
9. Cincinnati Bengals - OLB Keith Rivers
10. New Orleans Saints - CB Mike Jenkins
11. Buffalo Bills - CB Leodis McKelvin
12. Denver Broncos - OT Chris Williams
13. Carolina Panthers - DE Derrick Harvey
14. Chicago Bears - RB Rashard Mendenhall
15. Detroit Lions - OT Jeff Otah
16. Arizona Cardinals - CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
17. Minnesota Vikings - DE Philip Merling
18. Houston Texans - OG Branden Albert
19. Philadelphia Eagles - FS Kenny Phillips
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - WR/RS DeSean Jackson
21. Washington Redskins - WR Limas Sweed
22. Dallas Cowboys - RB Felix Jones
23. Pittsburgh Steelers - OL Gosder Cherilus
24. Tennessee Titans - WR Devin Thomas
25. Seattle Seahawks - WR Malcolm Kelly
26. Jacksonville Jaguars - DE Lawrence Jackson
27. San Diego Chargers - RB Jonathan Stewart
28. Dallas Cowboys - CB Aqib Talib
29. San Francisco 49ers - WR Mario Manningham
30. Green Bay Packers - CB Brandon Flowers
31. New York Giants - LB Jerod Mayo

32. Miami Dolphins - OT Carl Nicks
33. St. Louis Rams - CB Antoine Cason
34. Atlanta Falcons - QB Brian Brohm
35. Kansas City Chiefs - WR Jordy Nelson
36. New York Jets - DE Quentin Groves
37. Atlanta Falcons - OT Sam Baker
38. Baltimore Ravens - CB Justin King
39. Cincinnati Bengals - DT Kentwan Balmer
40. New Orleans Saints - LB Dan Connor
41. Buffalo Bills - TE Martin Rucker
42. Denver Broncos - WR Earl Bennett
43. Carolina Panthers - QB Joe Flacco

Position count: QB (3), Off. tackle (7), Off. guard (1), Def. tackle (3), Def. end (5), Running back (4), Linebacker (3), Corner back (7), Safety (1), Wide receiver (7), Tight end (1)

On the clock: Chicago Bears (kchief1990)

Full list of AP mock draft participants