Cam Newton is ready for the scrutiny that will come with being the first overall pick by the Panthers on Thursday night. "I understand it's not something that's going to be instant, like instant grits," Newton said of adjusting to the NFL. "It's more like collard greens. You've got to let it sit and wait. But at the same time it's going to be a fun process. I know that."

Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who was drafted in the second round of last year's NFL draft, reported early to the team's facilities for a voluntary meeting. NFL.com's Steve Wyche was in Charlotte and asked Clausen how he feel about Carolina drafting quarterback Cam Newton with the first overall pick on Thursday night. "They've got to do what they got to do," Clausen said.

The 2011 NFL Draft is finally here. Stay tuned to RealGM.com for up-to-minute updates on the picks in Thursday night's first round. This year's draft will be unique as it is the first in league history that comes before free agency. 1. Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn 2. Denver Broncos - Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M 3. Buffalo Bills - Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama 4. Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green, WR, Georgia 5. Arizona Cardinals - Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU 6. Atlanta Falcons (from CLE) - Julio Jones, WR, Alabama 7. San Francisco 49ers - Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri 8. Tennessee Titans - Jake Locker, QB, Washington 9. Dallas Cowboys - Tyron Smith, OT, USC 10. Jacksonville Jaguars (from WSH) - Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri 11. Houston Texans - J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin 12. Minnesota Vikings - Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State 13. Detroit Lions - Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn 14. St. Louis Rams - Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina 15. Miami Dolphins - Mike Pouncey, C, Florida 16. Washington Redskins (from JAX) - Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue 17. New England Patriots (from OAK) - Nate Solder, OT, Colorado 18. San Diego Chargers - Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois 19. New York Giants - Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa 21. Cleveland Browns (from KC) - Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor 22. Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College 23. Philadelphia Eagles - Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor 24. New Orleans Saints - Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal 25. Seattle Seahawks - James Carpenter, OG, Alabama Baltimore Passed On Pick 26. Kansas City Chiefs (from CLE via ATL) - Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh 27. Baltimore Ravens - Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado 28. New Orleans Saints (from NE) - Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama 29. Chicago Bears - Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin 30. New York Jets - Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple 31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State 32. Green Bay Packers - Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State Trades - The Browns trade the 6th overall pick to the Falcons for 27th overall pick (2011), second and fourth picks (2011), first and fourth picks (2012). - The Redskins trade the 10th overall pick to the Jaguars for the 16th overall pick (2011) and additional selections. - The Chiefs trade the 21st overall pick to the Browns for the 27th overall pick and a third-rounder (2011). - The Patriots trade the 28th overall pick to the Saints for a first-round pick (2012) and a second-rounder (2011).

This is one strange draft, easily the most difficult to forecast in any of the seven years I've done this professionally. I have talked to coaches and scouts as recently as yesterday and they aren't certain what their teams are going to do, and that includes a couple of teams picking in the top 10. That means this edition is fraught with lots of semi-educated guesswork, more on the "guesswork" than in previous years. Any pundit that tells you they did any differently is lying. I mixed in a couple of trades that I think are very likely, more in order to marry a player and a slot than a team and a player. My goal is to correctly forecast the player to the slot; I honestly would prefer to do a mock where there are no teams listed and I'm just picking the players and slots straight up. I'll be actively participating in the draft day thread on the RealGM NFL Draft message board, and I'll provide a daily reaction summary here as well. Enjoy the draft! Round 1 1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn. Incredible risk, incredible potential reward. Unlike most years this pick is not set in stone, but I understand it's written in some pretty bold ink. 2. Denver Broncos: Von Miller, OLB/DE, Texas A&M. A lot of people who would be in better position to "know" what Denver is doing here are saying the pick is Miller and not Dareus. I'm not going to argue it, and I applaud them if this is in fact the pick, as I have Miller rated much higher than Dareus. 3. Buffalo Bills: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama. Buffalo is noted for going best overall talent available, and Dareus fits that bill here on many draft boards. I have heard rumblings of Blaine Gabbert, but that strikes me as smoke. 4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia. If Dareus is on the board this becomes a very tough choice, but assuming he's gone I'm very confident A.J. Green is the pick. Of course Mike Brown is prone to throwing his coaching staff the occasional curveball, and I know some in the building there that believe Brown has an unhealthy infatuation with Nick Fairley. I'm not saying, just saying... 5. Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU. The best remaining talent on the board and a legit playmaker, which blends nicely with the aggressive defense. This slot will generate a lot of trade interest, and the Texans are a candidate willing to move up. I'll paint a bold picture here: Houston trades up and takes Peterson here, and the Cardinals use the extra ammo to trade for Kevin Kolb once players can be dealt. 6. Cleveland Browns: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn. Switching to a 4-3 defense means they need fresh talent up front, and Fairley can be a dynamic force inside. While in Cleveland over the weekend I got the sense the Browns are looking to go against conventional wisdom here, and picking Fairley accomplishes that goal. Julio Jones and Peterson (if still on the board) cannot be ruled out, and A.J. Green would trump all of them. 7. San Francisco 49ers: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri. This is as much a player/slot match as it is a team/player marriage. They do need a QB and Gabbert has the intelligence and athleticism that Coach Harbaugh can work with. Cam Jordan wouldn't surprise me if the Niners decide to sit out the QB madness and go after Carson Palmer or Kevin Kolb. 8. Tennessee Titans: Jake Locker, QB, Washington. I think this is a monumental reach, but desperate times call for desperate measures in Tennessee. If he ever learns to drop back properly and complete more than 54% of his passes, he's worth it for the Titans. I do strongly believe that Nick Fairley will be the pick if he's on the board, but in this case he is gone. 9. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith, T, USC. This is the easiest team/player pick to forecast. I have higher confidence in this selection than any of the above. They might be able to slide back a few spots and still get Smith if someone gets nervous about the run on QBs. 10. St. Louis Rams (from WAS): Julio Jones, WR, Alabama. St. Louis trades #14 overall, #78 overall, and a 2012 2nd round pick to Washington to move up and select Jones. They get Sam Bradford the #1 target he desperately needs to propel this offense forward. 11. Houston Texans: Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri. I've talked to several people with the Texans and every one of them has told me the team likes Smith and has for some time. If the trade up goes down and Arizona is here, they take Robert Quinn. 12. Minnesota Vikings: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson. A little birdie tipped me off to this one late Wed. night. I don�t really know whether to trust that bird, but Bowers does make sense. I do think Jake Locker will be the pick if he�s somehow still available, and Corey Liuget would not surprise me either. 13. Detroit Lions: Anthony Castonzo, T, Boston College. I�ve had this as the Lions projection pretty much since October; why change now? Both Amukamara and Jimmy Smith are very much in play. I strongly believe the Da�Quan Bowers talk is all smoke, and he�s gone in this scenario anyways. Sleeper pick: Mike Pouncey. 14. Washington Redskins (from STL): Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama. Surprise! I don�t want to let the trade scenarios spiral out of control here, but given the situation here I would expect someone to be nervous enough about Miami taking Ingram that they trade up and get him here, with the Skins sliding back further and taking Christian Ponder. If the Rams keep this pick, I see Prince Amukamara or Corey Liuget. 15. Miami Dolphins: Mike Pouncey, C/G, Florida. I�ve had this for the last couple of editions and I�m going to stick with it. GM Jeff Ireland and Coach Tony Sparano don�t have the time or job security to take a QB here, though I suspect Ryan Mallett will be very tempting here. 16. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purude. GM Gene Smith goes with the �better safe than sorry� strategy and gets a reliable starter instead of swinging for a higher risk/reward prospect like Jimmy Smith or Robert Quinn. 17. New England Patriots (from OAK): Cameron Jordan, DE, California. As with every New England pick, this is more about player/slot than team/player. I can see Jordan going much higher than this. J.J. Watt is my stab at their Plan B. 18. San Diego Chargers: JJ Watt, DE, Wisconsin. Another 3-4 end, a chronic in-demand commodity, goes to a team that doesn�t necessarily have it as a primary need. I�ve heard Watt�s stock is sliding but too many people with that need like Watt for him to fall very far. 19. New York Giants: Gabe Carimi, T, Wisconsin. I�m reading between some lines from certain people who are most certainly in the know, but I�m surprisingly confident in this pick relative to many of the above. Anything other than an offensive lineman would surprise me very much. 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina. Quinn is one of the big draft-day fallers, as concerns about the brain tumor he faced in HS is a greater concern with the unfortunate news about Marcus Cannon (who would have been a 1st rounder). Pricne Amukamara--the other great faller--has to be a strong candidate here as well, given the Aqib Talib legal fiasco. 21. Kansas City Chiefs: Danny Watkins, G, Baylor. He fits their style, their profile, and one of their primary needs. I�ve had Phil Taylor slotted here several times and that still seems very viable. 22. Indianapolis Colts: Derek Sherrod, T, Mississippi State. The best of the remaining blind side pass protectors. When Bill Polian says the OL needs help, he�s going to get some OL help. 23. Cincinnati Bengals (from PHI): Andy Dalton, QB, TCU. Cincinnati trades #35 overall and a 2012 1st round pick to Philadelphia to move up and take Dalton. If not Cincy, then someone. If Philly keeps the pick, I strongly believe it will be Jimmy Smith. 24. New Orleans Saints: Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State. Two reasons for this speculation: his dad was a beloved Saints icon, and Heyward put on one of the most dominant bowl game performances ever in the Sugar Bowl, which happens to be played in the Saints� home stadium. 25. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas. Nothing more than a hunch, but I do strongly suspect the rocket-armed Mallett goes in the 1st round; too much potential to outweigh the off-field concerns. Good spot for a trade here as well, though I�m not forecasting one in this mock. 26. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois. He can fill the need at DE for the Ravens, but I believe it�s just as likely that the Bears maneuver to acquire him here. Chicago got burned a year ago when the player they really wanted (Morgan Burnett) came off the board just before they were going to get him, and they�re not going to suffer that fate again. 27. Minnesota Vikings (from ATL): Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State. Minnesota trades #43 overall and a 2012 1st round pick to Atlanta to move up and select Ponder. He is NFL-ready for a team that still thinks it can contend right now. If ATL keeps the pick, I like Kyle Rudolph or Phil Taylor. 28. Philadelphia Eagles (from NE via CIN): Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska. Philadelphia trades #35 overall (acquired in an earlier trade) and a 2012 2nd round pick to New England to move up and take the draft�s biggest loser in Amukamara, who many had projected as a top 10 pick as recently as last week. I�m pretty confident he is going to slide, though perhaps not this far. And yes, the trade scenario here is wildly out of control. 29. Chicago Bears: Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor. This presumes they don�t trade up to take Corey Liuget. Taylor provides a very nice, though different, kind of fallback plan. Sleeper pick: Akeem Ayers. 30. New York Jets: Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina. Austin sure seems like a Rex Ryan kind of guy -- unapologetically brash, very talented but probably not as skilled as he thinks. He could be a fantastic fit here. Muhammad Wilkerson would not be a surprise here at all. 31. Pittsburgh Steelers: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa. 32. Green Bay Packers: Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA Click 'Read' to view more of Jeff's picks

The Panthers have narrowed their choices for the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's draft to quarterback Cam Newton, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, cornerback Patrick Peterson and wide receiver A.J. Green, team sources told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio on Wednesday. Panthers GM Marty Hurney said at Tuesday's pre-draft news conference that the team is keeping all of its options open.

Sometime before the NFL lockout started in March, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith cleaned out his locker at Bank of America Stadium, according to a report. The report also says Smith took down all of the decorations in the luxury suite his family used on game days. There has been speculation for months that the veteran wide receiver might want out as the Panthers continue to rebuild. The report also said Smith asked to be traded before the lockout began.

With less than a week left until the first day of the NFL Draft, the Panthers aren't getting many calls for the first overall selection. Carolina general manager Marty Hurney said any calls from possible trade partners likely would not come until next week. While nearly every draft expert expects the Panthers to take Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the first pick, Hurney said the team has not yet made a final decision. "Now you're just trying to finalize and answer all the questions you might have on players," Hurney said. "We'll continue to evaluate and have discussions, and come up with hopefully the right selection for us at 8 o'clock on Thursday."

It still appears as though the Panthers will select quarterback Cam Newton with the first overall pick in next week's NFL Draft. "With less than a week to go before the first pick is announced in New York, most of the signs still point to Cam Newton for the Panthers," writes Jeff Legwold of The Denver Post.

Panthers GM Marty Hurney insists he's still undecided and his phone isn't ringing as he prepares to use the top pick in next week's NFL draft. In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday night, Hurney was quick to praise Auburn QB Cam Newton, but stressed they've made no final decision and haven't received an offer from another team to move up to No. 1.

Ryan Mallett was ill during his April 9 visit with the Panthers and had to cancel most of the day's meetings, one of his agents said Wednesday, according to an ESPN.com report. Reports have circulated that Mallett, who was arrested for public intoxication in March 2009, was ill because he had stayed out late the night before.