The Carolina Panthers

The Panthers set themselves back with that trade up for Bryce Young. I think the haul of picks was too much and that hurt Young and the team too much. Can they get themselves out of a hole though? Lets see what they did in their first four picks and discuss what a future looks like for the team.

Trading back into the first round at pick 32 grabbing Xavier Legette (WR). I really like this pick for the Panthers getting guy with amazing size and speed. Legette has the frame like AJ Brown and posted 1200 yards last season at South Carolina. Will have an opportunity to learn from vets like Dionte Johnson and Adam Thielen which he could get the best of both worlds from. I think Legette gets good reps this year but his 2nd year campaign is where he will really make his mark for the team.

Pick 46 Johnathan Brooks (RB) is the risk to high reward pick for the Panthers. Brooks is the prototype RB I would want that has the size to get off tackles at the first level and has the speed to burst through the second level. It is no secret that the Panthers need a better run attack and Brooks with the help of some new o-line additions should do just that and take some pressure off Bryce Young.

With pick 72 the Panthers grabbed Trevin Wallace (LB) to add a “Dawg” mentality to the defense and to learn from Shaq Thompson. Thompson has quality football still in him so Wallace is not his replacement but his Robin. Trevin will learn from Shaq and be able to use his 4.51 speed to go sideline to sideline for the Panthers and disrupt plays. Another LB that needs to clean up the missed tackles but in doing so can make himself a viable part of the defense.

The 101st pick Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE) is a pick for Bryce Young to have like Cam Newton had with Greg Olsen a great safety net. Not a touchdown machine but averaging over 15 yards per catch adds a nice addition to this Panther offense that could use all the help it can get. Sanders will get to grow with Bryce and with this offense under new leadership.

Panthers need a lot of help and this draft may do it but that’s all it is, is help. They can still be a team that gets the number one overall pick back to back years for having the worst record (I know the Bears had this years pick but it was from the Panthers). I do like some picks they made for the team and that has earned them a B in this year’s draft. The future for the Panthers is not now, even in a not great division I think a goal and a realistic expectation should be to win 6 games at most.