CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After claiming the draft was not about helping Bryce Young but making the entire team better, the Carolina Panthers naturally used three of their first four picks on playmakers to help Young.
Which was absolutely the right approach.
The Panthers gave up a tidy sum last year to move up and take Young first overall last year, then surrounded him with bit players. It was like hiring Ryan Gosling to play the lead in a big-budget Hollywood film, then filling the other roles with extras from Tarzana community theater.
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What followed was a disastrous season that saw Young get sacked a team-record 62 times and cost a lot of people their jobs. After signing a couple of big-ticket guards in free agency and trading for Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson, the Panthers continued their Bryce-bolstering efforts over all three days of the draft.
They switched spots with Buffalo at 32 to grab Xavier Legette, an XL-sized, field-stretching receiver from South Carolina with a country accent and versatile skill set. They traded up again in the second round for Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, then completed the Texas two-step by picking Longhorns tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders at the start of Saturday’s fourth round.
“He’s gonna be an asset for Bryce Young,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Sanders, arguably the second-best receiving tight end in the draft.
That was pretty much the theme for the first half of the Panthers’ draft.
“With running back, receiver and a tight end, skill-wise we’re really bringing a little bit of juice there to really challenge that whole group and elevate the offense,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “So I’m really excited about what we did there.”
So is Young, according to Canales, who texted with his quarterback throughout the draft. “He’s really excited about what we’ve done from the responses that I got from him,” Canales added. “He’s very fired up about what we got put together.”
The picks
| ROUND | PICK | NAME | POSITION | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 32 | Xavier Legette | WR | |
2 | 46 | Jonathon Brooks | RB | |
3 | 72 | Trevin Wallace | LB | |
4 | 101 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | |
5 | 157 | Chau Smith-Wade | CB` | |
6 | 200 | Jaden Crumedy | DT | |
7 | 240 | Michael Barrett | LB |
GO DEEPER
Carolina Panthers NFL Draft picks 2024: Grades, fits and scouting reports
Best value pick
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas (Round 4, No. 101)
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Sanders ranked as the No. 2 tight end behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers and No. 57 overall. But the Panthers got him at 101 (their second Texas player in as many days) to fill the need for a receiving tight end for Young. Sanders, the fourth tight end taken, had big-time production in the passing game for the Longhorns. His 139 targets and 99 catches over the past two seasons trailed only Bowers in both categories. Sanders’ 12 20-yard receptions in 2023 were just one fewer than Bowers’ FBS-leading total.
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Sanders believes he can create mismatches all over the field, something that was missing at the position for the Panthers in ’23 during Hayden Hurst’s lone season in Charlotte.
“I was a receiver in high school. So I feel I’m kind of advanced as far as receiving goes,” Sanders said. “The tight ends in this draft class — we’re the new-age tight ends. Like (Travis) Kelce and (George) Kittle and guys like (T.J.) Hockenson, they’re the guys who started the new-age tight end. But guys like me, Brock, Cade (Stover) and Jared Wiley, we’re the new-age tight ends (who) bring more of the receiving ability to the tight end position.”
In just two seasons as a starter, the 6-4, 245-pound Sanders became Texas’ all-time receiving leader among tight ends. Sanders’ 68.9 percent first down/touchdown rate last season was tops among tight ends in his draft class. Analysts thought he would run faster than his 4.69-second 40 clocking, but he said his game speed is “way faster,” adding he intends to prove that as a rookie.
Most surprising pick
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas (Round 2, No. 46)
The running back position is becoming devalued around the league. But it’s still of importance to the Panthers, even after a coaching change and shift in the front office. The Panthers were the only team to pay big money to a back last offseason, then watched Miles Sanders lose his starting job to Chuba Hubbard.
But general manager Dan Morgan was undeterred. The Panthers brought the top two backs in the draft in for top-30 visits — Brooks and Florida State’s Trey Benson, a pretty clear sign Canales and Morgan were considering adding to the running back room. Brooks became the first back taken, the longest wait for a running back to come off the board in 10 years.
The Panthers gave up two fifth-round picks to move up six spots for a running back coming off ACL surgery, an injury Canales said gave the team pause.
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“I think any time you’re dealing with an injury like that we have to do our homework and have the full workup,” he said. “We had great help with that information to say we feel like this is a guy who is on track with this type of injury.”
Brooks, who expects to be ready for training camp, believes his elusiveness is his best attribute. “I’m a back that I’m not gonna be the fastest on the field,” he said. “But I’m gonna make you miss. I’m not gonna go down on the first contact.”
GO DEEPER
Panthers get a RB, LB and at least one dawg on a trade-filled second night
Biggest question mark
Now that they’ve drafted Brooks, are there enough touches to go around for him, Hubbard and Sanders? The Panthers value the position, but do they value it that much?
“All these guys are going to play,” Canales said after the Brooks’ pick. “Look at the history of league. Every team I’ve been on, we used all of our running backs at different points because it’s such a violent position.”
“We are going to run the ball. It’s going to be a non-negotiable for us,” he added. “This gives us a real chance to just add another good runner to the mix.”
The Panthers signed Sanders to a four-year, $25.4 million deal in 2023, mainly on the recommendations of Frank Reich and Duce Staley. Sanders’ role shrank after they were fired in November, and he told The Athletic in January he wanted to “make this year disappear” while eyeing a better 2024. But the year hasn’t started so great, with another back potentially ahead of him on the depth chart.
Morgan indicated he’s not looking to trade Sanders. “We love Miles. We see a big role for him,” he said. “He can do a lot for our offense. He’s versatile in the pass game and he’s a really good runner. So we’re excited about him, as well.”
Remaining needs
• The Panthers took a cornerback in the fifth round in Washington State’s Chau Smith-Wade, who played outside corner at Washington State. But Smith-Wade’s small build likely means he’ll be playing primarily in the slot for the Panthers, who signed Dane Jackson in free agency. It’s always felt like an inevitability that veteran Stephon Gilmore will return to the Panthers, and the addition of Smith-Wade doesn’t change that. “We’re not gonna close the door on anything,” Morgan said when asked about Gilmore. “We’ll continue to talk and explore, and see where that goes.”
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• The Panthers didn’t draft a center to back up Austin Corbett, which I never viewed as a pressing need. Corbett is one of their best linemen and it’s not like he’s moving to tackle. Plus, Brady Christensen, who’s been taking snaps behind Corbett, is an experienced and capable veteran.
• I would have taken Ole Miss edge rusher Cedric Johnson at 200 instead of Mississippi State defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy. Johnson, who went to the Bengals with the 214th pick, has athleticism and upside. And I’d rather buy a Day 3 lottery ticket on a pass rusher than an interior player. The Panthers are putting a lot of faith in D.J. Wonnum, who missed last week’s minicamp while coming off quad surgery.
Post-draft outlook
This offseason was always about giving Young some better protection and more playmakers, however the Panthers want to frame it. Morgan said they analyzed what positions looked strong in free agency and the draft, and planned accordingly.
“We attacked the interior (of) the offensive line, got that right,” he said. “And it left us with the flexibility to go into the draft and draft a wideout, draft a tight end, just some guys that we like that we can surround Bryce with and make this team and this offense better.”
The Panthers didn’t ignore the defense, drafting a second-day linebacker in Trevin Wallace and a Day 3 corner. But the bulk of the defensive picks came late in the draft, so there’s still work to be done late in free agency.
You can argue that the Panthers didn’t need a running back. Maybe there was a receiver some fans or observers liked better than Legette. But Morgan improved the offense during free agency, then added some intriguing pieces over the past three days.
Young said last week he was looking forward to watching the draft unfold. After the Panthers picked Legette, Young shot the 6-1, 221-pounder a text. “He told me he was happy to work with me,” Legette said. “I just texted back and said, ‘Man, let’s get to it.’”
(Top photos of Jonathon Brooks, Xavier Legette, Ja’Tavion Sanders: Aaron E. Martinez / USA Today, David Jensen, Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
