Panthers early 2024 NFL Draft Grade

The Panthers made a concerted effort to give Bryce Young weapons around him to help him succeed.

The NFL Draft has concluded, and the Panthers have made their picks. They moved up and down the draft to get the players they wanted early, but stood pat in the later rounds once the dust settled after day two. They added to positions of need, however that wasn’t hard to do given the abundance of need across the board for the team. Lets dive in.

Round 1 Pick 32: WR Xavier Legette

The Panthers added a dynamic playmaker who specialized in 50/50 balls in his senior year and home run plays. With 1,255 yards and 7 TDs on 71 receptions, Legette got himself on the Panthers radar. His route tree needs to be expanded upon, but early on he should be an explosive kick returner with plenty of YAC value. The Panthers loved him and this pick was very obvious going into the Draft. They traded up from 33 to acquire his services.

Round 2 Pick 46: RB Jonathon Brooks

The Panthers found themselves arguably the top RB in this class in Brooks, who fell down draft boards due to a torn ACL in 2023. He’s expected to be ready by July, and brings an explosive skillset as a runner. He’s still learning pass blocking and vision on zone runs, but this pick was never about year one. He can be an every down back in the NFL when the Panthers unleash him and he has significantly less tread on his tires than most of the top runningbacks taken in previous drafts.

Round 3 Pick 72: LB Trevin Wallace

The Panthers eventually needed to invest in this position with Frankie Luvu leaving in free agency and Shaq Thompson at the twilight of his career. The Panthers elected to choose an athletic linebacker with that “dawg” in him as Dan Morgan so desires. He’s athletic, he tackles well, and he rushes the passer proficiently as an off ball linebacker. All the scouting reports I have read show the mental aspect of the game is his biggest shortfall, and his instincts need refining pre-snap. Still, there’s enough there to be a plus starter given time. While he may be a project, this project has issues that are far more correctable than previous projects. Dude can hit.

Round 4 Pick 101: Ja’Tavion Sanders

The Panthers tight end room has been in desperate need of infusion on the receiving aspect. They got that. Sanders had over 1,200 yards and 7 TDs receiving in his final two seasons at Texas. Many had him mocked in the 2-3rd rounds of the NFL Draft, so this pick could end up being a steal.

Round 5 Pick 146: CB Chau Smith-Wade

Smith-Wade mainly excelled in tackles and pass breakups in college at Washington State. He’s a smaller corner at 5’10” and 185 lbs, so my expectation would be he’s slotted to possibly fill that nickel cornerback role for Carolina. In Evero’s defense, the only nickel they carried over was Troy Hill from last season, who will likely have more of a role on the outside with Donte Jackson gone. That could pave a role early for Smith-Wade.

Round 6 Pick 200: DT Jaden Crumedy

Crumedy was a 5 year starter at Mississipi State at defensive tackle. He appears to be someone who can factor into the rushing game and take some attention away from Derrick Brown and his compatriots. He takes on blocks quite well and could slot in with the interior defensive line rotation.

Round 7 Pick 240: LB Michael Barrett

The Panthers finished their draft with another linebacker, this one from Michigan. He’s most likely a special teams player at best due to his predraft profiles, but he tackles well and plays physical. He’s got that Dawg in him.

Grade

While it is very early and I consider immediate draft grades to be fickle, I’m going to give this current draft class a C+. And before you storm my house with pitchforks and hand grenades, the Panthers had a TON of needs going into this draft. They needed at least one WR, TE, CBs, Edge Players, and possibly a center depending on how you feel about Austin Corbett. They moved up and down the board and ended up with a WR, RB, TE, 2 LBs, and DT. All of them should have a place on the roster, however not getting an edge rusher certainly hurts long term. Brooks at RB will likely dictate how this draft class is viewed 5 years from now. I like the class, but I can objectively see the shortfalls with it.

What are your grades, Panthers fans?