National Football League

Panthers push their rebuild by drafting new weapons for Bryce Young

Published Apr. 29, 2024 11:52 a.m. ET

New Panthers general manager Dan Morgan is careful not to directly compare his current roster to the one that went 2-15 last year, but there's no disrespect in acknowledging how much Carolina has reshaped its lineup in the past two months.

After this weekend's draft, even without the benefit of the No. 1 overall pick, the Panthers will have newcomers accounting for at least half their starting jobs — conservatively five on offense and six on defense, with a real chance for more. For Morgan and first-year coach Dave Canales, they've upgraded the cast around quarterback Bryce Young enough to at least evaluate him fairly in 2024.

"Specifically talking about the offense ... with a running back, a receiver and a tight end, skill-wise, just bringing a little juice there to really challenge that whole group and elevate that offense," Canales said Saturday. "I'm really excited about what we did there. ... [Young] is very fired up about what we've put together."

The weekend started with Chicago using a pick acquired from Carolina to take USC quarterback Caleb Williams, taking the spotlight a year after the Panthers had that in drafting Young first. That trade and that pick were part of a difficult 2023 season that saw an 0-6 start, the firing of a head coach and general manager and the worst record in the league.

Even without that top pick, Carolina got back into the first round, trading up a spot to No. 32 to get South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette, then traded up again to No. 46 to get Texas' Jonathon Brooks as the first running back taken. Brooks is recovering from a torn ACL but is expecting to be healthy for the start of training camp and will upgrade a Panthers run game that averaged fewer than 4 yards a carry for the first time since 2006.

"Versatility, first and foremost," Canales said of what he likes about Brooks. "There's so much that he brings. Vision, patience, contact balance, acceleration. He's got it all. He's the best back in this class, and we were so fired up to be able to bring him in."

Add in Longhorns tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders with the first pick of the fourth round — more than 600 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons — and it's three new weapons to upgrade an offense that sorely lacked a big-play threat last season.

If the priority in free agency was improving the line protecting Young — investing $153 million in guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis — then the offensive focus in the draft shifted to the skill positions. Some had expected the Panthers to draft a center, but they're confident in Austin Corbett, who has 62 career starts at guard but is shifting inside and handling the transition well.

Carolina used four of its last five draft picks on defense, and the prospect with the best shot at starting is Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace, a third-round pick who should challenge veteran Shaq Thompson as he returns from a season-ending ankle injury. Wallace, 21, had one of the fastest 40 times of any linebacker in the draft at 4.51 seconds with a 37-inch vertical as well.

"An athletic freak, a guy who can run sideline to sideline, strike ball carriers," Morgan said Friday after selecting Wallace. "His ceiling is really high. I think he's a guy who's going to develop, keep developing and turn into a good linebacker for us."

Spencer Rattler on why Xavier Legette will be a gem in the NFL

Much of the Panthers' retooling came in free agency, with potentially six new starters arriving there: edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum, defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson, linebacker Josey Jowell, safety Jordan Fuller and corner Dane Jackson. Some had expected Carolina to address the pass rush after trading Pro Bowler Brian Burns to the Giants, but Clowney and Wonnum will take much of that responsibility.

Canales, known for his relentless enthusiasm and positivity, was almost too excited about prospects entering the draft. When Legette made it known before the draft that Canales had told him the Panthers would take him if he was available at 33, Canales downplayed the praise by saying he'd said that to him "and 50 other guys." Carolina liked Legette enough to trade up a single spot, correctly getting ahead of a run on receivers early in the second round, and Canales was again unabashed in his praise.

"We loved him. I'm not going to sit here and lie about that," Canales said. "I meant what I said. There were a lot of guys we were excited about in that area at 33. ... To get the guy that we love, for us, this whole process has been let's get guys who are not just great football players, but guys that really are us, are Panthers."

Carolina has a focus on the future, and in a draft with so few underclassmen, they took three — Wallace turned 21 in February, Sanders did in March and Brooks won't turn 21 until July. The Panthers also recouped the 2025 second-round pick they'd given up in the original trade for Young, trading down in the second round to add the future pick before trading back up for Brooks. Most of the offseason overhaul is complete, and now the team can look forward to forging a new identity in training camp and the season ahead.

"Me and Dave, we talk every day about the roster and which ways we can make it better," Morgan said. "I think we're headed in a good direction."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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