Panthers find help in the form of WR Brackens

by Crimsion | 3 years ago | 3 Comments

After falling short yet again in the post-season, the Carolina Panthers found themselves in off-season mode early. The Free Agent period along with some trades netted the club their starting unit, allowing them to have free range  when it comes to their draft picks.

Moving off of the 12th pick of the draft left the Panthers with only one 1st-round pick this year. Selecting 27th overall, Carolina had their fair share of options with the 1st-round shaking out much different than anticipated. Here's how their 2023 draft shook out:

Round 1 - WR - Monte Brackens - 22 - 5'11" - 205lbs - Vanderbilt

The Carolina Panthers began the off-season stocking up on playmakers by adding the likes of Travis Kelce to their roster. Last season they replaced Christian McCaffrey with Nate Branson and they now added his former college teammate, Monte Brackens into the fold. Brackens will quickly insert himself into the WR3 conversation as he battles Terrace Marshall for snaps.

Round 2 - DB - Cliff Rushing - 21 - 6'3" - 200lbs - Boise State

Rushing played cornerback in college, but will likely make the transition to safety for the Carolina Panthers heading into camp. The safety position was solidified by Carolina by trading for former Baltimore Raven, Deshon Eliott, earlier this off-season, but depth at this position was needed. The Boise State product will likely find himself earning his fair share of snaps early on once the season begins.

Round 3 - ROLB - T.J. Carson - 23 - 6'0" - 231lbs - Oklahoma

Carson finds himself on a team where the linebacker position has solid depth, but he can find himself in a rotational role if he shows out in camp. His speed is his strongsuit, but he lacks in coverage, so he will likely be used as a pass rusher for the most part. 

Round 3 - LE - Brian Griffin - 21 - 6'4" - 319lbs - Memphis

Brian Griffin showed explosive power moves during the course of the NCAA season, however when it came to the combine he did not impress the scouts much on the weights. The Memphis product weighed in at 319 pounds, but will need to put on some muscle if he wants to find his way onto the field for Carolina.

Round 3 - DT - Jason Anderson - 22 - 6'3" - 300lbs - Texas A&M

Carolina was certianly in need of finding themselves a DT to run alongside Derrick Brown and their options now include Jason Anderson out of Texas A&M. While this may be a rotational role, Anderson certainly has a chance to earn himself some valuable playing time if he can showcase his skills this pre-season.

Round 5 - HB - Sidney McGee - 23 - 5'10" - 222lbs - Purdue

Latavius Murray found his way out following the 2022 season and without a resident power back the Carolina Panthers turned to Purdue product Sidney McGee. Staying all four seasons was something that allowed McGee to perfect his craft and he should be able to carve a role out for himself on short yardage and goal line work.

Round 6 - QB - Lynn Montague - 22 - 6'3" - 222lbs - N.C. State

Carolina closed out their draft by taking some depth at their signal caller position. Lynn Montague found himself staying in the state of Carolina and could battle back up Jacob Eason for the job behind Jalen Hurts.