RD 1, Pick 32: WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina Panthers
With Diontae Johnson at the X and Adam Thielen holding down the slot, Legette will see the majority of his reps as the starting Z, I would assume. They can move him all over the field, throw some pre-snap motion with him, and heck, even take some carries every now and then on jet sweeps or maybe even in a two-back set in the gun. Don’t expect him to be Deebo Samuel 2.0, but he has the ability to be a Swiss army knife.
RD 2, Pick 46: RB Jonathon Brooks, Texas
Brooks’ health will determine what kind of playing time he’ll have as a rookie. Assuming the Panthers don’t trade Miles Sanders, I believe we’ll see the two split time as the No. 2 back behind Chuba Hubbard. The further we get into the season, the more labor Brooks will receive, ultimately making him the clear No. 2 and pushing to be the one.
RD 3, Pick 72: LB Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
Wallace is a really interesting player with a really high ceiling. He’s walking into a great situation, having Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell to learn from. He’l serve as a rotational player in his rookie season, but he’ll be a starter before long.
RD 4, Pick 101: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
Sanders, right now, is the best pass-catching tight end on the Panthers’ roster. Is he the most complete tight end though? Probably not. He needs to become more advanced as a blocker before he’s clearly the guy, but Canales will find a way to get Sanders involved in the passing game.
RD 5, Pick 157: CB Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State
Smith-Wade told reporters that he is expecting to play both inside and out, and perhaps that is the expectation going into it, but I believe he’ll settle in at nickel behind Troy Hill.
RD 6, Pick 200: DT Jaden Crumedy, Mississippi State
Crumedy is the toughest one to gauge, in my opinion. He’s not athletic enough to play outside, but he’s also not some overpowering force that’s going to clog up the run game and draw double teams. I’ll leave it to Ejiro Evero and Todd Wash to work that out.
RD 7, Pick 240: LB Michael Barrett, Michigan
Barrett will have to fight, scratch, and claw to see his way onto the field as a rookie in 2024. He’s undersized and has a handful of guys ahead of him on the depth chart. There’s also the possibility that he doesn’t make the 53-man cut.
