The 2023 season was a disaster for the Carolina Panthers. They won only two games in the season, as the first year of the Bryce Young era did not go as planned. Even worse, the Panthers didn’t receive the benefit of a bad season, which is a top pick.
Carolina had to watch their first-round pick, which landed at No. 1 overall, go to the Chicago Bears. With the pick, the Bears have found who they hope is their quarterback of the future, selecting Caleb Williams out of USC.
But, the Panthers were not shut out of the first round as they made a trade with the Buffalo Bills to land the last pick of the round. With the No. 32 overall pick, Carolina landed a new weapon for Young to work with, selecting South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Leggette.
Leggett was someone that the Panthers were enamored with during the pre-draft process, as it felt inevitable that he would land with Carolina. He immediately upgrades their passing game, but he wasn’t the only weapon the team added.
In the second round, the Panthers selected Texas running back Jonathan Brooks. Brooks had a monster season for the Longhorns in 2023, his first as a starter after being behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson.
In 11 games, he carried the ball 187 times for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a true dual-threat, catching 25 passes for 286 yards and one more score. The only knock against Brooks was the torn ACL he suffered near the end of the season, but he is expected to be 100 percent healthy once training camp rolls around.
Interestingly enough, Brooks’s player comp for the NFL is another former Texas product. NFL analyst Lance Zeirlin of NFL.com picked Jamaal Charles as the NFL comp for the new Panthers running back.
Charles was one of the most productive running backs in the NFL before injuries derailed his career. If Brooks can produce anywhere near the level that Charles did, the Panthers backfield is going to be in good hands.
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