2024 Draft Picks

[DaveThePanther2008]

Many criticize our picks in 2024. I believe that most of them were picked because their ceiling is better than those selected before them. 

XLs needs to learn how to play in the NFL. Once he gets up to speed he'll be worthy of 32nd pick. 

Brooks, showed why we took him in the few games he played. The ACL injury really sucks but he can overcome these setbacks. Remember TD had 3 ACLs and eventually will be in the ring of honor one day. 

Wallace will be a solid LB going forward with experience 

Sanders, TE is a tough position to play. He a getting valuable playing time and will become a good TE. 

Going down the remaining draft pics all seem to have a good upside. They may not be showing much now but they will start showing their worth next season. 

 

[CarolinaLivin]

I would say you gotta add an "if" to XL.

For brooks we can't say oh TD came back from 3 ACL injuries, brooks can do it. It just isn't that easy. Especially if we select a running back late this draft with it being s deep RB class. He won't play much in 2025 if he even plays at all, tough road ahead but i hope he comes back and proves the pick right. right now though unfortunately our first and second round picks don't seem to be trending in the right direction. Brooks more than XL, but XL still has a lot to prove. Hasn't had the best year, though his route running is somewhat better than expected. He is still raw and we knew that prior to the draft. 

[ProcessBlue2]

Xavier Legette- I think he still has plenty of time to develop. I don't think he will ever be Top 10 in his position but I think he can grow into a very dependable WR for a long time. 

Jonathan Brooks- Unfortunately, I think this was a gamble more than anything. Chances are he misses next season too due to injury. I don't think he will ever be what he was drafted to be, maybe he gets healthy and is a Fozzy Whittaker type back in a few years.

Trevin Wallace- Showed a lot of flashes, I think he can develop into a solid starter for a while, don't think he's going to be a Morgan, Davis, or Beason. His ceiling is probably James Anderson or AJ Klein. 

JT Sanders- TEs usually take a while to develop so we will see. Would still like to see us take one Day 2 this year or next to play along side him.

Chau Smith-Wade- Honestly, he looks okay. Don't think he will ever be a superstar but he has made some good plays. 

Jaden Crumedy- I don't know, feels like a bust. I know he was hurt the first half of the season but he hasn't really gotten a ton of reps since he's been back, makes me wonder if the coaching staff is lacking confidence in him. 

Michael Barrett- Nice job by Morgan trading a 7th rounder straight up for Jackson. Barrett was released by the Seahawks, then signed to Cleveland's PS, and is now sitting on GBs practice squad. Nice win by the GM.

Edited 13 hours ago by ProcessBlue2

[PappyMay]

Looking forward to see what we can do this year with the 2 4th rounders and 3 5th rounders. Really hope we walk away with 3 guys playing immediately even if it means trading some of those extra picks to move up in the 2nd or 3rd to get a guy we believe in. Just got to hit on our top 10 pick.

[Tr3ach]

I don't really get this really high ceiling stuff with XL.  I haven't since before the draft.   He played 5 years in college, he's going to improve but I'm not sure you could expect huge jumps.  I think he can be a fine #2 but I feel like this really high ceiling talk is based off him being 6'1, with a heavy build and a fast 40 time, nothing else.  He has limited quickness and acceleration,  short arms, small hands, and body catches.  I do think he will get better and I think he will be an alright #2 for us, I just don't see this crazy ceiling everyone talks about.   Hopefully they're right.

[jb2288]

1 hour ago, Tr3ach said:

I don't really get this really high ceiling stuff with XL.  I haven't since before the draft.   He played 5 years in college, he's going to improve but I'm not sure you could expect huge jumps.  I think he can be a fine #2 but I feel like this really high ceiling talk is based off him being 6'1, with a heavy build and a fast 40 time, nothing else.  He has limited quickness and acceleration,  short arms, small hands, and body catches.  I do think he will get better and I think he will be an alright #2 for us, I just don't see this crazy ceiling everyone talks about.   Hopefully they're right.

He has the physical traits to be a #1, but I do agree with you that after 5 years in college you’re probably about what you are in the NFL. A very solid #2 at pick 32 is fine. If we get a garret Wilson type on the other side he will only look better 

[PadresPanthersFan]

1 hour ago, Tr3ach said:

I don't really get this really high ceiling stuff with XL.  I haven't since before the draft.   He played 5 years in college, he's going to improve but I'm not sure you could expect huge jumps.  I think he can be a fine #2 but I feel like this really high ceiling talk is based off him being 6'1, with a heavy build and a fast 40 time, nothing else.  He has limited quickness and acceleration,  short arms, small hands, and body catches.  I do think he will get better and I think he will be an alright #2 for us, I just don't see this crazy ceiling everyone talks about.   Hopefully they're right.

He does have a couple things working for him. He does get open, he from what I've seen has a good work ethic, he's likeable ( which makes it easy to root for him) and he's a great redzone target. But.....

He can't catch the ball which is obviously essential and he has very little yac and wiggle. 

Will he be a chase or Jefferson? No. But like I've said before I think he can be a 1,000 and 8 td guy which is wr 1 territory but I don't he'll ever be the type to take over and dominate a game

[Jon Snow]

That fact that any of these guys are starting or contributing significant time in rotation speaks to the overall lack of talent on this team. The record speaks for itself. Be thankful that any of them show anything resembling nfl level skills out there. This team needs a lot more talent to start winning games. 

[shaq]

For a draft class without a first round pick coming into the draft, very good results all around.

Leggette is having a fine rookie year, gonna put up a 500-600 yard 5td season. Typically, rookie WRs who pass the 500 yard threshold tend to succeed historically. Plus, he does have upside traits due to his athleticism. No doubt, he needs to work on his hands and especially work on catching away from his body. But, you definitely can see his ability to threaten the defense vertically. I think a lot of people made the comparison to Deebo Samuel coming out of the draft, but honestly especially the way we use him he reminds me more of a DK Metcalf mold. He’s a bit stiffer like DK, but he has the strength to beat press coverage and long speed and size to threaten vertically. Makes sense considering Canales experience with the Seahawks that he’s putting Leggette in a similar role. If he can seriously work on his hands I don’t see why he can’t at the very least be a very good #2 WR. Which is not bad value for the 32 pick whatsoever. Combine the fact that he is wholesome and hilarious and clearly loves the game. We need faces of the franchise and it’s clear to me that’s a role he will play going forward. I trust Canales here, he has a plethora of experience at WR. He was a long time WR coach prior to being a OC for the Bucs.

[kungfoodude]

IMO

Xavier Legette: Very up and down season, with more downs than ups. The hands/body catcher thing is a MASSIVE red flag. He has all the talent in the world but if you are this deficient in your fundamentals, it is a very steep learning curve at this level. I suspect we are going to be talking about him as another failed Panthers WR pick in another season or two.

Jonathan Brooks: What more could be said that hasn't already been said? I feel for the kid but taking a RB in the 2nd round is not smart. Taking a RB coming off an ACL tear is WILDLY moronic. One of the worst draft decisions in the Tepper era.

Trevin Wallace: A developmental pick taken a little higher than he should have been and inconsistent when he saw action. Overall, he showed some flashes and should be a part of our backup/rotation for another season or so to develop. Hopefully he becomes a starting caliber player by season three.

JT Sanders: Terrible start to his rookie season that quickly evolved in a meteoric rise but subsequently fell off the map after a scary injury. Absolutely should be a featured player on this offense for years to come. Possibly the best TE since Greg retired. 

The Rest: About as expected. Some decent flashes from Smith-Wade but these are all backup level players, so anything we get is great. There are no "busts" after the 4th round.

[MHS831]

Look at our WR situation from the other side. Who are you going to put your better CBs on?  Johnson and Theilen went out early---XL had 138 yards in the first three games on 12 catches.  Yardage-wise, that is over 30% of his total for the season.  12 catches is nearly 30% of his catches for the season.

When these players went out--Johnson, AT, Mingo, etc.  it left XL facing the best corners of the opposition for many games.  He is raw--we knew that when we drafted him.  You can't throw a raw WR at the best CBs in the NFL and expect instant success.  If he spent the season facing the second or even third best CBs on each team, he'd probably have better stats. 

Legette is still thinking out there, in my view. When the light comes on, he will be good.

------------------------------------------------

Hearing that there is noise to play Velus Jones over the next two games.  We will see if they do.

[OneBadCat]

I think XL is going to be just fine. His mistakes have stuck out a lot more because they've been in clutch situations. If a few plays go a different way he's at least over 500 yds receiving and 5 TDs, that's not bad at all for a rookie.

[bandu]

 i would  grade this past draft about a C- (minus) for very average  or let's say not really bad nor really good 

if the Panthers were to get an A it would look something more like this for example 

WR ...Ladd McConkey/2nd round

Center...Zach Frazier / 2nd round 

 LB...Payton.Wilson / 3rd round 

TE...JaTavion Sanders / 4th round 

& then in these latter rounds 5th thru 7th the Panthers should have drafted a RB here in these rounds instead of the 2nd round 

overall UDFA grade was an A-(minus) thanks to Jalen Coker 

combine those 2 grades & overall it was about a C + (plus) 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by bandu

[jfra78]

8 hours ago, PadresPanthersFan said:

He does have a couple things working for him. He does get open, he from what I've seen has a good work ethic, he's likeable ( which makes it easy to root for him) and he's a great redzone target. But.....

He can't catch the ball which is obviously essential and he has very little yac and wiggle. 

Will he be a chase or Jefferson? No. But like I've said before I think he can be a 1,000 and 8 td guy which is wr 1 territory but I don't he'll ever be the type to take over and dominate a game

He is also a really good downfield blocker which is always nice to have in a wr