Panthers add depth, talent in NFL draft, but questions about roster still remain

There was movement, early and often. Wheeling and dealing picks, adding on and moving back.

First-year general manager Scott Fitterer and coach Matt Rhule set a record for the number of trades in a single draft weekend, and the 11 players taken tied the most in team history, only matching the 1995 season when the team was being built from scratch and far surpassing the team average of 6.2.

The Panthers have good players and a framework to build on, but this is the second year of this team being rebuilt. A different kind of scratch. Turnover is to be expected, and in this draft, the team added competition and much-needed depth to multiple positions.

The fact that Fitterer, who spent almost two decades with the Seattle Seahawks, an organization known for trading back, and Rhule picked up more draft picks wasn’t a surprise. And it certainly wasn’t all on the GM, although Rhule referred to him as “masterful” in his dealing. Rhule and his son, Bryant, recently went on a fishing trip in Florida with Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson, who is known for believing in moving back and picking up more draft picks.

Fishing trips or not, from the first pick to the last, the Panthers felt that they stuck to the draft board and their plan, despite many top players getting picked in spots Carolina previously occupied. It worked in some cases with Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard dropping to the Panthers at No. 126 when they would have taken him at No. 109, with a helpful nudge from Rhule’s wife, Julie, to pick Hubbard. There were also good players who could have helped this team passed up.

“Coming into Year 2 of where we are, we saw a lot of good players on the board that we liked, and so we weren’t going to pass on a player we are really convicted on,” Rhule said. “But if you’re sitting there and there are two or three players you know can help you, and you have a chance to trade back and know you’re still going to get one of those, (you do it).”

It was Rhule and Fitterer coming together, each had plenty of praise for the other, that led to the history-making class. Their plan coming to fruition.

When looking at the players added as a whole, a year after taking seven defensive players, it’s clear that the Panthers did focus on helping their new quarterback, Sam Darnold. Two offensive linemen, two wide receivers, a running back and a tight end. If we’re going through and checking off the list of needs for the team to address in order to support Darnold, well, pretty much everything was taken care of, including signing an additional guard, Grambling’s David Moore, after the draft concluded.

“Everything for (Darnold) doesn’t have to be a referendum on whether he’s a great quarterback or not,” Rhule said. “He just needs to come into the building and work every day. I believe the quarterback position is really, really important, but I also believe great teams win. I think Sam is going to be as good as the guys around him, and we’ve tried to put a lot of really good players around him.”

The most significant area that could still be a problem? The Panthers left the draft without a clear answer at left tackle, an area that has been the turnstile on the offensive line since Jordan Gross retired after the 2013 season. That question mark will remain leading up to the season.

Third-round pick BYU tackle Brady Christensen, who the Panthers traded back and then up to acquire (the only time the Panthers moved in that direction), has the chance to be the answer, and hopefully for all involved he is. He’s an impressive athlete who caught the team’s attention at his pro day. But Rhule and Fitterer wouldn’t commit to him playing tackle or guard in the NFL. He’ll likely compete with 2019 second-round pick Greg Little, Cameron Erving and Trent Scott for the role, if he’s not moved inside.

“We think (Christensen’s) a versatile player. A guy who can play outside and inside. We’ll wait to see when he gets here where exactly he fits,” Rhule said. “He comes from that pro-style offense at BYU, so he’s done the things that we are asking guys to do. He’s been doing it there. He’s a tackle candidate that can also go inside and play guard. Again, a great, great, great athlete.”

Developing these players will be key, which is something Rhule and his staff think they can do.

Getting Iowa defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon in the fifth round of the draft was a steal. South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn can be an immediate starter and impact player for years to come.

Then the unknowns pop up with multiple players. LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall and Hubbard had recent injury issues and Christensen is 24 years old. Some who were “surprisingly” available to the Panthers late, per media standards, likely dropped in the draft because of character issues, including Nixon, Smith and Alabama offensive lineman Deonte Brown, although the 6-4, 350-pound lineman said he felt his weight was part of the equation.

But teams don’t draft players without knowing what they are getting into. In fact, extensively researching players’ history is something the Seahawks are known for.

“We feel comfortable with all the players and who we took, and we like them as people,” Fitterer said. “We know people make mistakes when they’re young. We expect them to grow up. I made mistakes, and I know a lot of people out there did. But we trust these players, we know who these people are, and we look forward to growing with them.”

Where does this draft leave the Panthers?

In terms of addressing needs and adding depth, the draft was a big success. This roster is better than it was a year ago. Much of what was lost in the trade for Darnold has now been recouped.

Drafting a safety or even a linebacker could have improved the team. But they clearly felt comfortable enough at those two spots to use the last sixth-round pick on a long snapper even though J.J. Jansen, the team’s long snapper since 2009, is under contract. Jeremy Chinn moving to more of a safety role is likely cemented based on those decisions.

The Panthers needed to add players to the roster who could improve the team at positions that were short on talent. Mission accomplished. In a draft that had a smaller pool than most years and had more question marks due to COVID-19 protocols, the team went all-in anyway on investing draft picks and bringing in a large number of players, including four who they coached at the Senior Bowl in Mobile for a week.

The players selected are elite athletes that fit Rhule’s vision or are those who provide competition, like at long snapper. This roster needed more young talent, and they got that.

“I think if you can find elite athletes with football instincts and also a love of the game, and who treat people well, you have something special,” Rhule said. “The tape’s the most important thing for us but their metrics they just verify that what you see on tape is real.”

Accumulating players is one thing, it worked out well for Johnson and the Seahawks, but developing players and finding talent is another. This was without a doubt Fitter and Rhule’s draft with their hands all over the selections. The impact was immediate. The Panthers don’t necessarily need Day 1 starters for this year; this is all about long-term success, getting better. It sure would help, though. Only two players — Horn and Marshall — are highly likely to win out starting roles this year.

Finding the left tackle of the future would have made this draft without a doubt successful, but a player acquired earlier in the month in Darnold would play a large role in the team’s immediate success either way. Being able to build and carve out key roles for some of these players is the necessary next step.

Panthers 2021 NFL draft picks

This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 9:45 PM.

Alaina Getzenberg

The Charlotte Observer

Alaina covers the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. Before coming to Charlotte, she worked at The Dallas Morning News and The NFL Today on CBS. Support my work with a digital subscription