NFL execs give mixed reviews of Panthers 2024 NFL Draft

Though I am high on the 2024 Carolina Panthers draft class, it turns out not everyone feels the same way. 

With the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, The Athletic published NFL executives' opinions on 16 NFC teams on Thursday. Carolina's seven selections landed some praise and criticism from un-named NFL executives in Mike Sando's article. 

All of Carolina's selections include Xavier Legette (first round, pick No. 32), Jonathon Brooks (second round, pick No. 46), Trevin Wallace (third round, pick No. 72), Ja'Tavion Sanders (fourth round, pick No. 101), Chau Smith-Wade (fifth round, pick No. 157), Jaden Crumedy (sixth round, pick No. 200), and Michael Barrett (seventh round, pick No. 240). 

The selection that appeared to draw some real questions from NFL executives was the Legette pick. Carolina traded up into the first round to ensure it had his fifth-year option. Though executives understood the reasoning, they didn't have much praise for the move. 

“I hope it was for the option, and not that they had to have this specific player because the head coach told the player he was going to draft him,” one executive told The Athletic.

A selection that garnered some praise was picking up Sanders in the fourth round. 

“They did what they could do without having a first-round pick,” one executive said of the Panthers. “The first two players are really good. The linebacker has a lot of upside. The tight end (Ja’Tavion Sanders), if he came back in school, would probably be the first tight end taken next year.” 

Carolina's draft was far from perfect. Hardly any drafts are. Still, the mixed results show just how little a lot of the NFL world knows of what to expect from Dan Morgan's front office. 

Legette, to me, was a smart pick. The trade made sense. And in an offseason defined by the Panthers making Bryce Young's life easier, the 2024 NFL Draft did just that.