The Carolina Panthers had their work cut out for them entering the 2024 offseason. They’re coming off a 2-15 season and didn’t have a first-round pick to work with. But the Panthers have been very active in the offseason and that continued during the 2024 NFL Draft. After adding players like Robert Hunt, Diontae Johnson, and Damien Lewis via free agency and trade, Carolina made more moves during the draft. These were three of the best ones that the Panthers pulled off.
Drafting Jonathon Brooks
The Panthers really needed to find a jolt to their run game this offseason. They did so after selecting Texas’ Jonathon Brooks. Brooks filled the big shoes that Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson left behind at Austin and did so very well. After running the ball just 51 times the previous two seasons backing up those two pros, Brooks finally had the backfield to himself in 2023. He rattled off 1,136 yards and ten touchdowns on 187 carries.
Brooks’ counting stats are very impressive. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry for his career. That number was closer to seven in limited work behind Robinson and Johnson, but he maintained that efficiency in a full-time role. But advanced numbers point to a special player too. Brooks forced 63 missed tackles last season. On top of that, he registered 732 yards after contact.
Brooks was also a weapon in the passing game. Last season, he hauled in 25 receptions for 286 yards and another score in just ten games. At 6 feet and 207 pounds, Brooks looks the part of a three-down workhorse.
The only issue with Brooks is that he tore his ACL late in 2023. It might cost him a few games to begin the 2024 season but he will be able to contribute at some point. When he is healthy, the Panthers certainly could use him. They ranked 24th in EPA per rush last season and didn’t have a single running back average more than 3.8 yards per carry.
The Panthers got some weapons for Bryce Young to throw to this offseason with Johnson and Xavier Legette, a player they traded up one spot into the first round for. But the run game needed a boost as well. They got it with Brooks.
Drafting Ja’Tavion Sanders
Tight end was another weak spot for the Panthers heading into this offseason. Last year, they got just 58 receptions on 97 targets for 559 yards and four touchdowns from that position as a whole. Carolina rotated the likes of Hayden Hurst, Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas, and Stephen Sullivan with neither emerging as a full-time weapon for them. Perhaps another Texas Longhorn in Ja’Tavion Sanders can become that guy.
Sanders’ testing at the NFL combine may have dropped him on draft boards, but his production doesn’t lie. He put up 99 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven scores during his two seasons at Austin. Those numbers aren’t all that dissimilar from what burgeoning star Sam LaPorta put up during his final two seasons at Iowa (111 receptions, 1,327 yards, and four touchdowns). Sanders can be a perfect target in the middle of the field for Young.
The Panthers got good value on Sanders as well. They waited until the fourth round to select him. To find a potential starter in the fourth is excellent business by general manager Dan Morgan.
Acquiring a 2025 second-round pick
Not only did the Panthers draft Jonathon Brooks in the second round, they traded back and still got him. That trade-back worked wonders for Carolina. The Panthers dished the 39th overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams for their 2nd-round pick (52nd overall), 5th-round pick, and a 2025 2nd-round pick.
Carolina acquired that 39th pick from the New York Giants in exchange for Brian Burns earlier in the offseason. It was a bit of a modest return for one of the better pass rushers in the league, but the Panthers made the most of that trade. They got their guy in Brooks 13 picks later and added an additional second to their arsenal for next year’s draft.
For a rebuilding team, these are the types of moves the Panthers should be making. They executed it to a tee. Carolina has had a great offseason. Now, they just have to make sure these moves lead to more wins on the gridiron.
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