The Carolina Panther have sorely missed Christian McCaffrey since they traded him to the San Francisco 49ers in October of 2022. Since his departure the Panthers have posted an 8-20 win-loss record and McCaffrey's replacements have been pretty awful. The team clearly needs to continue building around Bryce Young, so who should they target at running back in this upcoming NFL Draft?
According to Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report the Carolina Panthers are set to host one of the top running back prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Jonathon Brooks (Texas).
Jonathon Brooks waited patiently behind first round pick and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson for two years before being given the reins at feature back for Texas Football. When he did step onto the field in 2021 and 2022 Brooks always flashed incredible potential, averaging over seven yards per touch, but few predicted his truly special 2023 season.
Before going down with a torn ACL last November, Brooks racked up over 1400 yards from scrimmage in less than 11 games. He caught 25 passes. Scored eleven touchdowns. He was an absolute monster in every facet of the game. Had he stayed healthy through the College Football Playoff run with Texas, Brooks easily could have surpassed 2000 yards from scrimmage on the year.
According to multiple reports, Brooks' recovery from ACL surgery has him on pace to be ready by NFL training camp this summer. If he drops to the Panthers early third round pick (like large sample mock draft data suggests is very possible) he should be the easy selection there.
We'll be back with more on Jonathon Brooks and other NFL Draft prospects in the coming weeks here at A to Z Sports. Be sure to follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest news!
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