Steve Smith Sr. shades Panthers draft pick again

That last sentence definitely makes things a little awkward in Charlotte, but Smith went on to state why McMillan’s type of play feels redundant with the current roster. “But what I thought was interesting is when you break down that receiver room, you have Adam Thielen, possession receiver. Jalen Coker, possession receiver. I guess David Moore is the speed guy? Xavier Legette, possession receiver. And then they just got my dog, Huner Renfrow. Hunter ain’t beating paint drying, okay? That ain’t who he is, and he’ll tell you that. You go in the sixth round and with the 208th overall pick get Jimmy Horn Jr., which is speed, but prior to 208th in the sixth round, you drafted what you already had in the room.”

It appears Smith wanted to see one of the defensive players the Panthers were linked to pre draft, like Jalon Walker or Walter Nolan, or perhaps a trade back for a receiver with top end speed. "I understand getting it because it's a need, what I was shocked at was there were a little bit more impactful players on defense that I thought you needed to help calm the offensive storm that is mounted on Bryce Young and Coach Canales on the Carolina Panthers.”

"What I thought, and what some coaches in that draft room thought, was like, 'Yo, this is not what we talked about a few hours before the draft. You drafted what you already had in the room and I was shocked when you have a Matthew Golden with speed. I mean, you had (Jayden) Higgins, who went later."

This isn’t the end of the Steve Smith/Tetairoa McMillan saga, but I’m sure the Panthers hope TMac’s production on the field can quiet the criticism from the opinionated former star.