The Carolina Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season, and yet, they couldn't even enjoy the minor spoils of victory in achieving the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Thanks to a trade with the Chicago Bears for their No. 1 overall pick a year prior to select Bryce Young, the Panthers were deprived of the first pick and ended up with the last pick of this year's draft at No. 32. Of course, even that came at the expense of trading back into the first round with the Buffalo Bills.
The Panthers did a lot of flip-flopping of picks in their first three picks, with only their fourth pick of tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders at No. 101 actually theirs. They stayed active throughout the entire draft to eventually accumulate seven picks over all seven rounds.
If you're the Panthers, it's been a rough couple of seasons with tons of turnover—and we're not talking about fumbles and interceptions (even though those were bad too). Coaching staffs have been upended the last couple of seasons due to bad results and impatient ownership. Once again, a new one will be in place for the 2024 season that will welcome Dave Canales as head coach, who has a crop of new talent to work with.
Canales hopes to improve a team that went 2-15 last season and pretty much had little to no promise anywhere on the team. That means a lot of veterans could have their jobs challenged by the incoming rookie class. Here are some interesting battles between veterans and rookies to watch out for once the 2024 season gets underway.
Xavier Legette will challenge Adam Thielen at wide receiver
The Panthers thought a lot of Xavier Legette enough to trade back into the first round. Canales clearly wants to add playmakers to his offense, and Legette can be just that, as versatile as they come. He can make plays catching passes, running out of the backfield, and even on kick returns.
Now, the Panthers already made a move to clear up what should be their WR1 in Diontae Johnson, whom they traded cornerback Donte Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers for. However, if Legette makes progress through camp and shows up within the first couple of games, there's no reason he's not vying for or isn't the clear WR2.
He's going to challenge veteran Adam Thielen for that spot, who will be 34 years old once the season begins. Thielen was the only real option at receiver for Young and the Panthers last year and was still productive considering how bad the team was. He finished with just over 1,000 yards, 103 receptions, and four touchdowns.
But again, Legette has the ability to be a unique playmaker all on his own. Think Deebo Samuel for the San Francisco 49ers. He perhaps may not be challenging anybody, per se, as he'll be in his own unique position.
Jonathan Brooks will challenge Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders at running back
In what was one of the weakest running back draft classes in years, the Panthers were the first to take one off the board. It was at pick No. 46 in the second round that Carolina chose Texas Longhorns running back Jonathan Brooks.
There wasn't much to love about anything with the Panthers last season, but it seemed especially worse offensively. The Panthers' run game, however, may have been the best part of the unit, which isn't exactly saying much. Third-year back Chuba Hubbard was able to accrue 902 yards on 238 carries with five touchdowns, while behind him, Miles Sanders had 432 yards on 129 carries and one touchdown.
Though it's not ideal, Brooks could come in and quickly become the lead back of this team. What's not ideal is that he's coming off an ACL injury that caused him to miss the last three games of the season last year. But before that, he was sixth in FBS in rushing yards with 1,139 on 187 attempts for 10 touchdowns. He also had another 286 yards receiving and one score.
It probably wouldn't happen right away because of his unknown recovery time, but as the season progresses, Brooks could be getting a hefty load of the carries if he's healthy.
Ja'Tavion Sanders should be an immediate challenge for Tommy Tremble at tight end
Sticking with the offensive theme, the Panthers also didn't have much to say in the tight end department either. Last year's main tight end, Tommy Tremble, had just 23 receptions on 32 targets for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Young had an NFL-worst QBR of 44.8 when targeting the position last year, according to ESPN. So, really, selecting a viable pass-catching tight end seemed like a must in this year's draft for Carolina.
Ja'Tavion Sanders fits the bill for pass-catching tight ends. He actually holds the record for most career receptions for a tight end in Texas history with 99. Honestly, there's just not a ton of competition here for Sanders to not come in and make an immediate impact, should Young be able to get the ball to him.
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