Does Carolina Own the Worst Draft Class in the NFC?

Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano is not a huge fan of the Panthers' draft haul.

Nov 5, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s be honest right from the rip, when you don’t have a first round pick entering the draft, it makes life pretty difficult on the GM. Trading up one spot to get the final pick of the first helps to some degree, but it’s no where near the equivalent of a top ten or top five pick which the Carolina Panthers should have had. 

In Gilberto Manzano’s latest article on Sports Illustrated, he ranked the Panthers’ draft class 14th out of 16 NFC teams.

“The Panthers might have prioritized need more than taking the best player available when it came to adding a wide receiver. They found their physical outside receiver, selecting 6'3," 227-pound Xavier Legette with the last pick in the first round. Carolina took Legette over Ladd McConkey, Keon Coleman and Adonai Mitchell. Time will tell if the Panthers selected the right receiver for Bryce Young and new coach Dave Canales.

“Taking the best running back prospect in Jonathon Brooks should give Carolina a balanced attack after a dismal ground game in 2023. Overall, the Panthers added help for Young and found a way to gain a first-round pick.”

Only the Seattle Seahawks (15th) and Atlanta Falcons (16th) ranked lower than Carolina in Manzano’s rankings. Personally, I’d have Carolina’s class ranked above Dallas, New York, and San Francisco, slotting them a much more respectable 10th in the NFC.

Each of Carolina’s first four selections - Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks, Trevin Wallace, and Ja’Tavion Sanders - have star potential. Chau Smith-Wade has a chance to develop into a quality role player while Jaden Crumedy and Michael Barrett have a bit of an uphill battle ahead of them. But those top four picks should be enough to get them inside the top 10 of the conference. Perhaps Legette and Brooks only having one year of high level production in college is the main reason they’re slotted where they are.

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