Panthers Rookie Grades for the 2023 Season

A look back at how the Panthers' draft class did in their first year in the league.

Very few associated with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 experienced success, including the entire rookie class. How well did each of the Panthers' five picks grade out? Short answer? Not great. But let's dive in a little deeper.

QB Bryce Young

It's incredibly difficult to put any sort of a grade out there on Bryce. The kid never stood much of a chance behind a bad, ever-changing offensive line with a skill group that lacked the ability to make plays consistently.

What I can grade him on, though, is toughness - both mental and physical. 

I don't think he could have possibly endured more adversity in his first season in the NFL. He went through it all - constant back-and-forth of offensive play-calling, head coach firing, QB coach firing, and being one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. Every snap, every week, the kid kept fighting. 

Secondly, the one thing everyone was concerned about this time last year was his size. Not only how he would hold up but if he could see the field and not have balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. He checked both boxes. 

There are certainly areas that Young absolutely has to improve in such as his footwork in the pocket, awareness of edge pressure, and accuracy on his deep ball. With more help around him in 2024 and beyond, Young will begin to look more and more like the quarterback they hoped he would be.

Grade: C-.

WR Jonathan Mingo

Somewhat of an "up" and down season for Jonathan Mingo that leaves you with more questions than answers. His best was just alright while his lows were incredibly low.

Effort was questioned on a few occasions early on in the season on routes and chase down attempts following interceptions. That was corrected but his hands didn't improve much. He caught 50.6% of passes thrown in his direction and failed to reach the end zone as a rookie. For a guy that was drafted at the top of the second round, that's simply not good enough. 

I'm not sure what his role will be moving forward, but there's a lot of room for growth.

Grade: D-.

LB DJ Johnson

I never liked the move to trade up for DJ Johnson. He's the same age as Brian Burns and was viewed as a project coming in. This provides a short window for him to succeed, given that most players are about to enter their prime at this stage of their career while he's still getting his feet wet.

Johnson was inactive for the first handful of games, not making his official debut until October 1st against the Minnesota Vikings. He appeared in only 29% of the team's defensive snaps for the season and recorded a total of 16 tackles. Since he saw more playing time on special teams it's challenging to predict what he'll look like on the defensive side in the future, but I'll stick with my gut.

Grade: F.

OL Chandler Zavala

Zavala was thrown to the wolves right out of the gate, filling in at right guard in Week 1 for Austin Corbett. When Brady Christensen went down, he flipped over to the left side. At times it looked like Zavala was imitating a turnstile. He really struggled to hold up in pass protection, giving up six sacks in ten games.

Believe it or not, I think Zavala still has starting potential but needs to be groomed into that role. He was initially drafted to be a depth piece who could be a factor down the line. I can't fault him too much for the situation he was put in. That said, the tape from this season is a hard watch.

Grade: D-.

S Jammie Robinson

Robinson was almost exclusively a special teamer this past season. He did make two starts on defense where he combined for nine of his 17 tackles for the year. Playing a limited role as a rookie was good for him, in my opinion. He was able to sit back and watch a pair of veterans while adjusting to the speed of the NFL. You should see him on the field more in 2024.

Grade: C.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Bryce Young's Rookie Season

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