Carolina Panthers Depth Chart
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Bank of America Stadium
- Head Coach
- Chris Tabor (Interim)
- Offensive Coordinator
- Brad Idzik
- Defensive Coordinator
- Ejiro Evero
- Special Teams Coach
- Chris Tabor
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
The Carolina Panthers traded up with the Buffalo Bills at No. 32 overall to select South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette to close out the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Bills curiously traded down twice from their initial pick of No. 28 to land at No. 33 (first pick of Round 2) despite desperately needing receiver help, and three wideouts came off the board to close out the first round. Legette, 23, is a much-needed offensive weapon for second-year QB Bryce Young and will join Diontae Johnson, Jonathan Mingo and veteran Adam Thielen in their WR room in 2024. Legette isn't the greatest of route-runners and is susceptible to press coverage at the line, but he has excellent ball skills and could be a solid deep and red-zone threat for Young. The landing spot isn't great for Legette's potential for fantasy value in Year 1.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (leg), offensive guard Austin Corbett (knee), pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney and running back Tarik Cohen (Achilles) have all been taking part in drills during voluntary offseason workouts this week. Meanwhile, offensive guard Chandler Zavala (knee) and linebackers D.J. Wonnum (quadriceps) Amare Barno (knee) weren't participating in drills. Thompson, who suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 last year against the New Orleans Saints, is the most notable name of this group. The 30-year-old should be ready to go for training camp and the preseason later this year as long as he doesn't suffer a setback before then. The former 25th overall pick in 2015 out of Washington recorded 100-plus combined tackles in each of his previous four seasons with Carolina before getting hurt in 2023.
The Carolina Panthers want to make the 2024 draft about a larger point, rather than anything as granular as finding weapons for quarterback Bryce Young after he struggled mightily in his rookie season in 2023. "I think it's not about surrounding Bryce with great players; it's about building a great team, and then Bryce can just do his part of it," new head coach Dave Canales said. Even if the Panthers aren't specifically just looking to add weapons for Young, they'll surely need to bolster what was a terrible offensive line and running game. Carolina already traded for receiver Diontae Johnson this offseason and spent some money to upgrade the O-line. "It's not about getting playmakers for Bryce, it's about getting playmakers for our team," general manager Dan Morgan said.
Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., one of the top free-agent receivers available with less than a week until the NFL draft, spent Thursday on a visit with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to a source. The Chargers may draft a receiver as early as the fifth overall pick next Thursday night, but they still need starters and Chark could be an option to help build depth at the position now that Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are both gone. The 27-year-old Chark had a 1,000-yard season with the Jaguars in 20219 and scored eight touchdowns, but injuries and inconsistency have limited him in four years since and he hasn't been reliable for fantasy managers. Chark might be intriguing as a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts if he were to land in LA, but it would also depend on what the Chargers do at the position in the upcoming draft.
The Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts that the Arizona Cardinals will trade down to pick No. 11 in a swap with the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of this year's NFL draft to take LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas. The 21-year-old pass-catcher has been in the shadow of fellow wideout Malik Nabers, but he was terrific at the scouting combine in February to raise his draft stock tremendously. He also had 68 receptions for 1,177 yards and led the FBS with 17 touchdowns in 2023. "Potentially, I think can be really good in the NFL. He was a red zone nightmare. Even if you were in great position, he could still win those 50-50 balls. But he didn't scare you with (yards after catch) like Nabers did," one coach said. Adding another receiving weapon for quarterback Kyler Murray makes a lot of sense, especially when considering Arizona's top-three receivers are currently Michael Wilson, Chris Moore and Greg Dortch.