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A backup left tackle?

Well, that's the thing. Drafting players only for their physical measurables as you are suggesting only really happened during 2024, and X unfortunately has become the poster child for that. To be clear, it's not necessarily about drafting RAS over skill, but RAS over NFL-readiness and/or a solid body of work. Lots of players show skill in college, but those skills don't necessarily translate to the NFL for a multitude of reasons. But, getting back to the main point, to be clear, I believe that our FO is still enamored with physical gifts (who wouldn't be?), but now they're letting Dr. Eric Eager's proprietary system--his "secret sauce" prioritize the players that the Panthers draft, and it seems like it weighs not only a solid body of work, relative to a college career of course, but consistent gradual improvement as evidenced by production pretty highly.

Coddling and making moves that make sense are not the same thing. Having your finger on the pulse of your team, as opposed to just drafting people for measurables, is a good thing.

"The right fit" is a concept that's pretty old as it pertains to sports, and it's very pertinent as it pertains to the NFL which many would argue is the ultimate team sport. It's one reason why drafting players that actually fit together is so important. Not sure how anyone could look at Bryce Young's strengths and the way that X played versus how McConkey played and come to the conclusion that fit is irrelevant. It has been widely reported that X is a hard worker. Moreover, I have come to believe that people are so concerned with what X has done on his off time because it's low hanging fruit of an excuse for his inadequacies born of being overdrafted and places into a situation that wasn't the best fit with the QB or the actual depth of the development that X needed. Sometimes time and/or a new situation is exactly what's needed for some players.

Exactly what I was going to say. Brady seems to be taking a page out of Olsen's playbook, which is probably a good thing. They'll probably get around to giving Brady an Emmy one day, and he should thank Olsen for giving him the blueprint for success.

In before: "XL sucks, there is no hope." "As long as we have Bryce, none of this matters." My response: "It's X, not XL...we're not discussing apparel sizes, or we'd have to consider XS."

Alain Pierre provides some food for thought on Last Word On Sports regarding Xavier Legette, and his article, though specifically on X, kind of puts me in the mind of QBs being overdrafted and put into situations that they're not prepared for, some ultimately failing due to drafting missteps by front offices who don't necessarily view prospective players within the contextual importance that situations demand. At this point, Legette looks like a failure in reference to expectations, of not only what a consistently productive NFL receiver looks like, but a first round pick (which he obviously should never have been). But the story on X isn't necessarily completely over. Damn. I seem to be experiencing deja vu...It wasn't X's fault that he was overdrafted, that was a choice by an FO that obviously downplayed actual realized skill vs outstanding measurables and upside. Sure, the FO was impressed by X's one-year feats during his senior season at South Carolina, but it was the NFL god, RAS (a.k.a. Raw Athletic Score), that had Dave Canales's and Dan Morgan's jaws dropping in amazement at the sight of X running around in underwear at the Combine... "At 6-foot-3 and over 220 pounds, Legette brought rare athletic upside to the position. His breakout season at South Carolina showed flashes of dominance that NFL teams dream of. Projecting forward, many scouts compared his physical profile to D.K. Metcalf, and the Panthers clearly believed they could develop him into a true wide receiver 1 over time. The issue was never his talent. The issue was the timeline. Just a few picks later, the Chargers selected Ladd McConkey, a receiver who may have lacked Xavier Legette’s physical ceiling but entered the league far more technically refined. McConkey immediately showed advanced route discipline, leverage awareness, good pacing, and separation ability. Bryce Young’s game has always depended on timing and anticipation. His best football at Alabama came with receivers capable of winning through precision rather than pure athleticism. Jameson Williams and John Metchie III were excellent route runners and were able to get drafted in 2022. McConkey naturally fit that style of play. Legette, meanwhile, needed significant development in the exact areas where Bryce Young needed help. The Panthers drafted traits when Bryce Young needed reliability." Yes, the FO was guilty. The good thing is that the execs appear to be improving. Some of that may be attributed to the hiring of Eric Eager (who was hired right after the Xavier Legette draft). Eager seems to have helped the Panthers FO fine-tune their analytical progress, and, at least on paper, they acquired players with a lot of value during the last draft in regards to actually (what I'll refer to as) "underdrafting" talent relative to their position with value already built in. Look at Chris Brazzell: He may be more of the quintessential project receiver who was arguably more or less just as raw as Legette was when he was drafted, and with a relatively high RAS as well. The notable difference is value, as Brazzell was a round three pick and Legette was a first rounder. "Unlike the Xavier Legette situation, Carolina’s environment for Brazzell is completely different. "The Panthers are not asking a raw receiver prospect to stabilize this offense for Bryce Young. "Brazzell enters a much healthier developmental situation with far less pressure. With Tetairoa McMillan established as the primary target and Jalen Coker continuing to settle as the number 2 option...Xavier Legette, Metchie III, and Jimmy Horn Jr. are also still in this rotation, fighting for reps. "It gives Carolina something they failed to give Legette when they drafted him: A developmental runway. "Xavier Legette entered the league with expectations attached to a first-round pick and an offense desperate for answers. Brazzell enters a room where he can spend a year working on his route running, learning the playbook, and earning snaps gradually rather than being asked to become part of Bryce Young’s solution immediately. "And truthfully, Brazzell needs that time coming out of college. Despite his elite physical tools, many evaluators have several concerns about his overall polish as a receiver. "His route tree at Tennessee was viewed as fairly limited due to the type of offense that they run. The receivers are expected to run a lot of choice routes, which are dictated by the placement of the defenders. It doesn’t require technical route-running and an understanding of the playbook needed at the NFL level... "Context changes significantly when expectations change. "The Panthers are not depending on Brazzell to save the offense. They can allow him to develop slowly, expand his route tree, improve his technical refinement, and learn behind a much more stable receiver room... "Traits become much easier to bet on when patience is built into the plan." It's all about understanding your situation. I don't agree that it's an inherently difficult choice like the author is suggesting in the following excerpt. At the very least, I think that it should be easier as long as all parties involved stay levelheaded and true to their process. "That is what makes these draft decisions so difficult. "Every front office believes it can find the next Metcalf, Owens, or Marshall. Sometimes they do. More often, they are betting on a development path that may take years to complete. "The challenge is understanding what your offense needs right now. "If a team has patience, stability, and a quarterback capable of carrying the offense while a receiver develops, betting on traits can make sense. But if a young quarterback needs immediate help, there is a strong argument for prioritizing the receiver who already knows how to separate, create throwing , and earn trust from day one. "That’s why the Xavier Legette-Ladd McConkey debate remains so fascinating. "It was never really a discussion about talent. It was a discussion about timing." For me, Ladd McConkey was talented enough in his own right, that the gap--the upside--was never as big as people are suggesting between not only McConkey and Legette, but McConkey and other receivers drafted in the first round during that draft. The technique divide between Ladd and X was pretty stark though, as was the roughly 35 pounds, but the speed was identical, the maybe 1½ height difference isn't huge (6' and 6'1"), and it may surprise some that Ladd's RAS (9.34) was also enough to put him in the top 10 percent of receivers since 1987. There is an argument that he would've been a better pick for Bryce and the Panthers, regardless of timeline and talent. But, I still appreciate the thesis (if you will) of the article, as it still provides some hope--perhaps a glimmer at this point, that X's RAS may finally translate to the NFL given more time, but, perhaps more importantly, it explains how Dan Morgan and company are showing improvement, even if it appears somewhat understated. My hope is that continued improvement is palpable by this time next year. https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2026/05/30/xavier-legette-draft-lessons/#google_vignette

A legit pass rush has a positive effect on the CB position. I don't understand how you can see it any other way. Moreover, I suppose that you don't think that Hunter is an upgrade over Robinson. We'll see.

Yeah, I hadn't thought about that fact. An offshoot of a historical all-defense draft in 2020 maybe? I'd like to think it's just coincidental though. Dan would probably say we've just been wired on the BPA, and that just happens to have been offense players the last five years. I think that results have been mixed largely due to a couple of forced errors. Last year was good, and this last draft appears to have set the steady improvement in the first round. We'll see.

Not following. Each account was started with its own email. Are you saying try to "merge" the accounts via email in a sense? That doesn't seem like it would work. Wouldn't the safest way to be is just wait for the new confirmation email from your original account?

Brian Baldinger on NFL Network (per Tim Weaver on Panthers Wire): "I feel like they're building a monster on that side of the ball right now and I think that's how they have to play," Baldinger stated. "They have to play like they can shut teams down this year. I think it's on them to really guide this team right now." https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/panthers/2026/05/22/panthers-nfl-offseason-defense-brian-baldinger/90215555007/ So, do you believe him? Today, May 25, I do believe Baldy without any evidence otherwise. I think it's much more likely for our defense to take another marked leap (right into the top 10) than our, basically, bottom-third offense. In my mind, Lee Hunter is a literal and figurative huge addition up front, and right behind him is perhaps our biggest exclamation point on defense: Devin Lloyd. Lloyd's experience and track record of solid production should be the anchor of our defense that should help lift the floor of the entire unit. No more getting gashed on runs, eh? But, as important as Lloyd will be, the most prolific addition to the defense could be Jaelen Phillips. In my opinion, whether or not the Panthers can demonstrably show that the defensive squad, and perhaps the team in general, is actually ready to assert itself as a perennial postseason presence lies within its ability to credibly rush passers. Phillips was paid handsomely to produce results. Now I know that most of you are probably thinking that sacks are the key. Moreover, I'm not one that is even going to tell you that his pressures are the key (you know, since Phillips's pressure rate has been highlighted over perhaps pedestrian sack numbers). The key, at least in my mind, will be the marked growth of Nic Scourton and/or Princely Umanmielen. I really do believe that they are the understated X factors that the "success" of our season may depend upon. I'm not worried about the interior (perhaps over-optimistically so). I'm also not too concerned with our corners, as they are quietly one of the best duos in the league. Sure, the safety position has more question marks, Trevon Moering is an exclamation point, and Nick Scott, though less of an exclamation point, still has plenty of experience. With the infusion of youth, size, length and energy, I can see a good mix that will result in positives from the DBs once Ejiro Evero figures everything out. And, we should all know, a credible pass rush provides the defensive backfield with opportunities to shine, and this is but another reason why I believe that Scourton and maybe Umanmielen will be key to taking up residence in the postseason. On an off note, and as a reminder, if the defense is doing its job effectively maintaining momentum with field position, if not outright laying down the pathway with short fields and such, this should make it easier for Bryce Young and the offense to effect points on the board in terms of TDs. Where the defense goes, the offense will have every opportunity to follow.

Hell, Jon, this site is mobile compatible. That's the only way I roll. I've mentioned Brave Browser a few times. Works like a charm.

So, what you're saying is that Santa is real?

Crow is the one thing that really doesn't taste great when slow-cooked, especially when you basically paid out the ass to buy it. It could maybe be an acceptable meal, but only if you don't mind waiting forever to let it cook and watching others eat fine portions of steak in the meantime.

I mean, I hear what y'all are saying, but Derrick could have been positive without being negative. He essentially accused people of not seeing Bryce's improvement because of their desire to not be wrong. He could've kept it about Bryce and the team. For example, he could've said: "Bryce has made strides, and we believe in him. This coming season, his continued improvement will turn a lot of people into believers." That would've been supportive of his teammate and sent a message to the doubters. That being said, his tact almost summoned and left the door ajar for more skepticism. That's my take anyway. Bryce has improved from the bottom to perhaps skirting the line between the bottom third and mid-third at best...after three seasons. We've all seen it. Yay! In my mind, Bryce has still got a long way to go and a short time to get there, but my expectations are top five--at least top 10--always! Yes, I am a fan, so there's that, but I don't believe it's unreasonable to expect excellence. Hopefully the Panthers FO has the same mindset (and that doesn't even necessarily have anything to do with what we gave up to acquire him). That is the lens I'm looking through. Derrick Brown has his homer glasses on. He just needs to be more diplomatic and thoughtful with his words in my opinion, but I get it that he's a good teammate.

From NFL.com: He's our guy," Brown said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast. "We ride with (No.) 9 all the way through. That's one of those things that people don't want to admit how good he's becoming because they're going to have to go back and admit how wrong they were. As we all know, people don't like doing that." https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-derrick-brown-people-don-t-want-to-admit-how-good-bryce-young-is-becoming Just for accuracy, I have not completely dismissed Bryce out of hand, but I'm almost (almost) as skeptical as one can get without being completely out. And, for the record, Derrick, as a Panthers fan, I'd love to admit that I was wrong.

The author was probably fixated on the playoff game against the Rams.

I mean the reason I believe Brazzell caught the attention of everyone is how he could drop his hips, change direction and create separation (as in the case of the Georgia game). Chark could do none of that; He basically relied on straight-line speed, just like Robbie Anderson. If you watch Brazzell, he can drop his hips and change direction relatively smoothly.

Carry my gear, rook!

Did Morgan want to draft Bryce (or Stroud)?

I hope Bryce balls out. Wouldn't bet the farm on it though. Morgan has to be practical though. He was placed into a situation where he was compelled to give Bryce a long look. There really haven't been any more practical options due to who has been available at the position. The Panthers had already put their chips in with Bryce, so putting more chips in by borrowing against the future and stacking on that by borrowing against the future without really having the requisite draft capital was a nonstarter. We could either dump Bryce and go dumpster diving for known and unknown JAGs at the position, or take out chances and let it play out with Bryce and hope for acceptable returns. Due to what looks like some good moves in the draft and free agency, it appears like we're finally getting into a position where we can take a swing again if need be without destroying the core of the team. I understand that you'll believe it when you see it, but Dan is gonna move on if Bryce can't cut it. There are too many professionals lives and careers tied to Bryce to simply accept the status quo.

Dan isn't stupid. He's being positive and diplomatic without explicitly saying that if Bryce isn't good enough that he won't be extended. It's all on Bryce, y'all. This season is sh¡t-or-get-off-the-pot time.