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By The Third Reich · Posted
I have not read the entire thread, and I realize this is fluff to a degree, but it was recorded in real time. Here are 10 things that stood out to me: 1. Morgan wrote down (before day 3) the first three day 3 picks. (Lee, Hecht, and Wheatley). I was never fond of the Morgan hiring as GM. I thought he was a lazy selection and I questioned his ability to match wits with some of the best GMs in the NFL. Not any more. Morgan OWNED this draft. He knew which players were good fits and when they would be bargains, and he got bargains. I am thoroughly excited about every player. 2. Canales said (about Hecht, a 5th rounder): "He has a real chance to start." Morgan said the same thing about Freeling. While I do not expect either to start day 1, it looks to me like we drafted 40% of our starting OL in 2026. I think we will sign Ickey to a deal and play him at RG, allowing us to escape the Robert Hunt contract in 2027. Of course that is conditional, and Ickey could replace Moton instead, but if he fully recovers, we are looking at a better RG/RT than he was a LT--which was average. 3. When Morgan said to second-round DT Hunter, "Ready to play beside Derrick Brown?" Based on personalities, one calm and soft spoken (for the Most part, Brown is) and the other talkative and openly enthusiastic, it reminded me of Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins. 4. Perhaps the steal of the draft was Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II. Clearly the Panthers felt that they passed on him when they took Hunter in round 2. They mentioned his skill set (able to attack on "all three levels.") This sent me back to watching film. He has speed, hands, and he produced without a great QB. I think he could be great in the NFL. When 5. Tepper was a bit more involved than I would like, but he seems to be very confident in Morgan. If I were the owner, I would be doing the same thing. Canales was also somewhat of a background character--everyone understood his role and stayed in his lane. 6. I am also very interested in the quantitative analytics aspect of the draft room. (something like, "He has a 94% chance of being there at pick 55, and a 38% chance of being there at 87). I would like to know their formula, because it seemed to be spot on. 7. BPA? Not really. They had a shopping list and seemed to be targeting the players they selected. I realize other players were edited out, but I was impressed how they knew, by round, who they wanted and if there were multiple options sitting there, they traded back. 8. Evero (I think) called Lee a candidate that would serve as the "#3 CB." Morgan describes his size as a plus (Long). Strong praise for a 4th rounder. If so, we have Thornton coming off injury who played well as an UDFA rookie and they will battle it out to become Jackson's replacement after the 2026 season, assuming the Panthers do not extend him (he turns 30 in 7 months.O 9. I think we could realistically see every one of these draft picks play this season, and I believe most could start by next year--Realistically, Freeling, Hunter, Hecht, and Brazzell could all be starting or key rotational pieces this year. I see Lee and Wheatley getting special teams reps and both could be used this season more than expected. 10. Kuwatch seemed to be predetermined with the final pick, probably because he can add something special to special teams. He and Bam Martin Scott will fight it out for the 4th ILB position, so it will probably come down to special teams--and Kuwatch stands out there. Imagine an ILB with a 46.5 vertical (not a typo) on the FG block team. Kuwatch has an 8.85 RAS score vs. Martin-Scott's 7.5. -
By thunderraiden · Posted
They did mention Bain as the pick if he fell but didnt seem confident that would be the case. -
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