Carolina pulled a series of playmakers and added a future 2nd round pick so far in the draft.  Their picks after Xavier Legette, the massive WR, were less standard value, with a RB and LB pair.  They're both active play makers, and add a flavor of the new staff to the roster, but coming in I didn't envision them as priorities. At least compared to other spots. That said, Detroit took a RB and a LB last year - imperfect value but built a playoff team with it.  You need guys there, you need players everywhere. These three players can start by 2025 just as easily as any C o ..read more

 Pick coming up at 65  - some BPA include Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE; TJ Tampa, CB; I suppose it's finally time to start thinking ILB with Payton Wilson or Junior Colson; Troy Franklin is somehow still there at WR.  The pick is:  traded again.  Pick at 72. Hopefully got a 4th or 5th? Picked back up in the 5th again - 157.   Carolina is back in the 5th.    Would've been Sanders if I were picking, I think, but Franklin was BPA and I'd have seen that too.  He and Malachi Corley - who went via the pick at 65 - were the best left.  In the trade dow ..read more

 Carolina traded down but back up - giving 142 and 155 to go from 52, to 46.  They take Jonathan Brooks, RB, Texas. Top back - first back taken.  6', 216, a good player.  Maybe not an ideal trade (there were literally no backs taken, what's the hurry?), has an ACL injury that he's rehabbing.  Had a fantastic year, 1139 yards and 10 scores, as a RSO but not before that (a total of 51 carries in the Roschon Johnson, Bijan Robinson era).   Balanced back with good vision, a feel for the seam, and shifty big play type potential.   He shows ability to cat ..read more

 Titans took T'Vondre Sweat (wow).  So Carolina on the clock.   As I'm waiting for the pick, I want the center or the CBs (DeJean or McKinstry). But let's see in real time.  Rams traded it up. More as it comes.  Carolina picks at 52, adds a 5 and a future 2.  I'm happy with that.  OK - Rams took Braden Fiske at 39.    I'll stick with, I would've taken JPJ or the corners - at 52, they still have plenty of options and can follow that with 65.  But as much as anything else, they gained value with the trade.  Love to hear it.  ..read more

 Keon Coleman went with the Bills' pick that Carolina vacated to go up; Chargers went up to get Ladd McConkey.   The WRs are starting to go bigtime now (that's 9).  Four in a row.  Adonai Mitchell remains, but that's about it for the higher end.  Then ATL traded up for Ruke Ohrohro. Not the highest DT available.  Johnny Newton to WAS, Patriots took Ja'Lynn Polk.  Titans? Then Panthers.  ..read more

 Carolina might've been concerned that WRs were starting to go off the board and their late presser last night suggests it.  Can't argue that, Xavier Legette was the 7th taken in 32 picks.   Supposedly, Buffalo also coveted Legette but, not too much as they traded from 28, to 32, to 33 and watched a pair of WRs go in those picks (and with Ricky Pearsall going at 31).   Now, I don't adore the value on Legette but Pearsall was generally considered lower than Legette in many circles (all of them generally lower than Adonai Mitchell, still on the board).  &n ..read more

 Carolina locked in Xavier Legette. That probably doesn't change the 38 pick that hard - but it does keep them from being forced to take a WR.  Let's look at what's left, after 32 picks.  Traditional rankings have the highest available guys as  Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa Jer'Zhan Newton, DL, Illinios Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia Keon Coleman, WR, FSU Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon That's eight guys, and Carolina picks again in six spots.  First the non-WRs - and the CBs and JPJ make t ..read more

 Carolina's terms on the trade were 33 and 141, for 32 and 200.   Was late and didn't feel like throwing that out there.  But that was the cost.  Carolina had 141 and 142, and burned one.  Carolina definitely lost value to Buffalo. As you very often do, trading up.  For the one spot, they gave (140) 36 points, and got (200) 12.4, losing 24 to get those 10.   It's a 14 point deficit, and I can let that go.  But they were eager to get up. One spot. For those of you that like symmetry, Carolina got up into 1, and down into 7, so they have a pick i ..read more

 Carolina traded up swapping late picks to move up one spot. They choose Xavier Legette, USC, linked to them often enough.  And fair enough. I liked others ahead and they left great C on the board.  Legette has tremendous talent, size, speed.  He adds RAC and contested catch ability, there's no doubt there. But as a one year wonder, can he contribute immediately?  I'm not that sure. The circumstances of the one year matter too, with Spencer Rattler and the pro O being run by Dowell Loggains helping add some confidence. More in the morning.  They got their guy but ..read more

 23 picks in, but none of the guys I'd bang the table for at 33, are gone.   It's been a QB and OT heavy draft, six of each in the top 20 and four WR gone. 5 edge and DT picks total. But the C, CB picks are there (one DB so far...make that two at 24). The WR that should be there, are. But, 8 picks left. Edit to add -25, 26 are OL including the first possible center depending on how you look at it, in Graham Barton. Darius Robinson at 27, Chiefs move up to 28 and there's the first guy that I hoped to be there, Xavier Worthy.   Not heartbreaking but, would have been a g ..read more