Carolina Panthers’ new coach Dave Canales has stressed to Bryce Young that he doesn’t need to carry the entire team by himself in the upcoming season.
Carolina proved this in the NFL draft by continuing to surround Young with more teammates to ease his responsibilities.
The Panthers used three out of their first four picks on players in key positions, choosing South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette in the first round and selecting running back Jonathon Brooks and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders from Texas in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, aiming to strengthen an offense that ranked last in both scoring and yards.
In addition, the new Panthers general manager Dan Morgan executed a series of trades, including four in the first two days, to replenish the team’s draft picks.
Carolina entered this year’s draft without a first-round pick due to former GM Scott Fitterer’s trades last year to acquire Young, including what turned out to be the No. 1 overall selection. However, Morgan managed to regain one of those picks—a second-rounder in 2025—in one of the deals.
“I didn’t come in with the mindset of getting that second-round pick back,” he explained. “When the opportunity arose, we saw it as a great chance. We could regain that second-round pick. That was something we felt positive about. … It helps set us up for the future.”
