Carolina Panthers’ Rookie Review

The Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Fransisco 49ers is set. For the other 30 NFL franchises, their focus shifts to next season and their hopes to be one of the two final teams. Scouts and coaches will spend this week in Frisco, Texas evaluating prospects for Thursday’s 99th East-West Shrine Bowl, and in Mobile, Alabama for Saturday’s 75th Senior Bowl. Shortly after the Super Bowl, the annual NFL Scouting Combine will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana.

These showcase events will give teams the opportunity to re-evaluate the scouting notebooks compiled during the 2023 college football season. Prospect rankings will be adjusted, and draft boards will begin to take on greater clarity. After the initial wave of free agency has occurred, front offices will get to the business of identifying remaining needs and viable solutions that can be found in the draft. Before any of the planning process can begin, each team needs to evaluate their in house talent, by assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The most important evaluations will be of the rookie and first year players and how they responded to the highest level of play.

Because of the 2023 trade with the Chicago Bears, the Panthers had only five selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. The good news is that they got enough promising performances or glimpses of enough talent to pencil in youth on to future years’ rosters. Unfortunately, a 2-15 record indicates that there is not sufficient NFL caliber talent onboard and needed to be supplemented with undrafted free agents or players signed off other teams’ practice squads. There were a handful of those type of players that succeeded enough to remain with the team going into 2024. For Carolina fans, there were not enough good, young, players to be overly excited for next season. Here is a breakdown of rookie and first year players that played significantly enough to bear watching when training camp opens in the summer. All statistics are courtesy of pro-footballreference.com.

Drafted Players:

Bryce Young, 1st Round, Alabama. The king’s ransom the Panthers surrendered by parting with wide receiver DJ Moore and draft picks was done with the intention of grabbing the team’s quarterback for the next 15 years. The Heisman Trophy-winning Young might be that player. 2023 was not a fair evaluation. Playing behind a porous offensive line and bereft of NFL quality targets, it was a minor miracle that Young survived the season. Towards the end of the season, his comfort level and game intelligence started to emerge. He was completing his throws into tight windows and began to limit mistakes. He began to exercise leadership over the offense. For a player his age

and against such obstacles, his toughness and maturity are encouraging signs of a talented player that can produce at this level. He will be forever linked to Houston Texas QB CJ Stroud, whom Carolina bypassed to take Young, and the player selected first overall in the 2024 draft with the selection that was part of the trade with the Bears. Young cannot concern himself with those distractions. In 16 games, Young accumulated 2,877 yards passing and had 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Jonathan Mingo, 2nd Round, Mississippi. Every successful quarterback needs a go-to, bona fide number one receiver. The Panthers selected Mingo after a breakout senior season in Oxford, Mississippi, and being a star of the post-season scouting scene. The hope that Mingo could be a clear cut top option for Young was a bit of a dream. He possesses skills that would be an asset in any passing attack but does not have elite capabilities. He was hampered in his rookie season by nagging injuries and inconsistency. If Carolina can acquire a receiving threat to take the top off opposing defenses that would free up underneath routes that would allow Mingo to best implement his skill set. In 15 games, with 14 starts, Mingo had 43 receptions for 418 yards. He did not have a touchdown. He was placed on the Injured Reserve list for week 18 with a foot injury.

DJ Johnson, 3rd Round, Oregon. Teams drafting in the top 10 of the draft often have dozens of issues with their roster. One of the biggest is the lack of pure athletic ability, especially at outside linebacker. Johnson was selected to provide speed and versatility to the lineup. Johnson was eased into the starting lineup during the Panthers’ 2023 campaign. Initially, he was primarily a special teams player. As he adjusted to the speed of the pro game, he was given additional responsibility. He will unlikely be a three down defender, but his make up physical gifts will allow him to be a contributor in the coming seasons. Johnson appeared in 13 games, starting three. He made 16 tackles, one for loss, and defended a pass. He played in 29% of defensive snaps (231) and 33% of special teams snaps (107).

Chandler Zavala, 4th Round, NC State. The in-state guard was drafted for his long term potential. The Panthers hope was to bring him into the organization, polish his game, and see if they found a diamond in the rough. The plan was slightly altered by Carolina’s disastrous season and the perpetually revolving door on the offensive line. Zavala was forced to see more snaps than the coaching staff had desired. He acquitted himself well enough that he was starting by the end of the season. It does not appear as if the experience shook his confidence. Significant upgrades to the offensive line will relieve pressure on him. The trial by fire rookie season may forge him into a reliable piece of the puzzle that Young desperately needs to be the franchise quarterback. Zavala appeared in 10 games, starting seven. He played 54% of offensive snaps (374) and 11% of special team snaps (29).

Jamie Robinson, 5th Round, Florida State. Not all draft picks are selected with the notion they will be stars or even starters. Picks in later rounds often are ticketed to be special teams players or

depth pieces. They are insurance policies against a rash of injuries. If they develop beyond their initial projection and become regular contributors, that is a bonus that can accelerate a team toward playoff contention. Robinson was drafted for exactly that purpose. The Seminole safety spent 2023 primarily as a special teams disruptor. He is fast and with a nose for the returner and the sureness of tackle to minimize opponent field position. He eventually was used in passing downs and had one pass defense. His 17 tackles were mostly on special teams. He played only 7% of defensive snaps (64) and 70% of special teams snaps (269).

Undrafted Players:

JD DiRenzo, OG, Rutgers. The Panthers’ patchwork offensive line provided multiple opportunities for undrafted players to get meaningful snaps. DiRenzo played in three games, starting none. He was involved in only 3% of offensive snaps (6) and 12% of special teams snaps (8). He was signed to the team before week 15.

Nash Jensen, OG, North Dakota State. Jensen played in 11 games and started five. He was involved in 40% of offensive snaps (302) and 11% of special teams snaps (32). Jensen saw the most snaps of any of the undrafted Panthers.

Alex Cook, S, Washington. Cook was signed off the practice squad of the New York Giants on October 17th. He played in 10 games, starting two. He registered 11 tackles including one for a loss. He defended two passes. He was involved in 25% of defensive snaps (155) and 44% of special teams snaps (111).

D’Shawn Jamison, CB, Texas. Jamison was claimed off waivers from the San Fransisco 49ers. He was acquired primarily to assist with special teams but did see limited time playing cornerback. He played 15 games, starting one. He returned two kickoffs for a 20 yard average. He had 10 tackles and defended two passes. He was involved in 11% of defensive snaps (107) and 39% of special teams snaps (155).

Claudin Cherelus, OG, Alcorn State. Cherelus was signed from the practice squad on November 3rd. He played in six games with zero starts. He was involved in 64% of special teams snaps (105). He was placed on Injured Reserve on December 20th with a knee injury.

A team that has so many rookies logging time is usually one that is struggling and trying different things to right the ship. Part of this is hoping for long-term roster improvement. Part is bailing water. The 2023 Panthers were a team in chaos. The perception took hold that they were a team in

disarray. Head Coach Frank Reich was dismissed halfway through his first season. General Manager Scott Fitterer was let go after the season. Dave Canales was hired away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become the new Head Coach and former Panthers first round choice Dan Morgan was hired to be the new General manager.

Rebuilding in the NFL can be accomplished quickly with significant cap space, draft picks, and luck, The Panthers are in the middle of the former two and have had little of the latter. Based on the projected NFL salary cap for 2024 of $242 million, the Panthers have an estimated $30,230,624 (Spotrac) or $28,599,402 (Over the Cap) in available cap space. That would be either the 13th most, or 12th most, respectively, in the NFL. They have six draft picks at this point in the 2024 NFL Draft. They have selections in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, two in the 5th, and one in the 6th. For the rebuild to work, and to give a measure of hope to Panther fans, the Panthers’ new brain trust must nail free agency and the draft and be blessed with plenty of luck.

Notes: The Panthers signed the following players to 2024 Futures Contracts: LB Daniel Bituli, WR Ventell Bryant, DB Sean Chandler, WR Amara Darboh, OG Mike Horton, WR Ishmael Hyman, LB Clay Johnston, WR Marken Michel, OG Aaron Monteiro, LB Chris Orr, DT Mike Panasiuk, TE Giovanni Ricci, OC Sam Tecklenburg, K Lirim Hajrullahu. The following players were signed to Futures Contracts from the Practice Squad: RB Tarik Cohen, RB Spencer Brown, RB Mike Boone, WR Jalen Camp, WR Cam Sims, TE Chris Pierce, TE Jordan Matthews, OT Badara Traore, DL Raequan Williams.