Biggest steal of 2021 draft? It might be this Carolina Panthers star

It was two months ago that all 32 teams participated in the 2025 NFL draft. Damian Parson of Bleacher Report takes a look back at the 2021 draft, and eight players selected within the final five rounds that have proven to be real bargain pickups.

On the list is a performer who has not only led the Carolina Panthers in rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, but also led or tied for the team lead in touchdowns scored as well.

“Chuba Hubbard’s football career took a turn after he decided to return to Oklahoma State after rushing for 2,000 yards in 2019,” said Parson. “He missed a few games the following year, which caused him to fall from an early-round pick to a fourth-rounder. In his first two NFL seasons, Hubbard ran for less than 1,100 total yards with seven touchdowns. Since then, he has carved out a legitimate role for the Panthers as the engine to their offense.

“In 2023,” explained Parson, “Hubbard ran for 902 yards and five touchdowns without a viable passing offense to take some weight off his shoulders. This past season, he showed why (he was) their MVP. He set the tone all season before a late-year injury.”

Carolina finished 18th in the league in rushing yards in 2024, with the four-year pro accounting for 63.6 percent of the team’s 1,878 yards on the ground. “Hubbard ran for 1,195 yards, reeled in 43 receptions and scored 11 total touchdowns,” added Parson. “His effectiveness as a between-the-tackles hammer—he averaged nearly five years per carry—gave second-year quarterback Bryce Young a run threat for teams to worry about.

“Hubbard did not receive enough touches early in his career to prove himself as a difference maker, but he stayed the course. After surviving different coaching staffs, offensive line combinations and quarterbacks, Hubbard signed a four-year, $33.2 million extension with the Panthers this past November.”

This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan signed free agent Rico Dowdle (Cowboys) and drafted Trevor Etienne (Georgia)—the latter a fourth-round pick. It’s a deeper backfield, which could add up to even bigger things for Hubbard and the Carolina running game.

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