Does Rhule See Brady Christensen as a Guard?
Coming into the 2021 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers knew they needed to add some depth to the offensive line and create some competition at both tackle and guard.
In the third round, the Panthers made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in order to move up and select BYU offensive tackle Brady Christensen. Since the Panthers have made that pick, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not Carolina will leave him at left tackle or kick him inside to guard.
Earlier this week, the Panthers released a behind-the-scenes video documenting the draft. At one point, head coach Matt Rhule was discussing with GM Scott Fitterer about trading up to get Christensen and may have given a small hint as to where they see him settling in at position-wise.
"Remember, we have Brady Christensen. Third-round tackle, second-round guard."
Now, obviously, this doesn't necessarily mean that they like Christensen more at guard but it could mean they think he has a higher ceiling at that spot. However, it may not mean anything at all because they may have had more tackles rated ahead of him on their big board but not guards.
Regardless of what the Panthers plan to do with him, Christensen will be ready and prepared to step in and produce.
“Yeah, I’m trying to prepare for a little bit of everything," Christensen told reporters earlier this month. "I’m just trying to be the best version of me at any position they want me to play, so I’m trying to learn every spot and be ready to go in and compete and excited to do so. I’m really open to playing at anything.
“Obviously there’s a ton of carryover from position to position. As an offensive lineman, it’s different at each position, but you’ve got to have great feet, whether you’re playing at guard or tackle. You’ve got to be physical, you’ve got to be able to run off the ball, that’s a big thing we’re focusing on right now is just running off the ball and being really physical. So you need that at all five spots and I feel like I can do that, whether it be right tackle or left guard, I feel like I can do those things.”
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