Winners + Losers from Panthers' 2023 Draft Haul

It's been a few days since the 2023 NFL Draft wrapped up in Kansas City and now that we've had some time to digest it all, we look at which returning Panthers were impacted most by the draft class.

WINNERS

OC Thomas Brown/QBs coach Josh McCown

If everything goes as planned, both Brown and McCown will be tied to Bryce Young's success which will get them head coaching interviews and potentially a job as the head man somewhere. It will be even more impressive considering the Panthers don't truly have an elite receiver on the roster. Sure, Adam Thielen has had a great career, but he's no longer in his prime. If Young becomes a hit, so will Brown and McCown.

LT Ikem Ekwonu

Ickey gets to reunite with his former teammate at NC State, Chandler Zavala. Brady Christensen will likely be the starter at the beginning of 2023 but beyond that, is uncertain. GM Scott Fitterer said that when he and the scouts would watch film of Ekwonu, he and Zavala would just absolutely road grade people.

LB Brian Burns

It's a big if, but the Panthers may have finally helped out Burns with the selection of DJ Johnson. There is a lot of work ahead for Johnson, but if he lives up to his potential, it will help take some attention away from Burns.

LOSERS

QB Matt Corral

This is the obvious one and honestly, you can't help but feel for the kid. He came in with a chance to be "the guy" but due to an unfortunate Lisfranc injury, he missed the entire regular season. With the selection of Bryce Young, Corral will almost certainly never have his opportunity to start in Carolina.

LB Yetur Gross-Matos

I don't see how YGM fits in this 3-4 scheme. He's not big enough to play with his hand in the dirt and take on double teams but he's also not fast/athletic enough to drop back in coverage or rush as a 6-tech. It's like fitting a square peg into a round hole. He's a 4-3 end, and if we're being honest, he didn't play all that well in the scheme he fits best in. DJ Johnson should be able to overtake his role fairly early in the season.

LG Brady Christensen

The Panthers didn't just draft Chandler Zavala to be a backup/depth piece. He's someone they believe can develop into a starter right next to Ikem Ekwonu. If you don't believe me, just go rewatch James Campen's reaction when they made the call to him on day two of the draft. With Corbett set to miss some regular season time, Christensen won't move out of his left guard spot anytime soon. But as time goes on, he could end up being the team's swing tackle if Zavala beats him out.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:

Facebook - @PanthersOnSI

Twitter - @AllPanthers_ and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.