Panthers turn Jonathan Mingo pick into Trevor Etienne, a bad sign for Jonathon Brooks

The Carolina Panthers didn't get much back when they sent away disgruntled wide receiver Diontae Johnson at the trade deadline and effectively begged him never to come back. However, the Panthers did manage to get a surprisingly good haul when they dealt Jonathan Mingo to the Dallas Cowboys, netting a fourth-round pick for a receiver who has yet to score in the NFL.

Carolina used used the pick that came over from Dallas in that deal (No. 114) overall on Georgia running back Trevor Etienne. While we expected a running back pick at some point today, the fact that they did it this early comes as a mild surprise.

What it means more than anything ls we won't be seeing 2024 second-round pick Jonathan Brooks on the field this year - and this pick might even be an indication that his pro career could already be toast after his second ACL tear in as many years.

Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (24) tries to get off the field after being injured against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Etienne (5-foot-9, 205 pounds) is the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars back Travis Etienne, who's a natural comp. After playing two years at Florida, Trevor transferred to Georgia for his senior season. All together Etienne appeared in 34 games, totaling just over 2,000 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. As a receiver he added another 432 yards and a touchdown.

To start out Etienne will likely be the No. 3 running back on the depth chart behind starter Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. Obviously that means he won't see the field much on offense, but he could make an impact on special teams. Etienne is also a kick returner, having totaled 645 yards on 26 attempts in college. As a rookie that'll his best chance to move the needle.

In the long run, we will probably see Etienne rise to be the main backup behind Hubbard, assuming Dowdle is a one-and-done in Carolina. If he can get back to 100% healthy again, Brooks would be Etienne's primary competition for that role. That's a big if at this point, though.

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