Dan Morgan Breaks Down His 1st NFL Draft as General Manager

Dan Morgan on Draft Picks

The Panthers traded up to get their man, Xavier Legette from the University of South Carolina. The Panthers had been eyeing him all offseason, and since they got him in the first round, the Panthers can use the coveted fifth-year option if the need arises.

“Xavier was a guy we targeted the whole time, spent a lot of time with him throughout the process including a 30 visit, talked with him at the combine, went down to his pro-day. Got to see him perform a bunch and he just killed it.” Xavier had a really good spring, and Dan Morgan & Co could feel the energy and the love for the game that he exudes and that’s why the Panthers “fell in love with him.”

Jonathan Brooks (running back, University of Texas), who is coming off a torn ACL injury from November, should be ready to go by the time training camp begins. “He was projected to go a lot higher in the draft, so [the Panthers] feel fortunate [they] were able to get him. As far as what we can expect from Brooks, Morgan said he “brings that smooth running style, kind of weaving style. He’s got really good vision, really good patience, he can run, he can break tackles with his contact balance.”

Next Steps for Dan Morgan and Co.

Now that the draft is over, Dan Morgan and his team are focused on the Waiver Wire. Since the Panthers had a league-worst 2-15 record last year, they’re first in line for any players going on waivers. And while Morgan noted they don’t want to make a habit of being first in line for waived players, he did say they “plan to be aggressive.”

The Panthers feel confident they are putting the right pieces in place to help Bryce Young and the lackluster offense of last year. “We feel confident, I think we did a good job surrounding Bryce with some more weapons and getting him some protection up front with our free agent guards.” He did mention that at this early stage of the new season, everybody in the league feels good about their roster, but now it’s about the entire organization “putting the work in, and getting the coaches to develop these guys and put them in the right position to succeed.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Morgan wanted to draft more guys, but they’re happy with who they got and Morgan believes they’ll be “able to contribute in year one.” He also noted the importance of getting Derrick Brown to sign on the dotted line. “It was imperative to get Derrick Brown locked up, so getting him re-signed was huge us.” Morgan loves Brown’s passion and play ethic, saying, “Brown is a force on the field, and the way he plays every day and the way he presents himself out on the field. He runs to the ball like it’s game day every single day.”