And just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. Per usual, it was a wild and unexpected ride, starting with all the Round 1 action. Day 2 and Day 3 delivered surprises of their own. Some teams capitalized on the opportunity, while others came up short. Let’s take a look at the 2023 NFL Draft recap, analysis, and grades for the Carolina Panthers. NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.
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2023 NFL Draft Recap, Analysis & Grades: Carolina Panthers
NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.
Thor Nystrom’s Overview & Grades
Carolina Panthers | Draft Grade: B-
| Pick | Team | Position | Rank | Name | School | Comp |
| 1 | Panthers | QB1 | 1 | Bryce Young | Alabama | Russell Wilson |
| 39 | Panthers | WR10 | 86 | Jonathan Mingo | Mississippi | Chase Claypool |
| 80 | Panthers | ED20 | 151 | DJ Johnson | Oregon | James Smith-Williams |
| 114 | Panthers | OL7 | 73 | Chandler Zavala | North Carolina State | Josh Sitton |
| 145 | Panthers | S5 | 91 | Jammie Robinson | Florida State | Quandre Diggs |
The bulk of the import of the Panthers’ five-man class was an outcome decided in advance. But the Panthers made the right decision in taking QB Bryce Young at 1.1.
So often this spring, you heard about Young’s body size, how he’s an “outlier.” And I suppose that’s true. More topically and to the point, Young is an outlier in terms of brain size. The kid sees the field like Professor X from X-Men sees the universe. You aren’t goading Bryce Young into anything. If any of your coverage breaks down, he will make you pay dearly. Young will present a puzzle to NFL defenses that is utterly unique from what they’ve seen before.
I know that WR Jonathan Mingo was all the rage in the weeks leading up to the draft, and for that reason, I wasn’t surprised to see him taken in early R2. I can’t get on board with that price point. The movement his exceptional pre-draft testing suggested was not apparent on film. But I will say: His routes impressed me at the Senior Bowl, and his QB last year, Jaxson Dart, left a metric ton of unrealized Mingo yards on the field last year.
Others were higher on Round 3 EDGE DJ Johnson than I was. But I appreciated Carolina’s value-shopping on Saturday, grabbing OG Chandler Zavala and S Jammie Robinson. The only questions about Zavala are medical-related. If his body holds up, how fun is it going to see him with OT Ikem Ekwonu again? Those two together were atomic bombs at NC State, cratering out their side of the line of scrimmage.
Andrew Erickson’s Overview & Grades
Carolina gets their quarterback of the future with Bryce Young. Simply put, he’s the best football player in the QB class, and there would be no debate if he wasn’t undersized.
At 39th overall, Carolina selected Jonathan Mingo. The Ole Miss WR can adjust to balls downfield and break tackles, standing at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds with 4.46 wheels to boot. However, there are several other WRs there were available that I would have much preferred the Panthers gravitating toward as Mingo is still somewhat of an unfinished product. Still, his size/speed profile is enticing, and his downfield prowess should gel with his new rookie quarterback. In 2022, 31% of his targets came on throws 20-plus yards downfield, second to only Marvin Mims in the class (38%).
Carolina wrapped up Day 2 with edge rusher D.J. Johnson which addressed the team’s second biggest need on the edge. Johnson finished with a 14% pressure rate in 2022, tied for the 11th-highest in the edge class. His true pressure rate was the same as Will Anderson’s 16% last season. He tested well at the NFL Combine, running a 4.49 at 260 pounds (97th percentile). His two closest comparables per Mockdraftable.com include Kayvon Thibodeaux and Josh Allen.
On Day 3, the Panthers got a steal with Chandler Zavala who was the best available guard left. Zavala led the 2023 guard class with the fewest pass-blown blocks (0.2) per game. He also tested extremely well at NC State’s pro day, running the second-fastest 3-cone drill at 4.53 at 322 pounds. Zavala will reunite with fellow former Wolfpack offensive lineman, Ikem Ekwonu in Carolina.
FINAL DRAFT GRADE: A-
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