CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — If this past draft taught us anything, it’s that Panthers general manager Dan Morgan might very well be a master of deception.
Remember when he said, they were fine staying put with their two second-round picks?
“We have the 33rd pick, which is essentially a late first-round pick,” he said the day he and head coach Dave Canales were introduced.
Except in reality, 33 isn’t 32 and is NOT in the first round.
Enter a trade to land wide receiver Xavier Legette, from South Carolina.
That was the first misdirection.
The next one came in the very next round when they took Jonathon Brooks out of Texas. (Following two more trades, I might add.) Brooks is a running back, which means all that talk of the team being committed to Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders, may have been just that, talk.
“When Dave and I took this job, we said we were going to create competition,” Morgan said Saturday morning following the third round.
That move raised a few eyebrows, as well as the realization that three of Carolina’s first four picks were offensive players.
Contrary to what was said days before, it appeared this draft WAS about finding talent that was best for a certain 2nd-year quarterback.
“I feel like we really took advantage of some of those spots to bring a bunch of talent into our roster, specifically talking about the offense,” Canales.
To be clear, my point isn’t to say what Carolina did was wrong. However a lot of it was surprising, and a clear departure from what we thought they’d do based off Morgan’s predraft comments.
As the rounds progressed, Carolina did get around to addressing some of its biggest concerns: A second linebacker, a defensive tackle, and a cornerback.
But when the dust settled, one need remained unfilled and it was a big one considering the perceived lack of depth: The center position.
“We feel good about it,” Morgan countered, citing improvement from Austin Corbett and backup Brady Christensen. “But we are always looking to challenge our roster.”
At this point, we’re left to guess what it all means, and I guess that is what Morgan likes… A master of deception indeed.
