Screamindemon3
Well-known member
I think that chart is important to show that you don't need an elite RB if you have an ELIte QB. The QBs on that list are generally ELIte - Brady a million times, Mahomes, Peyton, Eli, Stafford, etc. It is no coincidence that the two largest RB components - Lynch and Rice (who were both excellent RBs) - are paired with two of the lesser of the QBs: Wilson and WackoFlaccoFlav.
If you have an ELIte QB, then no you don't need a fantastic RB. But if your QB is just pretty good, then you need a really good RB to win. I don't think anyone thinks Bryce Young is going to be an ELIte NFL QB. Nobody is confusing him with Mahomes or Brady. His range is somewhere from Awful to hopefully Pretty Good. I think Dan Morgan is realistic about that. He had the chance to get the best RB in the draft with the 46th pick. Before the injury Brooks was a definite first round lock. He is a bonafide 3-down RB, and the Panthers don't need him to start Day 1. They aren't winning anything this year and Morgan knows it is a multiyear process. If Brooks is able to start by midseason, but turns into a feature RB, then that is a huge win. I really like the pick as it relates to the Panthers timeline.
I also like the TE pick. That dude seems like a steal from both a production and athleticism standpoint. He was right up there with Bowers in the TE receiving metrics. No he can't block, but who gives a shit? They can find a blocking TE easy enough, Tremble is already really good at it.
If Morgan was able to come out of this draft with a #1 WR, #1 RB, and #1 TE, that is pretty damn good. We'll see if it happens, but he clearly had a plan and made the moves to execute it. Put the pieces around Bryce to see if he can do the job. Offensive/QB coach, upgraded Oline, and improved playmakers. If he can't play better in this setting then they know they need to move on.
From r/panthers from Texas beat writer
I used to cover college football recruiting for USA Today and a few pay sites. Also founder of r/LonghornNation but that doesn’t mean anything.
Funnily enough he was a low 3-star recruit when Texas took him. He came in the year after Bijan from small town in south central Texas where he was tearing up 2A ball. Texas took a waiver on him like we did with D’Onta Foreman but were not expecting him to ever actually play with a five star RB committed to the class below him. He didn’t even win the starting spot at RB this year falling behind a highly touted 5-star CJ Baxter. He has heart and has constantly been the underdog and beat the charges.
Like the other Texas fans in here, I’m a huge fan, however he’s no Bijan. He played behind a much better OL and it showed. I’m a huge fan of his vision as well, but sometime he danced a bit instead of hitting the hole. I think that got better as he saw more reps he improved. I’m unsure if he’s a true 3-down RB. Despite the fact he’s 6’ 220, he’s definitely not gonna go fishing for contact or be able to get you 1 yard on the goal line. Also like Bijan, he lacked in pass pro.
Regardless, still a great player. He has some great wiggle and much better top end speed than Bijan. Bijan is quicker in a phone booth. Brooks is a one-cut dude who can hit a home run. He is a great pass catcher. The obvious concern around all of this is that he tore his ACL. So it’s up in the air what happens to his wiggle and speed. He also does not have any mileage on him which is huge in the NFL. While he does not have elite balance like Bijan his balance is still great as he broke plenty of tackles.
If he doesn’t get hurt, he wins the Doak Walker, Texas probably wins a natty (I’m not just wearing Orange tinted glasses here because I’m usually a pessimist. We had two fumbles from freahmen RB in the CFP and I liked how a Texas matched up vs Michigan better than Washington), and he goes late in the first round.
High risk pick, but there is a reason he was a second round grade despite an ACL tear.
If there is interest, I may do a video breakdown of some plays to highlight what I’m saying.