2024 NFL Draft tracker: Panthers close out class with another linebacker pick

The Carolina Panthers have added to their NFL Draft haul on Saturday after wheeling and dealing during the first three rounds.

Carolina came into Day 3 with four draft picks, owning a selection in each of the four remaining rounds. With remaining needs at cornerback, center, edge rusher, and defensive line, general manager Dan Morgan will need to trust his draft board throughout the remainder of the selection process.

The squad kicked off Day 3 with the 101st overall selection of Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who joins Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks and Trevin Wallace within the team’s draft class.

Below is our Day 3 live tracker which will updated throughout the draft with selections, trades, rumors and more:

Carolina closes things out with another linebacker in the seventh round

The Carolina Panthers selected Michigan linebacker Michael Barrett with the 240th overall pick in the seventh round.

Barrett, listed as 5-foot-11 and 233 pounds, is coming off a National Championship campaign with the Wolverines. He joins Wallace, the team’s third-round pick, as Carolina doubled up on linebacker prospects over the final two days of the draft.

Barrett played six seasons with the Wolverines. During his tenure, Barrett produced 208 tackles (12.5 for loss), 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups and four forced fumbles.

Barrett will compete with Wallace, Tae Davis, Claudin Cherelus and Chandler Wooten for a role this summer.

Panthers get big defensive lineman in sixth round

The Panthers added Mississippi State defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy with the 200th overall pick in the sixth round. The pick, which was acquired on Day 1 in the trade up with the Buffalo Bills for Legette, adds depth to a position of need.

Crumedy, listed as 6-foot-4 and 301 pounds, adds to a room that already features Derrick Brown, A’Shawn Robinson and Shy Tuttle. Crumedy is likely to provide support behind that starting trio opposite LaBryan Ray and Nick Thurman.

In five seasons with the Bulldogs, Crumedy produced 123 tackles (16 for loss), 8.5 sacks and five pass breakups. Crumedy ran an impressive 4.97-second 40-yard dash in February. It’ll be interesting to see if the Panthers view Crumedy as more of a nose tackle than a defensive end. The Panthers don’t use the nose tackle position in a traditional sense, so Crumedy could serve as Tuttle’s backup this season.

Carolina adds cornerback in fifth round

With the 157th overall pick, the Panthers selected Washington State cornerback Chau Smith-Wade in the fifth round. The Denver, Colo., native produced 103 tackles (six for loss), three interceptions, 17 pass breakups and three forced fumbles during his four-year career with the Cougars.

The 5-foot-10, 184-pound cornerback ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He is likely to provide depth behind starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn, Dane Jackson and Troy Hill this season. He will compete with Dicaprio Bootle, D’Shawn Jamison, A.J. Parker and Lamar Jackson for snaps at cornerback.

Smith-Wade played outside cornerback in college. According to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, he can also play safety. Smith-Wade told the media after the pick that the Panthers view him as a guy who can play all around the secondary. He also said a lot of scouts thought he was a good fit for nickel corner.

Smith-Wade was a standout during the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in January.

Panthers select tight end with first pick of fourth round

It took three days, but the Panthers finally used a pick designated specifically for them in the fourth round.

With the top pick in the fourth round — 101st overall — the Panthers selected Texas tight end Ja’Tavian Sanders. Sanders was projected by draft analysts as a Day 2 by most NFL draft analysts.

During his three-year career at Texas, Sanders produced 99 catches for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis during the NFL Scouting Combine.

Sanders will reunite with second-round pick Jonathon Brooks, who played with the tight end as a member of the Longhorns for the past three years.

Some gems still available on Day 3

During his stints as an evaluator with the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills, Morgan was known for finding diamonds in the rough on Day 3. New Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson is a well-known find for Morgan, who pounded the table for the defensive back when he was with the Bills during the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

When Morgan was asked if there was a “potential Dane Jackson” on the board for the Panthers heading into Day 3, the GM affirmed that there were players who fit that profile.

“Yeah, I think there (are) some guys we have identified in the later rounds that have the qualities, same type of qualities that Dane has,” Morgan said. “So, yeah, there is always those diamonds in the rough that we’re looking for, that our scouts and coaches are looking for. Yeah, we’re going to turn over every stone and try to find those type of guys.”

Panthers draft class

▪ First round, 32nd overall pick (via Buffalo Bills from Kansas City Chiefs): Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

▪ Second round, 46th overall pick (via Indianapolis Colts): Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas

▪ Third round, 72nd overall pick (via New York Jets): Trevin Wallace, LB, Kentucky

▪ Fourth round, 101st overall: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas

▪ Fifth round, 157th overall (via Jets): Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State

▪ Sixth round, 200th overall (via Bills): Jaden Crumedy, DL, Mississippi State

▪ Seventh round, 240th overall (via Pittsburgh Steelers): Michael Barrett, LB, Michigan

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