Carolina Panthers mailbag: Keeping an eye on 2024 NFL Draft class in training camp

The Carolina Panthers have completed the first five training camp practices of the summer. And with Dave Canales putting his stamp on workouts, fans are naturally curious about what is going on during the Charlotte-based practices.

So, The Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer some of the inquires from social media.

Here are some standout questions from social media:

Checking in on the Panthers’ rookies

@CrewGiraffe asks: Been a lot of talk Twitter the last week or so about the high draft picks, but not so much about the lower-round picks (Trevin Wallace, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jaden Crumedy). How have they looked?

Mike Kaye: The Observer spent the first two workouts of the week focusing on the rookie class. And while Xavier Legette, the team’s first-round pick, had his moments as a pass catcher, the rest of the class had its flashes of upside as well.

Linebacker Trevin Wallace took first-team reps on Monday and Tuesday with Shaq Thompson sitting out of drills. The rookie linebacker was asked about quite a bit during our fielding of questions for the mailbag this week, and understandably so, as Thompson is entering a contract year at 30.

Wallace, the team’s third-round pick, worked opposite veteran Josey Jewell with the starting defense. The athletic defender moves very well in space and his physicality should be put on display the more the Panthers practice in pads. While he is likely to be the team’s nickel linebacker and main backup to Thompson and Jewell this season, Wallace could earn some starter reps if he proves to be effective in the preseason.

Wallace had an up-and-down individual coverage drill performance on Monday. In his first rep, he appeared to be fooled on a double move by running back Mike Boone for catch. Wallace later broke up a pass to running back Jaden Shirden in the flat. Wallace is a size-speed prospect, so he needs to get a grip on his technique if he wants to play a lot as a rookie.

Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, the team’s fourth-round pick, hasn’t really stood out much yet. He did have an excellent catch on Monday in individual drills, but has otherwise been relatively quiet. That happens with rookies, especially with the tight end position, as there’s a lot to learn there. Sanders is likely to thrive when used primarily as a slot receiver as he wasn’t much of a blocker at the college level, and that skill takes time to cultivate.

Fifth-round pick Chau Smith-Wade made a nice play in coverage on Tuesday. The rookie cornerback broke up a pass meant for wide receiver Johnathan Mingo in 11-on-11 red-zone drills. The batted ball was nearly picked off by cornerback Dane Jackson off a ricochet. Smith-Wade is working with the nickel corner group, which also includes Troy Hill — the starter — and Jammie Robinson.

Sixth-round pick Jaden Crumedy — a defensive lineman — has been harder to get an evaluation on because there has only been one padded practice. Seventh-round pick Michael Barrett, another linebacker, has worked with the deep depth groups and will need to shine on special teams in the preseason to stick around.

Where have all the big plays gone?

Jared asks: Noticed some conversation around Panthers Twitter on the lack of deep ball usage in practice. Should fans be concerned or is this just the normal training camp build up?

Jared asked this question earlier in the week before Bryce Young had back-to-back impressive days. Young, on Monday and Tuesday, offered up plenty of highlights to start the week.

He made an outstanding throw down the field on Monday to tight end Ian Thomas for at least 20 yards. On Tuesday, he launched a perfect throw over coverage to wide receiver Diontae Johnson for a gain of roughly 20 yards.

The Panthers want to push the ball down the field. In order to do that, Young needs to have weapons who get open and blockers who protect him. Young is getting used to revamped wideout and protection units, so he’s adjusting his approach as he seemingly becomes more comfortable.

Young has done a nice job of keeping his eyes down the field throughout the early days of camp. It was encouraging to see him target Johnson deep on Tuesday while wearing pads and maintaining his accuracy.

It remains to be seen if this offense will truly be explosive, but for right now, the signs are more encouraging than not. With Johnson, Legette and Mingo in the fold, it’s safe to assumed that Young will toss the ball deep significantly more than he did last season (low bar) under the previous coaching staff.

What will the defense look like?

Aaron asks: How do you see the defensive identity transitioning following the move from Burns?

With Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu now in the NFC East, the Panthers are likely to focus heavily on stopping the run. While Burns and Luvu were proficient pass rushers, neither player was particularly efficient against the run.

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero wants to stop the run, first and foremost. Last season, that aspect of the defense faltered, and the unit predictably suffered as a result. The Panthers allowed 122.4 rushing yards per game, which ranked 23rd in the NFL last year.

With the offseason additions of Jewell, A’Shawn Robinson and Jadeveon Clowney, the Panthers are headed in the right direction.

Jewell is a more natural fit at inside linebacker than Luvu, especially from a run-stopping perspective, and Robinson has always been known as a brick-wall defender. Clowney is among the elite run-stoppers at his position, and the Panthers will benefit greatly from his ability to set the edge.

If the Panthers can mitigate the damage on the ground, in theory, they could make opposing offenses one-dimensional. The Panthers had an excellent pass defense last year, and they’re hoping to that the focus on stopping the run won’t hinder their coverage ability.

Questionable roster tinkering?

Greg asks: Why do they keep signing receivers when they clearly need depth elsewhere? And what happened with Ngakoue?

The Panthers have added wide receivers Deven Thompkins, Devin Carter and Tayvion Robinson in the past week.

Thompkins was added to push Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Raheem Blackshear at the returner positions. Thompkins also has a background with Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik from their shared time in Tampa Bay last year. In theory, Thompkins knows the offense and can push other playmakers for a job in training camp and the preseason. He essentially replaced Cam Sims, who was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list last week.

Carter and Robinson were basically added for the rep count. Carter essentially replaced Sam Pinckney, while Robinson essentially replaced Daewood Davis, who sustained a thigh injury on Monday.

Really, this is all just the normal churn of training camp.

Regarding Yannick Ngakoue — who took part in a workout with the team last week — my understanding is that his situation isn’t a finalized one. He’s still available and the team still needs pass rusher help, even after signing Kemoko Turay last week.

Ngakoue, at this point in his career, is a rotational pass rusher. His fit in the scheme will take some maneuvering because — as mentioned above — Evero prioritizes stopping the run. Historically, Ngakoue has been a plus pass rusher and a net negative against the run. So, the Panthers need to weigh his fit, plus his cost.

As of Wednesday, the Panthers have a projected $5.96 million in cap space, according Over The Cap.

Ngakoue isn’t just going to take any offer, and the Panthers aren’t likely to contend this season. So, weighing the upside of a rotational pass rusher who would cost a decent amount in a rebuilding year will likely factor into his outlook with the team.

The door isn’t shut because he is still available, but it’s not necessarily a slam-dunk marriage either.

The two-kicker conundrum

Steven asks: Do you think there’s a chance we keep two kickers with Eddy Piñeiro and Harrison Mevis? I know Piñeiro has had some injuries pop up before, I don’t know if you stash him on the practice squad.

Eddy Piñeiro and undrafted rookie Harrison Mevis are battling for a job on the 53-man roster, but that shouldn’t stop the Panthers from keeping an extra kicker on the practice squad. Frankly, every team should keep extra specialists on the practice squad with the volatility of the kicker and punter positions in the NFL. There’s also the injury risk to weigh.

That said, Piñeiro has been a perfect 10 for 10 on field goal attempts this summer. While the Panthers would save $1.85 million if they were to move on from him, he has been a pretty dependable kicker over the past two years when healthy.

Piñeiro is an asset and the Panthers should view him as such. If they do, Mevis would need a herculean performance this summer to upset the incumbent starter.

However, if Mevis can’t outshine Piñeiro, the Panthers would still have the option of keeping him or another kicker on the practice squad as insurance (and potentially contract extension leverage) this fall.

Piñeiro missed a couple weeks of camp last year and the final two games of last season due to a couple of injuries. Mevis could essentially be the “open in case of emergency” specialist for the squad if Piñeiro falters or gets injured.

That plan seems like pretty smart roster-building awareness.