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Jonathon Brooks became the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft when the Carolina Panthers traded up to get the Texas running back. In recent years, the running back position has devalued due to its lack of longevity and how easy it is to replace the median player - but Brooks can be a star in the league.
As soon as news broke that the franchise was going to take him, his girlfriend, Baylea Brandon, shared pictures of her wearing a Carolina Panthers hat; she also shared pictures of Carolina's Instagram announcing the pick and, later, the Texas university doing the same.
Brooks was the second pick made by Carolina during the 2024 draft. Without their first-round pick, which turned out to be the first overall used by the Chicago Bears to select Caleb Williams, they traded up inside the first round on Thursday to get wide receiver Xavier Legette.
Who's the new head coach for the Carolina Panthers?
Dave Canales took over from Frank Reich after a disastrous 2023 season from the former Colts head coach.
It's a fantastic hire, to be fair. Canales, who was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, has done a masterful job engineering offenses for Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith in the previous two years, and he also was the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver coach for eight seasons, which means that he can also help with the development of Young's weapons, which struggled badly in 2023.
Even though he's a first-time head coach in the NFL, he has proved twice that he can design a good offense and that he can help quarterbacks who struggled previously. That's exactly the kind of coach you want to help Bryce Young: a guy with a proven record who will be excited with the idea of reviving his career.
When the 2024 draft resumes on Saturday, Carolina will be on the clock with pick #101, the first of the fourth round. We'll see if they will again go with an offensive player to help Young.
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