After using their first two draft picks on trench enforcements, the Carolina Panthers took the speedy route and selected wide receiver Chris Brazzell II with the 83rd pick. It’s a selection that head coach Dave Canales was passionate about – calling the former Tennessee Volunteer his “favorite player in the draft.” Here’s what you need to know about the Fort Worth, Texas speedster.
At 6’0, 200 pounds, Brazzell was the SEC’s leading receiver at 84.8 yards per game, and one of the top receivers in the nation. He was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award and Earl Campbell Award, while receiving third-team All-America accolades from the Associated Press. The league’s only 1,000-yard receiver during the regular season, he earned first team All-SEC honors. His nine receiving touchdowns led the league. To be the best, you have to go against the best and that’s where Brazzell shined – finishing with 25 catches for 402 yards and four touchdowns against AP Top 25 teams .
KNOXVILLE, TN – November 29, 2025 – Wide receiver Chris Brazzell II #17 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Drew Garrison/Tennessee AthleticsPrior to Tennessee, Brazzell spent his true and redshirt freshman seasons at Tulane, earning freshman All-America honors and All-AAC Third Team accolades as the Green Wave’s leading receiver.
Brazzell became a Carolina Panthers fan in the third grade. His youth team mascot was the Panthers and he played quarterback at the time – becoming a big fan of then-Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Truly shocked to hear his name called in the third round, he calls the experience a dream come true. Canales was full of praise. “When you look at Tulane, then you look at Tennessee, and you kinda combine all of it, you’re gonna get a full picture of a route tree, body control, ability to do those things, and of course the ability to stretch the field.”
Brazzell joins a receivers room that includes last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Tetairoa McMillan, 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette, rising star Jalen Coker, veteran David Moore, Brycen Tremayne, and Jimmy Horn, Jr., free agency signee John Metchie III, Dan Chisena, Ja’seem Reed, and Ainias Smith. The Panthers are back at it tomorrow with picks 119, 158, 196, and 200.
