Limited draft capital where? The Carolina Panthers continued making the most of what they have by trading both fifth round draft picks ( Nos. 144 and 149) to the Washington Commanders in exchange for the Nos. 120 and 189. With the move up, the Panthers selected Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith.
As a sophomore, Smith started all nine games for the Littany Lions and was named the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Week three times. He entered his junior season on the Butkus Award Watch List and was named a semifinalist mid-season. He also earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and was named third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and honorable mention by the media.
Speaking with Charlotte media for the first time, Smith said this his closest NFL comparison is current Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds due in part to their similar physical build. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 250 pounds, Smith brings even more speed to an already quick linebacker room with his 4.52 second 40-yard dash speed. He joins Shaq Thompson, Damien Wilson, Cory Littleton, Azur Kamara, Frankie Luvu, Kamal Martin, and Julian Stanford.
The Panthers remaining picks are 189th, 199th, and 242nd overall after trading up in the third round to take Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral at No. 94 late Friday night.
