Four Carolina Panthers draft picks land in ESPN's top-100 selections

Talent evaluations are always subjective.

For all the flack the Carolina Panthers have caught over the years for reaching on selections and missing -in-your-face talent, it seems that the ship is finally turning around.

ESPN's draft analyst Matt Miller ranked his top-100 favorite selections of the 2024 NFL Draft, and four Panthers picks landed on his list.

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The top Panthers selection in Miller's list was the Panthers' selection of Texas running back Jonathon Brooks.

Carolina selected Brooks with the 46th pick overall (2nd round). He was widely understood to be the best running back in the class. What hampered a lot of his draft stock was his knee injury. However, all reports suggest that he will be ready to play come Panthers training camp.

Here is what Miller had to say about the Brooks selection, which came in ranked No. 38 on his list:

"The strategy of the Panthers' draft was bringing talent around Bryce Young. Brooks is a patient, powerful and agile runner who will boost the team's running game. But maybe most importantly is that he is the best pass-protecting back in the class. That will get him on the field as soon as he's recovered from November ACL surgery."

The next selection Miller loves is the trade-up to nab South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette in the first round.

Several analysts couldn't seem to understand that the Panthers were trading for Legette's fifth-year option, which made it a good value trade for Carolina. If Legette pans out, having that fifth-year option could make all the difference during contract negotiations. Then, there is the talent element of it. Legette is a big-bodied receiver who can make plays on 50-50 balls. That is why Miller ranked the selection as the No. 44-best pick:

"All throughout the pre-draft process, I was told the Panthers loved Legette. And they did enough to trade up a spot into the first round to land him. Legette's power and speed after the catch will make life much easier for second-year quarterback Bryce Young."

A Panthers' seventh-round selection even made Miller's list. Michael Barrett was someone who slipped in the draft further than analysts expected. That is why he comes in ranked No. 46 on the top-100 draft selections list. Here is what Miller had to say:

"I will never understand how or why Barrett fell to the seventh round after he put out fantastic tape as a two-down linebacker at Michigan. He is a little on the short side at 5-foot-11, but he's powerful and consistently made great plays against the run in the Big Ten. At a minimum, the Panthers will get fantastic special-teams play from Barrett."

Ja'Tavion Sanders was arguably the best value pick the Panthers could have made. He was selected in the fourth round, and he is immediately a threat to start at tight end on day one. For Miller, he comes in ranked No. 52 on the top-100 picks list.

"Building the talent base around a young quarterback is so important, and the Panthers did that throughout the 2024 draft. Sanders is a superb "move" tight end with the agility and instincts to find space and make defenders miss once he has the ball in his hands. He didn't test well in the pre-draft process, which is why he fell, but Sanders has the talent to be a very good starter."

Related: Grading Panthers' 2024 NFL Draft: Carolina focuses on playmakers for Bryce Young