When you don't have eleven trips up to the plate as you did a year ago, you have to have a plan of what you're targeting in the draft. Panthers GM Scott Fitterer and his scouting team did a phenomenal job of doing that by identifying athletes at positions of need.
Whether it be trading up to get Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith, taking pass rusher Amaré Barno in the sixth or getting an absolute burner in corner Kalon Barnes in the seventh, the Panthers followed through with their plan of getting fast and athletic players.
"It’s basically what presented itself on the board," Fitterer said. "You know when you look there were a lot of good accomplished players that had gone and what standing there was a bunch of really athletic, almost freakish athletic guys and we are a draft‐and‐develop organization and that is where we trust our coaches to get with these players and develop them. We have a vision for them. So once we get them here they become ours, we can get them with the coaches, put them in a position where they can excel. That’s what we plan to do with these guys. Until they do that, until they become impact position players we know that can contribute on special teams with their speed and athleticism."
It just so happens that not only was the front office pleased with how the draft went, but also wide receiver Robbie Anderson and former Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart liked what the team did and chimed in on Twitter.
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