2026 NFL Draft: Panthers select speedy Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II
Carolina concluded Day 2 of the three-day showcase by adding to the team's wide receiving corps and giving QB Bryce Young another weapon.
2026 NFL Draft: Panthers select speedy Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Carolina Panthers provided help for quarterback Bryce Young.
By selecting Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Friday, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan supplied Young with an additional outside weapon. While the Panthers' top two wide receivers, 2025 rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, are known for exploiting holes in coverage, Brazzell will be expected to create space with his speed and athleticism. A first-team All-SEC performer last season, Brazzell posted 62 receptions for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns.
Brazzell's scouting report reads: "He has deceptively good accelaration off the line of scrimmage," Scouts Inc. reported. The Panthers' run-first offense needed a player to stretch the field.
Did Morgan pull it off? Panthers coach Dave Canales believes in the pick. "His vertical speed was one thing I was so impressed with," Canales told reporters Friday.