Day 1 grade: C
Day 2 grade: A
Day 3 grade: B+

Analysis: Carolina gave up what eventually turned into the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft as part of last year's trade to select quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers moved up a spot to pick Legette at the end of Round 1. He will need to show he was a better pick than several other receivers selected in the second round. Brooks should be an excellent back once recovered from his knee injury. Wallace was an excellent value in Round 3 and can take over for Frankie Luvu, who exited in free agency.

Sanders is a smooth pass-catching tight end who will be looking to outperform past Carolina draft picks Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. Smith-Wade is quicker than fast, making life difficult for receivers by sticking like glue.

Top needs entering the draft: Wide receiver, center, edge defender

It's difficult to start here without mentioning what the Panthers don't have in this draft, and that's the No. 1 overall pick. They traded their 2024 first-rounder a year ago to move up for quarterback Bryce Young, a move that didn't work out as Young struggled and Carolina went 2-15. In hindsight, it looks like a bad deal, but there's plenty of time for Young to turn it around and for this franchise to get back on track under new coach Dave Canales. It's worth noting that while I have Caleb Williams rated higher than Young in my pre-draft evaluations, Young's 2023 grade is similar to Jayden Daniels' and Drake Maye's this year. He can be a great player with support around him.

The Panthers were active on the first two days of the draft, making four trades, two down and two up the board. They ended up with two players who will directly help Young in Xavier Legette (32) and Jonathon Brooks (46). Legette, my sixth-ranked wideout, put up 1,255 yards in a breakout season. Carolina needed an injection of youth and talent in its wide receiver room, and Legette will give the offense some juice after the catch. Brooks is my top-ranked running back, a powerful and quick runner who is coming off a torn ACL. As I wrote Friday night, I expect him to make fantasy football managers happy in 2024.

Ja'Tavion Sanders (101) is a toolsy tight end in a 6-4 frame. I thought he was a little faster when I watched tape -- he ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the combine -- but he caught 99 passes in his Texas career. I see him getting early snaps for an offense that has to get better outlets for Young. Linebacker Trevin Wallace (72) went about two rounds higher than I had rated him, but he has some stickiness in coverage against tight ends. One under-the-radar asset Carolina added in its trades on Friday was a 2025 second-rounder from the Rams. I'm a fan of these types of deals for teams that aren't close to contending.

It's difficult to go much higher for Carolina with this grade, but if the organization's priority was to help Young in 2024, it did a decent job.

There have been 25 drafts held this century, and 18 times a quarterback has been the first pick. Only two other positions have earned the distinction of first overall pick since 2000 — edge rusher (five times) and offensive tackle (twice). The QB1 race is currently wide open, and if it remains that way, there are multiple top-tier prospects at edge and tackle worthy of hearing the commissioner announce their name first in prime time. The Vols' Pearce tops my list and would be a fine replacement for Brian Burns after the Panthers traded him away. The Charlotte native produced 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss his sophomore season in Knoxville, primarily beating SEC tackles with his explosive athleticism. If he develops his pass-rush arsenal and adds a bit more bulk to his 6-foot-5 frame, he'll be hard to pass on.

Pearce has a rare combination of bend and closing speed. He's a scheme-versatile defender who had a 20.2% pressure rate (third in the FBS), 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss last season, and he was especially great on third down (25.5% pressure). The Panthers need an explosive edge rusher after trading Brian Burns to the Giants this offseason.