After hitting it big with Kelvin Benjamin in last year's draft, the Panthers on Friday added another young wide receiver.
In the second trade of the second round, Carolina engineered a swap with St. Louis to move up from No. 57 overall to the 41st slot, where the Panthers grabbed Michigan's Devin Funchess.
To make the jump, Carolina shipped their second-rounder (No. 57), third-rounder (No. 89) and sixth-round pick (No. 201) to the Rams.
A big-bodied target at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, Funchess gives the Panthers another long target across from the 6-foot-5 Benjamin. Funchess, though, has been criticized for labored pass-catching skills and a shortage of vertical talent.
There's debate that Funchess could wind up as a move tight end, with NFL Media's Charles Davis on Friday comparing him to Jimmy Graham. As Around The NFL editor Gregg Rosenthal quipped, it feels like the Panthers are doing all they can to give Cam Newton targets he can't overthrow.
"I think they might move me around," Funchess told NFL Network from his draft party in Farmington Hills, Michigan. "But mostly it's the mismatch cause you have two 6'4-plus guys outside so it's going to be dangerous down there."
Adding Funchess to a wideout group that includes Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery and Ted Ginn, the Panthers are in a better place than they were a year ago through the air.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the first round of the NFL Draft. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
