The Panthers hired Scott Fitterer to replace former general manager Marty Hurney for a lot of reasons. To name a few, Hurney bungled the team’s quarterback situation, mismanaged the salary cap and didn’t have much luck finding true talents outside of the first round of the draft.
That last element is the most critical to success for any NFL executive. It’s not hard to find great players in round one, but those who have an eye for finding gems on Day 2 and Day 3 will give their teams a better chance to compete in the long run more often than not.
Fitterer comes to Carolina from Seattle, where he served in a number of front office roles over the last 20 years. For a time, no team in the league did a better job of hitting on mid-late round picks and undrafted free agents.
So, what can their history tell us about Fitterers draft plans for the Panthers? Let’s take a deep dive into a decade’s worth of theire draft classes and see what we can learn.