Dan Morgan pounded the table for Dane Jackson well before he took over atop the Carolina Panthers’ front office. And apparently, he still is.
The 27-year-old cornerback, who signed on with the Panthers last month, spoke with reporters on Wednesday. He was asked about Morgan, who played a major part in getting Jackson into the NFL.
“He’s been a great influence in my career,” he said. “I would like to thank him for a lot, just for giving me a chance. He was a big advocate, coming out for me when he was in Buffalo and just getting me on the team and believing and trusting in me. And same thing when I got here—during the process, when him and my agent were talking back and forth, it was just how much he believed in me. So I gotta tip my hat off to him and give him a lot of thanks for that.”
Morgan, now the president of football operations and general manager for Carolina, had previously served as the director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills from 2018 to 2020. During the draft in that final season, Morgan pushed for the Bills to select Jackson—who was ultimately taken in the seventh round.
But Jackson wasn’t exactly sure why Morgan and the Bills took him at the time. He was asked if there were any pre-draft hints of the organization looking his way.
“I don’t recall any conversation,” he replied. “I didn’t really talk to Buffalo during the draft process, so I honestly had no idea I was gonna go there. But once I got there, that’s when I learned how much he was advocating for me and how much he believed in me.”
As we head into this year’s draft, Jackson is currently projected as the team’s second starter at the cornerback position.
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