Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Panthers gave us an inside look and listen into the draft calls for each of their 2023 selections.
Young football players who aspire to reach the NFL work much of their lives to get “the call.” It’s a moment of excitement, relief, validation and—for some—motivation.
And, luckily for us, the Carolina Panthers provided an inside look at each of those rings for their 2023 draft class. Here they are . . .
Panthers fans are digging their team’s Day 3 picks—NC State G Chandler Zavala and Florida State S Jammie Robinson.
The Carolina Panthers weren’t particularly busy on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, coming into Saturday afternoon with just a pair of late-round picks. But that pair of picks have their fans buzzing.
Here are some of their reactions to the selections of guard Chandler Zavala and safety Jammie Robinson.
After drafting NC State’s Chandler Zavala, Panthers HC Frank Reich told reporters he expects G Austin Corbett to miss some time to start the regular season.
Saturday’s selection of Chandler Zavala makes a lot more sense now.
Following that pick, the 114th of the 2023 NFL draft, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Frank Reich spoke to reporters about their Day 3 activity. When speaking on the North Carolina State University hog molly, Reich said adding depth to the offensive line was particularly important due to the recovery of Austin Corbett.
“It’s no secret, everybody knows you need depth at o-line and you need competition,” he said. “Obviously, with Corbett’s injury and him gonna be missing some time at the beginning of the year, it was something Scott and I talked about. We need to find somebody to come in there and compete and find the right mix in the interior.”
That somebody was Zavala, who played left guard for the Wolfpack over the past two seasons. He’ll be providing some insurance while Corbett, who tore his ACL in the season finale against the New Orleans Saints, works his way back to the field.
Reich, when asked to elaborate on his initial reference to Corbett, confirmed the starting right guard is expected to miss some games at the beginning of the regular season. He also added that starting left guard Brady Christensen, who sustained a broken ankle in that same game, should be “good to go” to kick off the campaign.
[lawrence-related id=669134,673639,673632]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxc4awx2fz2sn9 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]
NFL teams got all kinds of prospect value in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft, and here are the best fourth-round value picks.
You wanna tell me that players selected in the fourth round can’t ball in the NFL?
In recent years, Kirk Cousins, Geno Atkins, David Bakhtiari, Dak Prescott, K.J. Wright, De’Vondre Campbell, and Za’Darius Smith are among those who would vehemently disagree with you.
Throughout pro football history, there’s Charles Haley, John Stallworth, Steve Largent, and Cliff Branch who would be happy to show you their gold jackets. (R.I.P., Mr. Branch).
So, the guys selected in the first round of the third day of the 2023 draft have every opportunity to stick it in the faces of all the teams who passed them by in the first three rounds.
As they say, all it takes is one team, and here are the best value picks in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
With the Panthers’ selection of NC State G Chandler Zavala, Ikem Ekwonu is no longer a one-man wolf pack.
Ikem Ekwonu is no longer a one-man wolf pack.
On Saturday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers added the second North Carolina State University product to their roster—drafting guard Chandler Zavala with the 114th pick of the 2023 NFL draft. And, suffice to say, his new (and former) teammate is touched.
🤝🏾🥲 pic.twitter.com/wIBZrPM49m
— Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu (@BigIck79) April 29, 2023
Ekwonu and Zavala played side-by-side in Raleigh during the 2021 campaign—with the former at left tackle and the latter at left guard. That season, before Ickey became the sixth overall pick of the 2022 draft, saw Chandler play in 339 offensive snaps over five games.
2022 would be a much busier year for Zavala, and not just because Ickey went to Charlotte. He continued to man the left guard spot for 12 outings—allowing just three hurries, one quarterback hit and zero sacks on 422 pass-blocking snaps.
But now, Zavala rejoins his left-hand guy in Ekwonu—who is, obviously, ready to howl with his pal once again.
[lawrence-related id=673632,673616,673576]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxc4awx2fz2sn9 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]
The Panthers kept it local in the fourth round with NC State G Chandler Zavala, who will bring some more beef to the team’s group of hog mollies.
Beef, anyone?
To kick off their activity on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers selected North Carolina State University guard Chandler Zavala with the 114th overall pick. And as far as fourth-round interior lineman go, this is as sexy of a choice as it gets.
For one, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound hog molly is an eye-opening athlete at his size. He tested out with a 9.50 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which ranks 72nd out of nearly 1,500 guards recorded since 1987.
Zavala also has the numbers, or as much as you can conjure from linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just seven hurries, one hit and zero sacks over 615 pass-blocking snaps between 2021 and 2022—earning himself overall grades of 71.5 and 76.0, respectively.
As far as his specific fit, Zavala is certainly a left-side guy—as he played 1,083 of his 1,084 snaps in Raleigh at left guard. So while he could some day challenge Brady Christensen for lead duties, the 24-year-old can immediately give an otherwise light group behind the starting bunch some solid depth.
[lawrence-related id=673616,673566,666517]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxc4awx2fz2sn9 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]
The Panthers have selected NC State G Chandler Zavala with the 114th overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft.
The Carolina Panthers just got Ickey his dog back.
With the 114th overall pick went North Carolina State University guard Chandler Zavala. The local 6-foot-3, 325-pounder met with the team prior to the 2023 NFL draft.
After a four-year stay at Fairmount State University, Zavala played his fifth and sixth seasons of college eligibility with the Wolfpack. He appeared in five games in 2021, alongside current Panthers left tackle and last year’s sixth overall pick Ikem Ekwonu, and 12 in 2022—all from the left guard spot.
Zavala, per Pro Football Focus, allowed zero sacks, one quarterback hit and seven hurries over those two years in Raleigh. That body of work helped him earn a 71.5 overall grade from PFF in 2021 and an even better 76.0 in 2022.
Being that both starting guards in Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett are healing up from offseason surgery, Zavala can provide some needed depth to the interior of the group.
[lawrence-related id=673616,673608,673582]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxc4awx2fz2sn9 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]
We’re on to Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft. Here are the 20 best prospects who fit what the Saints look for, from Darius Rush to Dorian Thompson-Robinson:
We’re on to Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft. We’ve already broken down the top 50 available players, but the New Orleans Saints tend to take a fine-toothed comb to the draft class while looking for their best fits.
With that in mind, here are 20 prospects who best fit what the Saints look for, athletically and schematically, ranging from South Carolina cornerback Darius Rush to UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The team has met with many of these players either privately on campus or in formal visits at the team facility. With five picks left to them in 2023, expect them to target some of these prospects:
As we enter Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, here are some of the best available prospects for the New York Giants (who will have four picks).
The New York Giants were very active over the first two days of the 2023 NFL draft, making a pair of trades and acquiring three top players and potential starters.
Because of general manager Joe Schoen’s wheeling and dealing, the Giants have just four picks remaining over the final four rounds. Their next pick does not come until No. 172 overall (Round 5). However, don’t rule out another trade up.
Here are some of the best available prospects for Big Blue on Day 3.
The Philadelphia Eagles add depth at two key positions and acquire a 2024 3rd-round pick in this updated mock draft ahead of Rounds 2-3
The Eagles landed two of the NFL draft’s top 15 players on Thursday night, and it is even sweeter after Howie Roseman drafted the fourth former Georgia Bulldogs defender.
Jalen Carter was the pick at No. 9, and after patiently waiting, Philadelphia’s GM doubled back and landed one of the top edge rushers in the country with Nolan Smith.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) April 28, 2023
Super Bowls are won in Rounds 2 and 3, and the Eagles will have two selections on Friday after acquiring a 2023 third-round pick (No. 66 overall) from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick (No. 94 overall) and a 2024 fifth-round pick.
With two more rounds set to be completed, here’s an updated mock draft with two trades.
