4 big factors behind Scott Fitterer’s first draft as Panthers GM

Athleticism and Analytics

One part of the selection process that was especially evident this time around was the Carolina Panthers combining athleticism and analytics to get the right sort of college recruits on board. Team owner David Tepper made no secret of his desire to go in this particular direction regarding recruitment. Scott Fitterer’s polished approach to the statistical area is also something that played a substantial role in getting the job after Marty Hurney was shown the door for a second time.

The term Relative Athletic Score is something Carolina fans might want to get used to in the coming years. This has formed a key component of their decision-making process and resulted in the team drafting one of the more athletic units in the NFL despite using a sixth-round selection on mammoth interior lineman Deonte Brown out of Alabama.

Here is the RAS for all the Panthers’ draft recruits (scores out of a possible 10).

• Jaycee Horn – 9.99
• Terrace Marshall Jr. – 9.77
• Brady Christensen – 9.84
• Tommy Tremble – 8.91
• Chuba Hubbard – 8.44
• Daviyon Nixon – 8.38
• Keith Taylor – 6.54
• Deonte Brown – 1.48
• Shi Smith – 6.79
• Thomas Fletcher – 6.74
• Phil Hoskins – 6.67

This doesn’t translate to production on the field. But it does reflect on how athletic and capable a prospect might be once they get to a professional environment.

Athletic prospects seemed to make the biggest impact for the Panthers from their 2020 class. If their latest batch of recruits can have a similar impression in various roles, then they might turn out to be a real force in 2021.