4 surprising moves the Panthers made during the 2021 NFL Draft

Drafting a long snapper

Nobody was more surprised that the Carolina Panthers went with a long snapper in the sixth round more than Thomas Fletcher himself. The Alabama product was one of the best around in college but it was evident he thought Matt Rhule was calling to make him an undrafted free-agent offer with the three-day event winding down.

Instead, Fletcher became a member of the Panthers, which was a shocking move considering they still had plenty of other avenues to go down. However, Rhule stated that he wants competition at every position heading into training camp, and although J.J. Jansen’s production has been exemplary in Carolina during his career, father time waits for no man and a long-term alternative was needed.

There were few better at what they do than Fletcher in college. The Panthers didn’t want to decrease their chances of landing a potential 10-year starter at the position even though they do have Jansen for one more season, so the pair will now head into a training camp battle to see who deserves a place atop the depth chart.

Although this was a shock, there is nothing wrong with strengthening the roster in less important positions with a late-round flyer, as hitting home runs in this area of the draft can be a tricky business.