The Carolina Panthers got mixed returns from their 2024 NFL Draft class. There's hope this can change moving forward, but the jury is still out on almost everybody entering Year 2 of their professional careers.
But for the team's most tragic tale, he'll have to wait a little longer.
Drafting Jonathon Broks was risky. The running back is immensely talented, but he was also coming off a torn ACL that needed significant rehabilitation. Carolina was satisfied enough by the medical reports to trade up and take him at No. 46 overall. It's been a complete disaster ever since.
Brooks tore the same ACL during his third game back against the Philadelphia Eagles. This was a devastating blow that saw the former Texas star go to the physically unable to perform list this offseason, ruling him out for the entire 2025 campaign.
Jonathon Brooks is in danger of becoming a Carolina Panthers afterthought
Panthers fans won't get to see Brooks until 2026. And even then, he may not have the explosiveness and dynamism that took college football by storm with the Longhorns.
Joe Nicely from Roto Baller unsurprisingly named Brooks as Carolina's worst draft pick in 2024 after one season. But at least the analyst acknowledged the sad circumstances behind the selection not going according to plan so far.
"We’re using “worst” as a relative term when it comes to Jonathon Brooks, as “saddest” might be more appropriate to describe his unfortunate rookie season. The Panthers drafted Brooks following an ACL tear at Texas. Sadly, Brooks suffered another devastating ACL injury just three games into his first pro campaign."Joe Nicely
The Panthers made the right call with Brooks. There is no pressure to get back sooner than expected. Carolina has Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, and fourth-round rookie Trevor Etienne to pick up the slack next season. That could be a potentially prolific trio if everyone gets a clear run of luck on the health front.
Dowdle is only on a one-year deal. Brooks could take his spot as the No. 2 option behind Hubbard in 2026, but one couldn't completely dismiss another extension for the South Carolina product if he builds on the first 1,000-yard rushing campaign of his career with the Dallas Cowboys.
This would make Brooks' predicament murkier, but that shouldn't be his main concern right now. The onus is on rehabilitation. Getting back to optimum fitness levels to reduce the risk of further complications emerging is crucial. That's all he should be worrying about.
The Panthers aren't giving up on Brooks just yet. But it's going to be a long time before they see a legitimate return on this investment.