5 wide receiver prospects to help elevate Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young in 2024

Making Bryce Young work should be the top priority for the Carolina Panthers going forward. They can start that process by getting him a legitimate WR1.

Just about nothing is working for the Carolina Panthers in 2023. One thing is for sure - they need to give rookie quarterback Bryce Young a legitimate weapon - and the 2024 NFL Draft might be a great place to get that weapon.

I'd expect Carolina to also try and splurge from the veteran pool, as well. They brought in Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark in 2023 free agency, and the former undrafted free agent is on pace to amass well over 1,000 receiving yards.

Chark is averaging 32.7 yards per game. I had higher hopes for him, but I guess not.

Anyway, the Panthers need to make bolstering their wideout room a top priority this coming offseason. Fortunately, the this year's draft is filled with potential studs at the position. Even though the Panthers don't have their first-round pick, they have high enough capital to land a stud.

Let's take a gander at five college prospects that could help elevate Young.

Carolina Panthers could draft Troy Franklin

• Oregon Ducks
• 2023 stats: 58 catches | 946 receiving yards | 10 touchdowns

Troy Franklin is a junior this year and is just 20 years old. He's a very good prospect who could find himself in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Hopefully, he drops far enough that the Carolina Panthers can nab him up.

Carolina certainly isn't getting Marvin Harrison Jr or Keon Coleman. You can kiss those two goodbye.

Franklin is 6-foot-2 and under 185 pounds, so he profiles as a thinner wide receiver. DeVonta Smith, anyone?

This year, Frankin has caught 58 passes for 946 yards and a whopping 10 touchdowns. He's averaging 16.3 yards per catch and has 2,046 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns over 36 college games played.

Franklin has the potential to be a WR1 in the NFL. He'd certainly get a huge target share with the Panthers.

Carolina Panthers could draft Adonai Mitchell

• Texas Longhorns
• 2023 stats: 37 catches | 576 receiving yards | 8 touchdowns

Adonai Mitchell transferred from Georgia to Texas and is making the most of it. He might be a more desirable prospect than Troy Franklin because of his size, so he's another potential first-round candidate depending on how things unfold during the pre-draft assessment stage.

The wideout is 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds. Mitchell is the sort of prototypical big-bodied receiver that has dominated in the NFL for years.

Mitchell, in nine games, has already surpassed the production in 21 total games at Georgia. Seeing the development from his freshman to junior year bodes well for his NFL prospects. He's caught 37 passes for 576 receiving yards and eight touchdowns so far in 2023.

Carolina Panthers could draft Brian Thomas Jr.

• LSU Tigers
• 2023 stats: 45 catches | 768 receiving yards | 11 touchdowns

How about someone even bigger than Adonai Mitchell?

Brian Thomas Jr.'s size is almost hard to believe. He's 6-foot-5, nearly 200 pounds, and is another big-bodied receiver who has a very high ceiling in the NFL.

Thomas has put up stellar numbers thus far and looks like the last LSU stud to come off the conveyor belt and potentially carve out a successful pro career for himself. He's caught 45 passes for 768 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns through nine games.

Even if you think he's unpolished as a total product, you should most definitely look at his size as being too good to pass up. The speed is there, and the catch radius is elite. Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young's job gets 10 times easier with Thomas in the mix.

Carolina Panthers could draft Xavier Legette

• South Carolina Gamecocks
• 2023 stats: 50 catches | 973 receiving yards | 5 touchdowns

A fifth-year senior, Xavier Legette has truly hit his stride this year and might be the best overall prospect from this list. He's 6-foot-3 and is listed at 227 pounds, so he's got the best overall size from this group in terms of height and weight.

For reference, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Julio Jones is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds.

Legette is a big play waiting to happen. The player's speed is uncanny for as big as he is, which is what the Carolina Panthers have lacked in their vertical game this season.

Want proof? Check this sensational play out:

Legette is big, extremely physical, and can rip off a huge play with his speed at any point. The South Carolina product has 50 receptions for 973 receiving yards and five touchdowns this year, averaging 19.5 yards per reception.

If you needed any more confirmation that Legette is a big play waiting to happen, gaining 20 yards per catch is a good indicator. This explosiveness is something the Panthers have yet to benefit from this season.

Carolina Panthers could draft Malachi Corley

• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
• 2023 stats: 53 catches | 657 receiving yards | 8 touchdowns

Let's dig a bit deeper for this one and look at a smaller wide receiver from an unheralded school. Malachi Corley is a junior at Western Kentucky and has been given the nickname "YAC God".

That's encouraging.

One thing that the Panthers need to focus on in 2024 is making life easier for Bryce Young. Getting this sort of weapon would be a good place to start.

We've seen the offense dial up some easy completions to get Young settled in. A great wide receiver who can eat up yards is a quarterback's best friend.

Well, Corley might be that guy.

He's only 5-foot-11, but nowhere does it say that a receiver needs to be over six feet tall to be a WR1 in the NFL. Corley is excellent at gaining yards after the catch - having this quality also makes life easier for the offensive coaches.

Just get the ball in this guy's hands and let him work. It sounds simple, and yes I know it's harder than that, but Corley seems like a nice mid-round target that can make life less complicated for both Young and Frank Reich.