The Carolina Panthers selected former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Chris Brazzell in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

On paper, it’s unbelievable that a player who recorded 1,017 receiving yards while playing in the SEC last season, and who is 6-foot-5 and runs the 40 in 4.37 seconds, fell to the third round.

The Panthers are getting a first-round talent in Chris Brazzell

If you ask the Vols fans who watched Brazzell play last season, they’ll tell you that he’s a first-round talent who only fell to the third round because he wore a Tennessee jersey in college.

Essentially, the narrative that surrounds Tennessee’s offense harmed Brazzell’s draft stock.

And if you believe Vols fans, and some NFL front office members around the league, the Panthers are absolutely getting a first-round talent in Brazzell.

Longtime NFL reporter James Palmer confirmed this week that teams view Brazzell as a first-round talent.

“One thing that most teams that I talked to thought [was that] just talent wise, this was a first round talent,” said Palmer of Brazzell. “There’s some other things that come in to play here. And every guy’s makeup in the entire encapsulation of them as a prospect is obviously a pie chart, essentially. But in the talent part, there’s enough talent there that he could’ve potentially went in the first round.”

ESPN’s Field Yates warned in February that Tennessee’s offense would be part of the conversation with Brazzell.

But it’s complete nonsense that it played out that way. Based on Palmer’s report, teams obviously saw him as a first round talent. As CBS Sports analysts Charles Davis said this week, none of the players drafted played in the same system in college that they’re going to play in in the NFL. They’re all going to have to adapt. So, a first-round talent is a first-round talent.

But hey, the rest of the league’s loss is the Panthers’ gain. They got a steal.