Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said former Texas running back Jonathon Brooks had the best pre-draft interview of any young prospect Jones has spoken to in 30 years. "We got him high, high (on our board). He's a good player," Jones said. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are getting close to a reunion with running back Ezekiel Elliott. The team's top RBs right now are Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn after Tony Pollard left in free agency this offseason, so Dallas is definitely looking to add to the position in both free agency and the draft. Brooks could come off the board at No. 56 overall to the Cowboys and could be in line to see a substantial backfield role in his first year in the NFL if he were to land in Dallas. At this point in his career, Zeke is merely a complementary weapon. The biggest question mark with Brooks is that he's coming off a torn ACL.

The Carolina Panthers traded up with the Buffalo Bills at No. 32 overall to select South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette to close out the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Bills curiously traded down twice from their initial pick of No. 28 to land at No. 33 (first pick of Round 2) despite desperately needing receiver help, and three wideouts came off the board to close out the first round. Legette, 23, is a much-needed offensive weapon for second-year QB Bryce Young and will join Diontae Johnson, Jonathan Mingo and veteran Adam Thielen in their WR room in 2024. Legette isn't the greatest of route-runners and is susceptible to press coverage at the line, but he has excellent ball skills and could be a solid deep and red-zone threat for Young. The landing spot isn't great for Legette's potential for fantasy value in Year 1.

University of Texas running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) is the odds-on favorite to be the first running back off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The 20-year-old has -110 odds to be selected first, with Florida State's Trey Benson (+220) and Michigan's Blake Corum (+400) trailing behind him. Brooks sat behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson during his first two collegiate seasons, but he broke out as a redshirt sophomore in 2023 with 187 carries for 1,139 yards and rushing 10 touchdowns to go along with 25 receptions for 286 yards and one receiving score. He suffered a torn ACL on November 11, but if he's the first ball carrier drafted, fantasy managers can assume the team who selects him is comfortable with his medical report.

The Carolina Panthers want to make the 2024 draft about a larger point, rather than anything as granular as finding weapons for quarterback Bryce Young after he struggled mightily in his rookie season in 2023. "I think it's not about surrounding Bryce with great players; it's about building a great team, and then Bryce can just do his part of it," new head coach Dave Canales said. Even if the Panthers aren't specifically just looking to add weapons for Young, they'll surely need to bolster what was a terrible offensive line and running game. Carolina already traded for receiver Diontae Johnson this offseason and spent some money to upgrade the O-line. "It's not about getting playmakers for Bryce, it's about getting playmakers for our team," general manager Dan Morgan said.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts that the Arizona Cardinals will trade down to pick No. 11 in a swap with the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of this year's NFL draft to take LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas. The 21-year-old pass-catcher has been in the shadow of fellow wideout Malik Nabers, but he was terrific at the scouting combine in February to raise his draft stock tremendously. He also had 68 receptions for 1,177 yards and led the FBS with 17 touchdowns in 2023. "Potentially, I think can be really good in the NFL. He was a red zone nightmare. Even if you were in great position, he could still win those 50-50 balls. But he didn't scare you with (yards after catch) like Nabers did," one coach said. Adding another receiving weapon for quarterback Kyler Murray makes a lot of sense, especially when considering Arizona's top-three receivers are currently Michael Wilson, Chris Moore and Greg Dortch.