No. 24 Carolina Panthers (11-5)

The Pick: James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State

I wrestled with whether or not Washington would even make it to the Panthers at No. 24, but I think he will, and if he does, the more I thought about that, too, the more I like the fit.

Washington was known as a downfield machine in college. He was part of an offense that really knew how to stretch the field vertically and made scoring touchdowns second nature. The Panthers need a receiver, and they like having receivers who know how to do that. Washington also showed NFL and media members at the Senior Bowl that he can run precise routes and win with short passes, too, which was good. Washington being just 5-foot-11 hurts him in terms of how high he can go, but if it’s about going to the right spot, the Panthers are a good one for him.