Panthers rookie draft picks get their jersey numbers

Draft picks have been known to pay veteran players to switch numbers so they can get their preferred number. So far I haven’t heard of anything like that with the Panthers. You can find the rules for the jersey numbers here.

RB Christian McCaffrey - #22

McCaffrey wore #5 at Stanford but that number is only available to QBs, punters and kickers. P Michael Palardy wears it at the moment. Jersey #22 doesn’t have a big history in Carolina so McCaffrey can create his own history with the number. The last few recognizable players to wear #22 are CB Josh Thomas, RB Jamal Lee and RB Jamal Robertson.

WR Curtis Samuel - #10

Samuel wore #4 at Ohio St so he is in the same boat as McCaffrey. So he instead grabbed the number of recently departed WR Philly Brown. But who wore #10 best? Well that has to be The Brun, former P Todd Saurbrun.

OT Taylor Moton - #72

Moton had no problem getting his familiar #72 from college. As it turns out #72 doesn’t have much history in Carolina. Nothing but a long string of average players who didn’t last long have worn it in the past. Players like OG Duke Robinson, OTs Ryan Van Bergen, and most recently OT Jordan Rigsbee.

DE Daeshon Hall - #74

Hall wore #10 at Texas A&M but has to pick something between 50 and 99 in the NFL. He chose the number most recently worn by departed OT Mike Remmers. Hopefully he uses it to rush the passer as well as other players did against the old #74, not that that makes any sense.

CB Corn Elder - #35

Here’s another number that was in use in a different position group. Elder wore #29 in college but that number is taken by S Dean Marlowe. So instead he selected the number worn by fan favorite FB Mike Tolbert. We won’t see #35 doing many TD dances in the future (but a few would be nice).

FB Alex Armah - #40

Jersey #40 is another one with little history in Carolina. The probably most well known name is S Jarrod Cooper. Armah wore #8 in college.

K Harrison Butker - #7

Butker wore #87 at Georgia Tech which is a weird number for a kicker even in college. He will wear lucky #7 in Carolina, a number most famously worn by QBs Jimmy Clausen and Steve Beuerlein. After Clausen we don’t need a QB wearing that number so Butker is doing us a favor.