Who was the Panthers’ best sleeper pick from 2024 draft?
Chau Smith-Wade may have been tucked away in a pretty deep draft class, but don’t go sleeping on him.
The Washington State University cornerback, who was taken with this year’s 157th overall selection, has been named the Carolina Panthers’ “best sleeper pick” by Touchdown Wire editor Doug Farrar. Farrar writes of the fresh fifth-rounder:
Smith-Wade is another cornerback who played quite a bit outside in college, but projects to the slot for his NFL team. He was strong in coverage over four seasons with the Cougars (three as a starter), allowing 60 catches on 113 targets for 790 yards, 247 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, three interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 76.2. He also has experience in the box and as a blitzer at the line of scrimmage, but the Panthers want to see him in the slot, and he’s ready for that challenge, despite the fact that he had just 30 snaps there in college.
Despite measuring in at 5-foot-10 and 184 pounds, he recorded 1,319 of his 1,491 defensive snaps over the past three years on the outside. Nonetheless, Smith-Wade said he can see himself making plays all over the field—inside, outside and even at safety.
“With this whole pre-draft process, I’ve been talking to coaches and a lot of scouts,” he said after being selected. “They see me as a nickel, but I wouldn’t limit myself to just one position. I see myself being versatile in this league. I see myself making plays at corner, I see myself making plays at nickel, perhaps even safety. So I would never just limit myself to just one position when I know I can be multiple.”
