Panthers receivers getting ready for new additions to the group
The Panthers aren't scheduled to make any picks during the first round on Thursday night, but they have two picks early in the second round and there's a strong feeling that they will be adding a wide receiver with one of them.
Current members of the receiving corps have different reactions to that possibility. Adam Thielen saw the Vikings add multiple first-round wideouts during his time in Minnesota and he said on Wednesday that he welcomes the chance to build a relationship with a new teammate that can help them succeed.
"There's just been a lot of guys that we’ve drafted high and high expectations and I really enjoy that part of the game to really just help them where I need to help them," Thielen said, via the team's website. "I think that's the most important thing in anything you're doing. It's building those relationships first and then you can be a mentor. A lot of people want to be the mentor first and it's like, no, no, just build a relationship, earn that trust and then be a mentor and then you can kind of speak life and football into someone when you have that relationship."
Ihmir Smith-Marsette was not a first-rounder when he joined Thielen on the Vikings in 2021 and he's bounced around the league over his first three seasons. He earned a role as a receiver and punt returner in Carolina last year and is less enthusiastic about the prospect of new blood in the position group than his more experienced teammate.
"I take it personally, I won't lie to you," Smith-Marsette said. "I'm tired of getting people put in front of me, put in front of me, put in front of me, of course, I get annoyed at that. But I mean, it's just football at the end of the day and I'm going to show that I belong in this league again . . . it adds fuel to the fire cause it's like, I got to go out there and prove myself."
Smith-Marsette will likely have to get comfortable with new faces and the Panthers will benefit if the next few days lead to a rising tide across the entire group in 2024.
