The Carolina Panthers went from losing one game in 2015, to losing 10 in 2016. They went from being pushed to the Super Bowl by their MVP quarterback, to exposing him and watching as Cam Newton was whacked repeatedly.But, worst of all, they went from being appointment television to bottom-tier afterthoughts. Now the pieces are in place for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction again. Their first two picks in the 2017 NFL draft, running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Curtis Samuel, are about to make you butter up a whole lot of popcorn.The Panthers' main priority heading into the draft was clear: Give Newton more support, and save him from his weekly pummeling. Newton has been sacked 211 times since entering the league in 2011, which is the second-highest total during that span, according to Pro Football Reference.Eventually those body blows were going to add up, and in March Newton needed arthroscopic shoulder surgery. He should be ready for Week 1 of the 2017 season after his rehab. But that process and his struggles in 2016 served as a cold reminder for the Panthers front office.They needed to take the weight off Newton's ailing shoulder, preferably with an elusive playmaker who can slide into a hybrid role while creating yards in open space. So the Panthers went draft shopping for one prospect who meets that description.Then they gleefully skipped home with two.The latest addition is Samuel, who was selected with Carolina's second-round pick (40th overall) Friday night. General manager Dave Gettleman, the rare executive who speaks his mind, described Samuel in the most Dave Gettleman way possible (via Max Henson of Panthers.com):We also would have accepted "whoa, what the heck was that'" speed. Samuel does indeed have a blur mode he can engage easily to accelerate either as a runner or pass-catcher. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 secondsat the scouting combine.On the field during his final season with Ohio State in 2016 that speed led to an average of 125.8 yards from scrimmage per game. He finished the season with 1,636 total yards, and there was a near even split in how Samuel piled up those yards.As a runner he recorded 771 yards while averaging 7.9 per carry. And as a pass-catcher he caught 74 balls for 865 yards. The Panthers will likely lean on the latter skill more often while using him as a slot receiver. To confirm that we can ask, well, Samuel himself:Deploying Samuel mostly as a receiver makes sense in the short term. The Panthers still have a 30-year-old Jonathan Stewart to handle the true brute-force backfield pounding when needed. And McCaffrey is a much better inside runner than many believe despite his size. He averaged 3.30 yards after contact per carry in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus.Meanwhile, the slot is where Samuel has thrived recently. In 2016 he lined up there on 425 snaps and averaged 2.76 yards per route run, per PFF, which led all running backs in the 2017 draft class.He maintained his effectiveness through quick-twitch explosion, the kind that leads to many open-field whiffs by defenders. He's McCaffrey lite with his ability to be lined up anywhere throughout the formation and create chunk plays. Which doesn't seem fair when the Panthers roster also now has the actual McCaffrey.McCaffrey can sting defenses any way he pleases, too, and at a record-setting pace.In 2015 he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up while posting an NCAA record 3,864 all-purpose yards. Over his final two seasons at Stanford he piled up 3,622 rushing yards, 955 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.McCaffrey runs routes like a wide receiver from both the slot and outside, and can burst through a crease fast to connect on a home run play. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry throughout his college career, which was a product of the elusiveness the Panthers so desperately craved.But the most important part of McCaffrey's skill set is one he shares with Samuel: an ability to manufacture gains beyond what was blocked, or where a pass took him. McCaffrey generated 43 missed tackles as a runner in 2016and 21 as a pass-catcher, perPFF.Now he's one half of a young duo that will give the Panthers multiple prongs of attack, and endless options for creativity. Both Samuel and McCaffrey can be used in the slot, and in the backfield. They'll break free from traditional position labels, and provide much-needed variety to an offense that's been heavily reliant on Newton and tight end Greg Olsen.In 2016 the Panthers had just one pass-catcher among the top 35 in yards after the catch. It wasn't a shifty running back who could consistently make a man miss and then break free. And it wasn't a wide receiver with another gear to catch a deep ball in stride, then keep going.No, it was Olsen, and he plays tight end. There's a good chance two rookies will join him in 2017, and it'll be a lot of fun to watch.
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