During his media availability at this year’s scouting combine, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer brought up James Campen’s fascination with Brady Christensen. More specifically, he told reporters that the team’s new offensive line coach wished the rookie would’ve played more on the blindside in 2021.
Today, we got to hear it from Campen himself. In his first presser in front of the Charlotte media on Wednesday, the highly-regarded and well-respected football mind waxed poetic about Christensen’s notable traits.
“Things that you see with traits is he’s a very highly athletic guy,” Campen said of the 25-year-old. “He’s quick off the ball. He has good footwork. He has those intangibles. He’s a hard worker, you can tell that. Things he does from a mental standpoint—he doesn’t get disrupted when things are bad. He gets back up, runs the next play. Doesn’t have mental errors. Things like that that are real noticeable.”
He also mentioned Christensen’s potential as the offense’s starter at left tackle—something head coach Matt Rhule had not been particularly hot on for much of the campaign. But Campen, while saying that decision will ultimately be up to Rhule, believes Brady is very much in the mix for the job.
“If you ask me ‘Would he be a candidate at left tackle?’ He absolutely will. Sure,” he added. “But he’s a unique athlete. He could play probably all five [positions] if you got down to it.”
The competition at left tackle might heat up, or essentially end, in a week’s time. As holders of the draft’s sixth overall pick, the Panthers could conceivably land a long-term solution in one of Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu or Charles Cross.
And if that’s the case, the Carolina coaching staff obviously still sees the value in Christensen—wherever he lines up.
