David Tepper has done a lot of things, but being involved in the NFL draft as a majority team owner is new. The Panthers’ owner finalized the purchase of the franchise in July of 2018, so he missed out on the draft last year.
General manager Marty Hurney says Tepper has been really involved with the pre-draft process this time around and has kept in steady communication with his staff, according to Jourdan Rodrigue at the Charlotte Observer.
Hurney and Panthers coach Ron Rivera held a pre-draft press conference, and they touched more on Tepper’s involvement in the process, per the team website.
“He’s very looking forward to being in the draft room. . . He’s dropped in on our meetings with the scouts, with coaches, and I think he’s got a really good feel for how things go. His decision-making process is remarkable: He’s just got such common sense, he’s got intellect, he’s got people skills, and he’s just a very good communicator.”
Carolina has had a promising offseason so far, signing players like Matt Paradis, Bruce Irvin and Chris Hogan to team-friendly deals. More low-key free agent moves may be coming after the restructuring of Luke Kuechly’s contract.
A strong draft 2019 class would give the Panthers a great opportunity to rebuild without losing their competitive edge.
