RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Carolina Panthers second-year linebacker Nic Scourton looked ready to break out in 2026.
After being taken in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he closed out his rookie year with 47 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, five sacks, and one forced fumble — all while starting just eight games. Then, on the very first day of practice, he tore his ACL and is now set to miss the entire 2026 season.
Now, just one week later, the Panthers have lost another young talent. Rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II is set to miss his entire rookie season following season-ending knee surgery . Brazzell first went down with the injury on Wednesday, and initial plans called for him to avoid surgery and sit out for up to two months with what was being described as a "moderate LCL tear." But after reportedly receiving a second medical opinion, Brazzell and his representatives decided surgery was the best course of action, ending his first NFL season just days into training camp.
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A 6-foot-4, 200-pound receiver out of Tennessee, Brazzell entered the 2026 NFL Draft as one of the more exciting prospects in his class. He was viewed as a step below the top tier of receivers — Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Jordyn Tyson, all first-round picks — but squarely in the next tier alongside KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and Omar Cooper Jr., who were also taken in the first round or early second. Yet Brazzell somehow slid all the way to the third round, with the Panthers making him the 83rd overall pick.
Brazzell was coming off a breakout season with the Volunteers, posting career highs of 1,017 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns on 62 catches, averaging 16.4 yards per catch. He earned first-team All-SEC honors, and given his physical profile and the 4.37 40-yard dash he ran at the NFL Combine , landing that kind of talent in the third round felt like a steal. Some scouts still viewed him as a somewhat raw prospect with inconsistent hands, but the production against elite SEC defenses spoke for itself.
None of that matters now, with Brazzell set to miss the entire 2026 season. On a positive note, his absence should mean more targets for last year's rookie standout, Tetairoa McMillan, as well as Jalen Coker, who signed a new deal this offseason. It also opens the door for Xavier Legette to finally live up to the hype.
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