2017 NFL Draft: Panthers give Cam Newton another weapon in dynamic Curtis Samuel

The Panthers take Samuel one round after grabbing Christian McCaffrey

With the 40th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select jack-of-all-trades Curtis Samuel of Ohio State.

• Draft Tracker: Round 2  
  

Carolina Panthers

Pete Prisco's Grade: B-

He played running back and receiver, but I think he's a slot guy in the NFL. They need that in their offense.

Instant analysis 

The Panthers aren't playing around. They drafted Stanford running back/receiver/returner Christian McCaffrey with the eighth overall pick on Thursday, and with their next selection, they doubled down, taking Samuel, who is listed as a wide receiver but can do so much more. Wherever he lines up, he makes the Panthers' offense immeasurably more dangerous. Put another way: A week ago, this unit could kindly be described as plodding. Now, with Samuel and McCaffrey joining Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen, it's suddenly explosive. 

Fantasy impact

"The Panthers gave Cam Newton another weapon with the addition of Curtis Samuel in the second round to go with Christian McCaffrey in Round 1. Newton wins with this pick, especially after a bad year in 2016 and coming off shoulder surgery. As for Samuel, he's a late-round pick at best in seasonal leagues and a second-round pick in rookie-only drafts." -- Jamey Eisenberg