Panthers Draft Curtis Samuel After Taking Christian McCaffrey to Help Cam Newton

Curtis Samuel will bring his unique hybrid talents to the Carolina Panthers after being selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft on Friday in Philadelphia.  

FanRag Sports' Jon Ledyard questioned the selection:

The Charlotte Observer's Jourdan Rodrigue noted the similarities between Samuel and Carolina's first-round pick, Christian McCaffrey:

Max Henson of the Panthers' official site liked what the team has done to upgrade the offense:

After being sporadically used in his first two seasons at Ohio State, Samuel broke out in a big way as a junior in 2016. He led the team with 865 receiving yards and was third with 771 rushing yards while racking up a total of 15 touchdowns. 

Looking at his pro prospects, Pro Football Focus compared Samuel to another former hybrid player Urban Meyer used to coach at Florida:

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Samuel has a very similar skillset as former Florida Gator Percy Harvin, who also played for Urban Meyer. Samuel possesses excellent speed and agility, along with the ability to produce as both a running back and a split receiver. Samuel is a stronger runner who isn’t limited to being just a speed back. He’s capable of reading blocks as a running back and seems a bit more natural as a runner from the backfield than Harvin. 

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The folks at RotoUnderworld threw Samuel's NFL combine workout metrics into a blender to come up with an even more intriguing pro comparison:

Washington wide receiver John Ross stole headlines at the scouting combine with his blazing 4.22 40-yard dash, but Samuel posted the second-best time at 4.31 seconds. 

After Samuel showed his speed in Indianapolis and proved he was capable of playing well as a running back or wide receiver, his wait to find a home in the draft wasn't likely going to be a long one. 

Samuel and Ross are also built similarly, though Samuel doesn't have the injury questions Ross does. He measured in at 5'11" and 196 pounds at the combine. Since Samuel could find himself playing out of the slot, adding more strength will be necessary if he's going to reach his full potential. 

Despite still being a raw prospect, it's hard not to look at Samuel's natural physical gifts and imagine him turning into a star at the next level. It will take time for the coaching staff to develop those tools, but the ceiling is off the charts.