Matt Rhule Says Wife Julie Pushed Panthers to Pick Chuba Hubbard in NFL Draft

Deciding who to draft can be a finicky process for an NFL head coach.

Sometimes it's worth listening to your gut. Sometimes it's best to trust your general manager and scouts, and sometimes you rely on your family. Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule went with the latter option Saturday in selecting tailback Chuba Hubbard out of Oklahoma State No. 126 overall. 

Once Rhule got Hubbard on the phone to tell him the Panthers were picking him, the coach told his new backfield weapon his wife, Julie, texted him minutes earlier asking he take the former Cowboys star.

"I've gotta tell you this, man," Rhule said. "About 10 minutes ago, my wife texted me and said, 'Please take Chuba Hubbard.' So she speaks, it happens.''

Considering the Rhule family watched Hubbard repeatedly terrorize them from across the field when he coached at Baylor, neither needed to do much homework on the running back. 

The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and unanimous All-American in 2019 rushed for 2,094 yards on 328 carries with 21 touchdowns during Rhule's last year in the Big 12. If the Panthers didn't take him in the fourth round Saturday, they may have allowed Hubbard to run roughshod over Rhule's defense yet again.