CHARLOTTE — The Panthers added length and speed on offense, drafting receiver Chris Brazzell II in the third-round of the 2026 NFL draft on Friday night.

Brazzell is a Tennessee Vols product who started his career at Tulane. Get to know the newest receiver with these fast five facts.

A lifelong Panthers fan

When he was in the third grade, Brazzell played for a little-league team in Texas called the Greenwood Panthers. It sparked a lifelong fandom.

"I been a fan. I've been a longtime fan, I've been a Panthers fan since I was in third grade. So this is a dream come true. I played for a team called the Greenwood Panthers. I wore a jersey that had Panthers on it back in the day. Cam Newton was quarterback. Y'all had Luke Kuechly. Y'all had Steve Smith. Y'all had Josh Norman. Y'all going to the Super Bowl. I played quarterback at the time. Cam Newton on the Panthers, that's my favorite player of all time, so I kind of just roll with it.

"I literally just rolled with the Panthers and I never looked back."

Dad trained him in the ways of the NFL

Brazzell's dad, Chris Sr., was drafted by the Jets in the 1998 NFL draft and ended up playing two years with the Dallas Cowboys before spending seven years in the CFL.

His time in the NFL prepared Chris Sr. to help his son train and make his own NFL dreams come true.

"It's definitely his dream to see me in the NFL," said Brazzell. "I've been getting NFL training since I've been a little boy, since I grew up playing football.

"He was in the NFL when I was born, so I mean, I grew up playing football, found a love for the game of football at a young age."

And as for the biggest thing his dad taught him?

"Just my work ethic. The little things, like talent's cool, but the work ethic and what you do to be better than guys is what makes you great."

Basketball bloodlines

While Brazzell and his father have the football gene, his mother's side of the family gives him some deep basketball bloodlines. His mom, Monique, played college basketball at Angelo State.

Her father (Bobby Miller) played basketball at Niagara University in the early 1970s; her uncle (Calvin Murphy), who also played at Niagara, played 13 years in the NBA, 12 with the Houston Rockets, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Led SEC WRs in 2025

In a stacked conference with pro-ready talent, Brazzell led all SEC wide receivers in 2025 in reception yards per game (84.8) and receiving touchdowns, with nine. He was also the only SEC receiver to top 1,000-plus yards and at least seven touchdowns.

His final stat line for his first-team All-SEC season was 62 receptions, 1,017 yards, and nine touchdowns.

His best game was against Georgia. He finished with six receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

Ready to work with Bryce Young (rivalries aside)

The Third Saturday in October rivalry runs deep, meaning that despite Brazzell and Bryce Young now sharing a locker room, there will be times when they don't get along.

"I mean, I went to Tennessee," began Brazzell. "He went to Bama," he continued of Young. "So, no shade, but I remember watching Bryce Young in 2022 when Tennessee beat Bryce Young."

That game was a shootout, which the Vols did win 52-49. But Brazzell has to give props to his new quarterback.

"Bryce Young was balling though," he added. "Bryce Young was balling."

Young, in that game, went 35-52 for 455 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. It helped establish him as the No. 1 overall pick heading into the next draft season. Now after three seasons with the Panthers, Brazzell has seen that talent on the NFL stage.

"He's probably the most underrated quarterback in the league, and, I just want to take some stress off his shoulder, to be honest."