CHARLOTTE — Every now and then, Panthers head coach Dave Canales slips into his old position coach mode.

So with his background coaching wide receivers at a granular level, Chris Brazzell II stood out to him early on.

Canales called the third-round receiver from Tennessee "one of my favorite players in the draft, " and not just because of his size and speed and the plays he made.

"What impressed me about him is just when he talks about what he was working on, that's something that's really big for me, having a receiver coaching background," Canales said late Friday night, still looking excited about what was happening at the end of a long day. "When I can hear a guy talk about the different skills that they're working on, the drills they're doing. He's got a brother, and they're doing one-on-ones.

"He loves the game. He's about his craft, and you can see that on the field. You can see how compact and efficient he is with his footwork and different things, but what always impresses me when a guy has a plan for what they're trying to improve upon."

And that's huge for a guy who walks into a crowded room, which includes 2025 rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette and others.

Brazzell had a history of making big plays throughout his college career at Tulane and Tennessee.

Last year, he led all SEC receivers in yards per game (84.8) and total touchdowns (nine). He caught 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns last year, and was often his best in big situations. Against Georgia, he caught six passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

But Canales looked at the full body of work.

"Just his film over the last two years," Canales said. "When you look at Tulane and then you look at Tennessee and you kind of combine all of it, you're gonna get a full picture of a route tree, body control, ability to do those things, and of course, just the ability to stretch the field, and really put stress on teams from a vertical standpoint.

"We weren't expecting Chris to be there. We're sitting there waiting, and he just kept dropping right to us. Just what a great opportunity for us to just add to that room, just another element, another dimension, and create a competitive roster."

And at 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, with 4.37 speed, Brazzell also creates matchups beyond simply being bigger and faster.

"It's the ability to take those traits, but then also to play the ball in the air," Canales said. "One of the things that Chris showed is his ability to play the deep ball, land on his feet, and finish the play. That's something that's very rare, where a lot of times you'll see a guy high point a ball, lay out for it, and they end up on the ground. He's just got a special balance with how he finishes, which translates to that speed and that size.

"And we've seen how we've been able to use Xavier, TMac, Jalen, with all the intermediate stuff and have gone down the field a little bit and taken some opportunities, but I think about the space created when they know this is a real burner, and what that does to safety is what that does to corners and just creating space for the whole group."

And the more Canales talked about Brazzell, the more he leaned into all those fine points of the position that took him back to his days as a Seahawks position coach.

"Just the body of work," Canales began. "His ability to have the vertical speed and threat, but then his ability to drop his weight, get in and out of breaks really efficiently is one of the things that I was so impressed with. And in our conversations, as we're going through the process, I was like, guys, look at this. Typically, when a guy's 6-4, they don't have that type of bend and flexibility and power to stop on a dime and get out. That's really valuable when you're a vertical threat, because it's a two-way go for you at that point.

"And then of course it was just the the acrobatic body balance and ability to stay on his feet to track the ball down the field, that I really just, fell in love with, and was really excited to get an opportunity to work with those skills."

He also raved about Brazzell's personality and how he fit the culture here. Brazzell grew up a Panthers fan, and his enthusiasm was evident too.

"I mean, one, like I said, 1000 times, (this was) my favorite team," he said. "So this visit was the visit I'm looking forward to the most. I got there, met the receiver coach, great guy. I met the GM, great guy. I met the OC, great guy. I met the head coach, great guy. So, vibe was amazing. I feel like my 30-visit paid off for them selecting me."

Clearly.

"Obviously another guy that loves football," Canales said. "And he bleeds it."

And when you used to coach that position, you can tell, which explains why Canales was so excited.