i know teams will pay reporters to tank a player they like’s stock in order to draft him but i just can’t prove it.
Todd McShay had him 50th, and Todd is not a stupid guy. He was 100% fed some bad information about TMac (as were a lot of people in media) and a perception was formed of him that just doesn’t match reality.
This just in: Gamesmanship is part of the NFL Draft. Thanks Ian.
Remember “he doesn’t watch tape” 😂
Who is TMac’s realistic competition for OROTY right now? Egbuka was up on him early bit their numbers are pretty neck and neck now. Maybe Dart but only because of the inherent QB visibility bias.
I think the front office did an excellent job selling the idea that we were going defense. I was completely fooled personally.
Oh thank ghod, someone turned it into a conspiracy theory. That’s what we needed.
I remember Micah Parsons during his draft watcharound or whatever he told everybody who he wanted Dallas to get until we got Tmac and he broke down saying no that’s who he secretly wanted dallas to get this whole time
Yeah the lesson here is…Don’t give the Panthers a high draft pick while they have a competent GM.
What does “battered” mean in this context? Like they gave him a hard time?
Not sure what the lesson is supposed to be here
One of Steve smith’s big WR scouting report whiffs
Hand up, it was me I was battering him
Wanted defense bad. Thought WR that early was gonna be a luxury pick
Believed Bryce had truly turned a corner, that Coker was him, and, realistically, we had 0 plans to trade Thielen back in April.
Wife and I were headed to a camping trip stopped at some gas station along the way. She went inside to use the bathroom and grab a few snacks. I was outside pumping gas (watching the draft coverage on my phone) let out an audible expletive when the selection was made. She had to listen to me vent for another hour or so until we arrived.
I will atone for this by buying his jersey soon
Josh is a Panther
He’s a franchise receiver, give him anything he wants.
As far as Im concerned I hope nobody learns a lesson from this and it remains a panthers secret.
I thought we really should get Tmac in rd 1 because I thought the DE depth that would be available in round 2 was much better than the WR depth in round 2 and we had clear needs at both. When Dan came out after the draft and said basically this was their exact thinking I was floored because I typically am dead wrong when it comes to the draft, and Im even more shocked that I thought TMac was a stud and he has been. I dont have me being right about the draft on my bingo card in any year but Im glad we hit on this one.
There’s no combine drill that measures if you got that DAWG in you
There were a ton of mock drafts projecting him to Dallas. Wonder why he was being slandered by media hmmm
Yeah, I remember people spazzing about him running like a 4.55 40 instead of a 4.45 40. Few people even did it on here.
Because, yknow, like a 2.something percent difference in straight-line speed in non-game conditions was going to determine if he was a good player or not.
![[Rapoprt] Ian Rapoport on TMac](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/zzehrng44v1g1-1289x1024.jpeg)
20 comments
i know teams will pay reporters to tank a player they like’s stock in order to draft him but i just can’t prove it.
Todd McShay had him 50th, and Todd is not a stupid guy. He was 100% fed some bad information about TMac (as were a lot of people in media) and a perception was formed of him that just doesn’t match reality.
This just in: Gamesmanship is part of the NFL Draft. Thanks Ian.
Remember “he doesn’t watch tape” 😂
Who is TMac’s realistic competition for OROTY right now? Egbuka was up on him early bit their numbers are pretty neck and neck now. Maybe Dart but only because of the inherent QB visibility bias.
I think the front office did an excellent job selling the idea that we were going defense. I was completely fooled personally.
Oh thank ghod, someone turned it into a conspiracy theory. That’s what we needed.
I remember Micah Parsons during his draft watcharound or whatever he told everybody who he wanted Dallas to get until we got Tmac and he broke down saying no that’s who he secretly wanted dallas to get this whole time
Yeah the lesson here is…Don’t give the Panthers a high draft pick while they have a competent GM.
What does “battered” mean in this context? Like they gave him a hard time?
Not sure what the lesson is supposed to be here
One of Steve smith’s big WR scouting report whiffs
Hand up, it was me I was battering him
Wanted defense bad. Thought WR that early was gonna be a luxury pick
Believed Bryce had truly turned a corner, that Coker was him, and, realistically, we had 0 plans to trade Thielen back in April.
Wife and I were headed to a camping trip stopped at some gas station along the way. She went inside to use the bathroom and grab a few snacks. I was outside pumping gas (watching the draft coverage on my phone) let out an audible expletive when the selection was made. She had to listen to me vent for another hour or so until we arrived.
I will atone for this by buying his jersey soon
Josh is a Panther
He’s a franchise receiver, give him anything he wants.
I didn’t mind the McMillan pick, but really wanted this guy, [https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4431459/tyler-warren](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4431459/tyler-warren)
As far as Im concerned I hope nobody learns a lesson from this and it remains a panthers secret.
I thought we really should get Tmac in rd 1 because I thought the DE depth that would be available in round 2 was much better than the WR depth in round 2 and we had clear needs at both. When Dan came out after the draft and said basically this was their exact thinking I was floored because I typically am dead wrong when it comes to the draft, and Im even more shocked that I thought TMac was a stud and he has been. I dont have me being right about the draft on my bingo card in any year but Im glad we hit on this one.
There’s no combine drill that measures if you got that DAWG in you
There were a ton of mock drafts projecting him to Dallas. Wonder why he was being slandered by media hmmm
Yeah, I remember people spazzing about him running like a 4.55 40 instead of a 4.45 40. Few people even did it on here.
Because, yknow, like a 2.something percent difference in straight-line speed in non-game conditions was going to determine if he was a good player or not.