Panthers claim former 4th overall pick of USFL draft

The Carolina Panthers added another first-round selection to their roster on Thursday.

As announced this afternoon, the team has claimed guard Mason Brooks off waivers from the Washington Commanders. Prior to finding his way into the NFL last spring, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder was taken with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 USFL draft by the Memphis Showboats.

A Cedar Park, Texas native, Brooks began his collegiate career at Western Kentucky University in 2018. He’d play four seasons there, ending his tenure as a First-team All-Conference USA honoree in 2021.

His final year of eligibility was taken up at the University of Mississippi. He appeared in all 13 games for the Rebels in 2022, seeing most of his work as a reserve lineman and on special teams.

Brooks then signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2023, spending the year as a member of the team’s practice squad. The Commanders released Brooks on Wednesday.

To make room for the claim, the Panthers waived/injured second-year guard Nash Jensen.