When the Carolina Panthers "stole" wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett in the second round of last Sunday's NFL Draft, Keyshawn Johnson thought the Panthers were taking a step in the right direction on offense.

"This is a great pick. We need another wide receiver," Johnson stated while working as a draft analyst for ESPN. "This guy is much like me. I'm going to teach him how to play from the point of attack."

Little did Johnson know, he would be released by the Panthers a few days later. After a year in which Johnson was not able to elevate the Panthers' offense to the point they had hoped, the team is turning to their youth again, which is why Johnson became expendable.

"We appreciated the contribution of Keyshawn in his season with the Panthers," said Panthers head coach John Fox. "He brought us high production, but at this time, we are in a situation in which we have a number of young receivers and thought this was the right time to make the decision."

Besides drafting Jarrett, the team also drafted receiver Ryne Robinson in the fourth round of the draft. The Panthers will also have Steve Smith, Drew Carter, and Keary Colbert available. Last year, Smith had 70 receptions for 815 yards and four touchdowns. When the team signed Keyshawn, they had hoped he would take the double coverages away from Smith. Unfortunately, due to injuries all around on the team and a poor third-down conversion rate, the Panthers fell to 8-8 and did not make the playoffs.

Jarrett could be expected to step in this season as a starter alongside Smith.