Kirby Smart drops an emotional message for Trevor Etienne after Panthers make their draft decision

The third day of the 2025 NFL draft is underway, and Georgia Bulldogs running back Trevor Etienne was selected in the first third of the fourth round.

He was taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 12th pick in the fourth round and 114th pick overall. Etienne transferred to Georgia this past season after two years in Florida.

While Trevor Etienne was a member of the Georgia Bulldogs for only one season, he built a strong connection with coach Kirby Smart. This can be seen by looking at the emotional message Smart posted on X after Etienne was drafted by the Panthers.

“So excited for you Trevor Etienne!! You competed everyday to get better and I’m so thankful we got to be a part of your journey. Appreciate all you did for us and I can’t wait to watch you with the Panthers. GO DAWGS !!”

In one season with the Georgia Bulldogs, Trevor Etienne had 122 carries for 609 yards and nine TDs. This was a step back from the previous season, where he had 131 carries for 753 yards and eight TDs.

However, this past season, he was limited to 10 games, including playoff appearances, because of injuries. As a result, his stats were lower, but he still produced well when he was able to play.

How well does Trevor Etienne fit on the Carolina Panthers?

The Carolina Panthers are deep in a rebuild but have a few foundational pieces. Most notably, the Panthers are trying to ensure that the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft, QB Bryce Young, has all the tools he needs to succeed.

Young struggled in the first season of his career and was benched for part of last season. However, he performed well after reclaiming his starting role towards the end of the season.

The Panthers are trying to ensure that the offense is better next season so that Bryce Young can grow and not be punished too severely for every mistake he makes.

Adding to the running game by drafting Trevor Etienne makes sense for the Panthers. He was the No. 14-ranked running back in the draft, according to ESPN.

The biggest knock against Etienne is his size. While running back is not a position where players need to be huge, Etienne is only 5-foot-9. If he were closer to six feet tall, there is a decent chance he would have been drafted on day two.

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Alexander O’Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex’s favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex’s favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex’s proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat