CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ten minutes before the Carolina Panthers' were scheduled to pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft, then-coach Matt Rhule got a text from his wife.
"Please take Chuba Hubbard,'' she wrote.
Julie Rhule remembered how the Oklahoma State running back rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns against Baylor in 2019, when her husband coached the Bears team that went 11-3. She thought Hubbard would be a nice complement to Pro Bowl back Christian McCaffrey, who had been limited to three games the previous season due to injuries.