We decided to upgrade the defense coming off of a historically bad year.
With the No. 8 pick in the 2025 SB Nation Community Mock Draft, Cat Scratch Reader selected Jihaad Campbell, the linebacker from Alabama, for the Carolina Panthers.
The board did not fall perfectly for the Panthers in this mock draft, with Mason Graham being taken early as the biggest blow, and no trade partner materialized to allow them to move back.
There were, however, a lot of talented players available. Tight end Tyler Warren, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and running back Ashton Jeanty were all available. So, too, were popular Georgia defenders like safety Malaki Starks, edge Mykel Williams, and linebacker Jalon Walker.
I selected Campbell because he was the best player at a position that is a combination of big need and big impact. Linebacker may be better stocked than either safety or edge right now, but the talent there is far from imposing.
The Panthers linebacker that made game-changing plays with regularity was Frankie Luvu. He’s only been gone a year, but his presence was sorely missed last year. Injuries aside, his loss may have been the most significant difference between the 2023 and 2024 defenses.
Campbell offers not just a Luvu replacement, but an upgrade over what the former team captain brought to the field. That means he can be a game changing threat in coverage, rushing the passer, and defending the run. No other defender available at the No. 8 pick in this mock draft offers that kind of potential benefit to the Panthers.
The available safeties are fine, but there are more available later in the draft and free agency options besides. The available edge defenders simply have too mant questionmarks to spend the eighth overall pick on any of them.
This is a draft with very few guarantees. No prospect is perfect and the best of the best will be gone by pick number eight. The rest of the class requires a little bit of divination, a lot of leg work, and a touch of blind faith in the guy making the final call. Dan Morgan hasn’t exactly earned that faith from the fanbase just yet, but it would be hard to knock his evaluation of a linebacker before the kid sees an NFL field. So I’m also extending that faith to the fictional Morgan that made this pick.