The Panthers have been busy, especially on defense. How does that affect the Draft for the Panthers?
The Carolina Panthers have set out to fix a historically bad defense through most of free agency. The signings of defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, and Patrick Jones II have improved the talent and depth up front, while resigning Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson and signing Tre’von Moehrig have shored up the back end. The Panthers also brought back some depth on offense, both on the line and at backup tight end. So how do all these moves affect who the Panthers could take with their litany of picks in the 2025 Draft?
Day 1
Most people had the Panthers likely taking an edge rusher with their first pick, usually someone like Jalon Walker from Georgia. I don’t think their additions so far preclude them from making that same choice. I also don’t think they’ll pass on someone like Mason Graham if he falls to them. Yes, they have put together plenty of depth on the defensive line, but Graham can be a game breaker inside and is much younger than many of the other players at his position currently on the roster.
The Panthers also still need a safety, so taking Malaki Starks from Georgia or Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina would not shock me either. The team did add Moehrig, but they need at least one more starting caliber safety.
Carolina also whiffed on a big time X receiver. DK Metcalf was the best option there, and he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With no true X players left on the market, they might look to the draft to fill that hole with someone like Tet McMillan from Arizona.
I also think a dark horse player the Panthers could consider is Jihaad Campbell, the linebacker from Alabama. The team needs another linebacker to rotate in with Josey Jewell, Christian Rozeboom, and Trevin Wallace. Campbell can also swing outside on passing downs and become an edge rusher as he’s shown in college.
Day 2 and Day 3
Bringing back most of the depth on the offensive line makes me think they’ll pass on most offensive line prospects (barring a meteoric fall) until Day 3. They could hope to find some good depth pieces there similar to Cade Mays. A speedy receiver could also be had in the later rounds. The Day 2 picks will largely depend on the first rounder. If the Panthers take one of edge, wide receiver, safety, or linebacker in the first round, I think they look to address the other three on Day 2 of the Draft.