As the Panthers look to reverse their fortunes in 2025 they’ll be doing so virtually no contributions from their last six second round picks.
The Carolina Panthers are currently one full year into what could be called “Rebuild 3.0” under new head coach Dave Canales.
Rebuild 1.0 began in 2020 with the hiring of former college coach Matt Rhule. Rebuild 2.0 kicked off in 2023 after Rhule was fired and replaced by experienced NFL head coach Frank Reich, a bold new strategy that lasted all of 11 games before Reich was summarily dismissed.
Yes, NFL rebuilds need competent, consistent coaching.
But rebuilds also need the front office to nail early-round picks who can deliver outsized impact on dirt-cheap rookie contracts, then sign long-term extensions to give continuity on the field and an identity in the locker room.
While the Panthers have an excellent track record with landing quality first round picks in recent years, the same can’t be said when it comes to second round selections. In fact, going back to 2019, the Carolina Panthers will enter the 2025 season getting virtually zero production from their last six second round picks.
Few things derail a rebuild like watching a half dozen second round picks yield little short-term value, then unceremoniously disappear into the NFL ether.
The value of second round picks
Before looking at the individual second round picks the Panthers have made in recent years, it’s important to take a step back and be reminded of the value of those picks.
First, the quality of players available between No. 33 and No. 64 is fantastic. Scouting the top 64 players in a draft shouldn’t be rocket science.
At a high level, there are roughly six offensive groups to scout (QB, RB, WR, TE, OT, IOL) and about five defensive groups (DT, DE, LB, CB, S), so 11 “groups” total. If these 11 “groups” are drafted at roughly equal rates in the first round, this means that in the second round something like the third through sixth best prospects from each group should still available!
Good NFL talent evaluators should be able to identify a solid “Top 5” list for each position group and a host of them will still be available in the second round. If front offices aren’t consistently landing solid long-term starters in Round 2, something’s wrong.
And not only is the talent abundant in the second round, the contracts are absolutely delicious.
Per Spotrac, the No. 33 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft will receive a 4-year, $10.8 million contract, or an average of $2.7 million per year. The No. 64 pick, the last selection in the second round, will sign a 4-year, $6.8 million deal, or $1.7 million per season. Those salaries are essentially rounding errors against a 2025 salary cap that will likely fall somewhere between $265-$275 million.
If I was an NFL GM, I would trade down a couple of spots every year in the first round to acquire more second round picks. I would hoard second round picks like a dragon with gold coins or millennials with Pokemon cards.
While landing quality starters in the second round isn’t the only key to a successful NFL rebuild, it’s definitely an enabler and accelerator. Unfortunately, as the Carolina Panthers continue with Rebuild 3.0 in 2025, they will do so without any contributions from their last six second round picks.
The Panthers recent second round picks
This might be a painful list for most Panthers fans, but here are the six second round selections that won’t be helping Carolina win the NFC South this year:
OT Greg Little. In 2019 Carolina traded up 10 spots from No. 47 to No. 37, frittering away the No. 77 pick, to select tackle Greg Little. He played in 14 games over two seasons before being traded away for a seventh-round pick.
DE Yetur Gross-Matos and S Jeremy Chinn. In 2020 the Panthers had two second round selections and took defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos at No. 38 and safety Jeremy Chinn at No. 64. Both players spent four years in Carolina before signing as free agents in 2024 with different teams. Gross-Matos never rose above a capable rotational player while losing Jeremy Chinn hurts.
In Chinn’s first two seasons with the Panthers he recorded 224 tackles and finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He seemed poised to develop into a Pro Bowl caliber player, but his next two seasons were underwhelming as he “didn’t fit” new defensive schemes. After signing with the Washington Redskins in 2024 on a reasonable 1-year, $4.1 million contract, Chinn excelled in his new home by starting all 17 games with 117 tackles, two sacks, and seven tackles for loss for a playoff team. PFF ranked him as No. 50 of 170 safeties.
Jeremy Chinn is the exact type of player teams need to land in the second round then sign to long-term extensions. He fits the mold of a highly-capable starter with Pro Bowl upside. The good news is the Panthers landed him at No. 64. The bad news is he’s no longer in Charlotte.
WR Terrace Marshall Jr. In 2021 Carolina drafted wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. He spent three underwhelming seasons in Charlotte before being released. He had three receptions for 41 yards with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
WR Jonathan Mingo. After not having a second round pick in 2022, Carolina selected wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in 2023. He was a Panthers for all of 24 games before the team traded him to the Dallas Cowboys midway through the 2024 season.
RB Jonathon Brooks. And last year the Panthers selected running back Jonathon Brooks at No. 46 – a pick I have already criticized enough – who was recovering from a college ACL tear. He re-tore his ACL late in his 2024 rookie season and will likely be sidelined for most of the 2025 campaign.
The second round setbacks
In summary, as the rebuilding Panthers prepare for the 2025 season, they will be doing so without any contributions from their last six second round picks except for what they can manage from a rehabbing Brooks.
The team just flat out whiffed on Greg Little, Terrace Marshall Jr., and Jonathan Mingo.
Yetur Gross-Matos is a fine NFL player, but never quite lived up to his draft billing.
Losing Jeremy Chinn, in retrospect, feels like a big miss now, especially on such a small contract. While not every player is a perfect fit for every NFL scheme, it just seems like a guy like Chinn who consistently racks up 100-plus tackle seasons could be adding value somewhere on the Panthers defense.
While I genuinely hope Jonathon Brooks has a successful recovery and an even more successful NFL career ahead, it was a major strategic error for Dan Morgan to invest the Panthers 2024 second round pick in a running back.
Rebuilding teams like the Panthers can’t afford to whiff on six straight second round picks.
This year the Panthers hold the No. 57 pick in the second round.
Let’s hope Dan Morgan gets it right this year.