Do the Carolina Panthers already have a favorite for their 2025 first-round pick? One longtime draft analyst seems to believe so.
The latest mock draft from Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda includes an interesting nugget at the eighth overall slot. While Pauline takes University of Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker for Carolina, he links the organization to University of Michigan cornerback Will Johnson—who was already off the board at that point in the projection.
Pauline writes:
The Panthers would love to end up with Will Johnson, but an edge rusher is a need and Walker is a natural fit.
Johnson is widely considered the top true cornerback prospect in the upcoming class. He’s headed to the pros with quite the résumé as well—having nabbed a national title, a first-team All-American nod (2023) and a second-team All-American nod (2024).
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defender also fits the description of the type of player general manager Dan Morgan will be looking to add this offseason.
“We’re gonna look to bring passionate football players, first of all. And then we’re gonna look for playmakers on both sides of the ball,” Morgan recently told Charlotte Sports Live’s Carla Metts Gebhart. “So, defensive side—guys that can take the ball away, guys that can affect the quarterback.”
Taking the ball away was a bit of a speciality for Johnson, who recorded recorded nine interceptions over three years at Michigan. Three of those picks, by the way, wound up in the end zone for touchdowns.