The Carolina Panthers picked up some players that should contribute right out of the gate next season.
The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone. The Carolina Panthers made moves all over the draft and ended up with eight draft picks as well as a handful of undrafted free agents. Dan Morgan and company largely hit on areas where the Panthers could use some help, so the draft class has a chance to make a pretty immediate impact.
With all the new players, it’s a good time to look at a rough draft of the Panthers current depth chart if the season started today. Starters are in bold.
Offense
Quarterback
Bryce Young, Andy Dalton
The Panthers signed undrafted free agent Ethan Garber out of UCLA to compete with last year’s undrafted quarterback Jack Plummer. Plummer seemingly has the upper hand given his experience with the team last year and a strong finish to the preseason. Either way, it’ll be tough for either to make the 53 man roster.
Running back
Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne, Raheem Blackshear
Jonathon Brooks is probably out for all of next season after re-tearing his ACL just a few weeks after making his return from his first ACL tear. The Panthers added Etienne as depth in the running back room, but Hubbard and Dowdle are going to dominate the carries.
Wide Receiver
Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, David Moore, Jimmy Horn Jr., Dan Chisena
I debated who to list as the starters. You could make a strong case that Coker was better than Legette last season, but Legette’s pedigree probably makes him the de facto starter at this point. That said, I think all four of the top guys are going to get a pretty equal share of snaps in the early going with McMillan eventually taking on a larger share as he becomes the team’s true number one guy.
Tight End
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans
Sanders showed a lot of promise down the stretch and gets the starting nod. Tremble will see plenty of looks in the rotation and in two tight end sets. Mitchell will fill the void left by Ian Thomas as depth and will probably have a bit more of a blocking focus to start.
Offensive Line
Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, Chandler Zavala, Yosh Nijman
The top eight seem like sure bets to return from last season. I threw Nijman in there just because he’s a veteran but really that last spot can go to just about anyone, be they an undrafted free agent from this class or one of the guys on a futures deal.
Defense
Defensive Line
Derrick Brown, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, A’Shawn Robinson, LaBryan Ray, Cam Jackson
Jackson joins a defensive line that already got a makeover in free agency. He’ll provide depth behind new signing Bobby Brown III while the rest of the group is made up of veterans.
Edge
DJ Wonnum, Pat Jones II, Jadeveon Clowney, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen
The Panthers were reportedly mulling a potential trade of Clowney around the draft, so his future is very uncertain. The team stocked the cupboard by using both their second and third round picks on edge rushers. Scourton has a good chance to start out of the gate, and ideally one if not both of them become heavy rotation pieces if not starters sooner rather than later. It’s a group that’s gotten quite deep but needs someone to ascend to that next level.
Linebacker
Josey Jewell, Trevin Wallace, Christian Rozeboom, Jacoby Windmon, Claudin Cherelus
Josey Jewell is firmly entrenched as LB1 if that’s a thing. I think the team will want to see Wallace claim the other starting linebacker spot, but Rozeboom is a solid veteran that can play there as well. The Panthers didn’t target this position in the draft, so depth behind those three is really anyone’s spot for the taking.
Cornerback
Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Shemar Batholomew, Akayleb Evans
Those are the only corners on the roster pre-undrafted free agency. The Panthers added Mike Reid, and there are depth spots for the taking there.
Safety
Tre’von Moehrig, Demani Richardson, Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom
Like corner, these are the only players on the roster, so they all make the team by default. Last year’s undrafted rookie Demani Richardson established himself as a pretty decent player. Fifth round pick Ransom can try to push him for his spot.
Special Teams
Kicker: Ryan Fitzgerald
Punter: Sam Martin
Long snapper: JJ Jansen
The Panthers hopefully locked down a long term option at kicker by signing undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick. He didn’t miss a kick last season at Florida State. It’d be cool if he kept doing that.