With hundreds of choices and more than one right answer, who do you think it is?
Let’s kick off draft week with a bit of fun and optimism. The Carolina Panthers have held the first overall pick twice in franchise history and have picked all over the rest of the draft. They have drafted one current and multiple probable-future Hall of Famers. They have had two NFC Championship teams based largely on their own drafted talent. All that is to say that this young franchise has seen some success in the draft. So let’s ask a simple question today that is sure to lead to harmony and accord in our little community:
Who was the best player that the Carolina Panthers ever drafted?
You can qualify that question any which way you want. Is it value at their draft position? The guy who contributed the most to the most wins? The most standout player at the most important position? The player who was better at his position than anybody we’ve ever seen play football?
You could come up with a list here that stretches from Cam Newton and Bryce Young (though that jury is still well out, trolls) as our two first overall picks in franchise history, all the way to Captain Munnerlyn, the team’s longest tenured seventh round pick.
Scroll down to the comments and give us your top five. Maybe we’ll get lucky and revisit this post in ten years to find some people arguing for the Panthers’ first pick from the 2025 NFL Draft to be included.