The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching and the Carolina Panthers have the eighth pick. This is a breakdown of their team needs and potential players they could select in the Draft.
State of the Union
The Panthers are hoping that the franchise can take a step forward next season. It has been a tough stretch for Carolina over the past few years, but it might finally be heading in the right direction. The franchise has not won more than seven games in a season since 2017, and it has not won a playoff game since Cam Newton’s MVP season of 2015, when it lost in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers hoped to start fresh by drafting Alabama QB Bryce Young No. 1 overall in 2023. However, that season was an utter disaster, while CJ Stroud, who went No. 2 overall, took the Texans to the postseason in his rookie year. Carolina decided to make a coaching change before the 2024 season by hiring Bucs OC Dave Canales as its new head coach.
The 2024 season started terribly for Canales and Young, with the team going 1-7 over its first eight games. During that stretch, it seemed as if Young was mentally broken and the team turned to veteran QB Andy Dalton to start a couple of games. However, after the team showed little improvement under Dalton, Canales turned back to Young to see if it could find anything after giving the sophomore a couple of games on the sideline. The team, including Young, ended up playing much better in the second half of the season. After its 1-7 start, it finished the season 4-5 in its final nine games, including an overtime loss to the Bucs and one-possession losses to the two eventual conference champions, the Eagles and the Chiefs.
Carolina started to improve on the defensive side of the ball as some of its young talent developed. However, it was really the play of Bryce Young that took a big jump forward. Chuba Hubbard had a breakout season, rushing for over 1,000 yards, and rookie wide receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker were the team’s second and third-leading receivers after Adam Thielen. With all of these skill-position players and Dave Canales returning next season, Bryce Young might finally have some confidence heading into the start of a season. Next season is the time for Young and the Panthers to make a jump forward before they need to make a decision on whether they will re-sign Young.
Free Agency Recap
Departures
Safeties Xavier Woods, Jordan Fuller – Measuring by defensive EPA/dropback, the Panthers had the second-worst pass defense in football. So, they probably won’t miss their two safeties too much as they head on to new destinations. That being said, the Panthers will need to make significant moves to fill in those spots with better talent than they had last season.
RB Miles Sanders – Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard were expected to be a running back committee this season. However, Hubbard immediately took the reins and became the lead back for the Panthers. Sanders also dealt with injuries throughout the season and was not much of a factor in the offense. The Panthers won’t mind seeing him head to Dallas this offseason.
Key Additions
S Tre’von Moehrig (Raiders) – The Panthers already made one big move to fill their holes at safety by signing former Raider second-round pick Tre’von Moehrig. Moehrig is a really solid player who started all 17 games for the Raiders each of the last two seasons. He will be a Week 1 starter for the Panthers and should make an immediate impact on their pass defense.
DT Tershawn Wharton (Chiefs) – The Panthers also helped fill in the gaps on their defensive line by signing Wharton from the Chiefs. Wharton has always lived in Chris Jones’ shadow in Kansas City, but he is coming off of a career-best season where he had 6.5 sacks. At worst, Wharton is a great depth piece, but he could also become a star on the interior defensive line for Carolina.
RB Rico Dowdle (Cowboys) – The Panthers are happy with Chuba Hubbard as their RB1, but they added Rico Dowdle to be their RB2 with Miles Sanders heading to Dallas. Dowdle is a speedster and a good pass catcher that will make him a good balance to Hubbard, who is more of a traditional every-down back. Dowdle is a nice addition to the offense and should be a good RB2 behind Hubbard.
Team Needs
Pass Catchers – Adam Thielen continues to produce despite the fact that he is now 34 years old. The Panthers also have two exciting rookies in Legette and Coker. However, if they could find another top-tier receiver in the draft that would be great for Bryce Young. Thielen isn’t going to be able to produce at a high level for too many more seasons and while Legette and Coker look promising, they are not definite stars by any means. The addition of a great wide receiver or tight end this offseason would go a long way.
Defensive Line – Wharton was a good addition to the defensive line, but the Panthers need even more help there. They need an elite pass rusher and more help on the interior defensive line as well. They had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season and improving that side of the ball starts in the trenches.
Secondary – The Panthers just signed their young stud cornerback Jaycee Horn to an extension. Horn is going to be the CB1 in Carolina for years to come, but now they need to add a high-level CB2 across from him while also finding another safety to play beside Moehrig.
Potential Draft Picks
WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) – The Panthers have the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They are not in the quarterback market, which means they should be able to get a high-level talent at No. 8. Tet McMillan is a potential future superstar wide receiver who could immediately be the WR1 for Bryce Young. McMillan has an absurd catch radius and the best hands of any pass catcher in this draft class. If the Panthers get McMillan to go alongside Coker and Legette, their receiver corps could be set for the next several years.
CB Will Johnson (Michigan) – The Panthers have bigger issues on defense than on offense so it would make sense for them to address that side of the ball first. Will Johnson is an elite cornerback whose production was off the charts at Michigan. He has shown that he can cover anybody and also has all of the athletic traits that an NFL team would look for. Johnson is also a great leader and has a high football IQ. He would be the perfect guy to pair across Jaycee Horn to make the Panthers a feared secondary for the first time in a long time.
EDGE Jalon Walker (Georgia) – The Panthers could elect to find that elite pass rusher with this pick. This is a great draft class of EDGE rushers and Jalon Walker is one of the best. He is an athletic freak and led Georgia in TFLs and sacks last season. An elite EDGE like Walker immediately helps the Panthers’ run defense and pass defense with his ability to stop the run and get after the quarterback. Walker could be the perfect pick for Carolina to start the rebuild of its defense.
