The Carolina Panthers received praise for their draft last weekend, with many media giving them the best grades, including Pro Football Focus that gave them (with the Cardinals and the Cowboys) a perfect A + score. Panther fans on social networks seem to agree, so what made the 2nd draft of GM Dan Morgan so good?
1st round (8 in total) – Tetairoa McMillan WR / Arizona
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McMillan was the 2nd WR consensus in the draft behind Travis Hunter who went # 2 to the Jags, and he responds to a huge need for the panthers. It should provide the needs of the large body (6’5 212) of the Red Zone Bryce Young needs, and be an excellent supplement to WR Xavier Legette from last year. I love Tmac as a perspective and I loved the idea that the panthers write it, but I wondered before the cog if they should consider returning if they were the guy they wanted. After their choice, there was not another WR written for 11 choices, so even if we cannot know if McMillan would have lasted so long, it is just to wonder if they could have obtained their guys and additional choices if they had chosen to come back. Grade B +
2nd round (51 in total) – Nic Scourton Edge / Texas A&M
This choice made me as the TMAC choice even more. I thought that the panthers could take a rusher of passes at 8 years old, but after having exchanged the 29th general player classified from Pff at 51, I had the impression that they had a talented rusher of the first round with a WR1. Scourton is a versatile player with an average sequence, and he instantly won the hearts of the fans of the panthers by eliminating all the other hats of the team of a table on the evening of the evening. Grade A +
3rd round (77 in total) Main Umanmelen Edge / Ole Miss
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The panthers continued to add to the worst defense of the NFL from last year in the 3rd round, exchanging to take another rusher of passes. Umanmelen is not as versatile as Scourton, but he can absolutely get after the QB in a hurry and the Panthers have also obtained another huge value, taking a player that many planned would be a 2nd round choice. Grade a
4th round (114 in total) Trevor Etienne RB / Georgia
Etienne is the younger brother of Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, although he does not have the explosiveness of his brother. At 5’9/200, it is not the size of a back on each back, but with good speed, good capacity and blocking capacity, it profiles like a 3rd upward / change of rhythm. Panthers have already chubbard and Rico Dowdle at the top of the depths, so this choice can point out to the panthers do not believe that they get a lot from the choice of the 2nd round of last year Jonathan Brooks. Etienne can also help in the return game, a Carolina region has experienced difficulties last season. Grade c
4th round (122 in total) Lathan Ransom S / Ohio State
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With their second 4th round choice, the panthers started to improve their defense, adding that Buckeyes Safety Lathan Ransom to help correct the worst NFL race last year did not have the measurables that some DBs were taken in front of him, but he probably caught the eye of the panthers with his tenacity and his hardening. This is a type of Dan Morgan. Grade B +
5th round (140 in total) Cam’ron Jackson DT / Florida
Jackson is a huge stuffing run (6’6,342) which will help plug in the middle for Caroline. He is probably a guy in rotation of 2 down in the NFL, but everything to help this defense in execution is a welcome addition. Grade b
5th round (163) Mitchell Evans Te / Notre Dame
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Evans is not as exciting as some of the TEs that have preceded it, but it should help the panthers in several different ways as a receiver and a balanced reliable passenger blocker. Like McMillan, he excelled in the disputed sockets, and projects as a solid safeguard if not high, and the Panthers room needed another player. Grade b
6th round (208 in total) Jimmy Horn Jr WR / Colorado
Horn is the opposite of McMillan. Only 5’10/170, he projects like more than one guy deep in slot / special teams, with a certain speed (4.46 40) to descend the ground as a deep threat. If nothing else, this is another look for this revised offense. Grade B-
Overall, it was a fantastic project for the panthers, adding more weapons for Bryce Young and massive defense improvements, in particular the rush to the passes. Global grade B +
Related: evaluation of the Carolina Panthers 2025 project class assessment
