Panthers predicted to make risky pick at No. 8 with 4.5-sack edge rusher

When it comes to their No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers cannot afford a swing and miss with the selection. Carolina is finally moving in the right direction after a bounce-back showing from Bryce Young in 2024 and a free-agent period that has seen several key additions.

While that's all well and good, Carolina is still building for the future and one position group that needs to be looked at closely is edge rusher. Carolina currently sports a solid group of four with Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Wonnum, Tershawn Warton and Patrick Jones II. However, Clowney and Wonnum will be free agents in 2026.

Speaking of potential swing and misses, Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice and Charles McDonald envision the Panthers taking Texas A&M edge rusher Shemart Stewart with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

"Stewart’s production makes him a risk, but for a team that needs juice off the edge like the Panthers, his potential makes him an intriguing dice roll at the top of the draft," the pair wrote. "Some teams will look at Stewart’s build and his 4.59 40-yard dash from the scouting combine and fall in love sooner than later. According to TruMedia, the Panthers’ defense finished dead last in pressure percentage last season (25.2%). This may be the type of risk the Panthers are willing to take."

Feb 26, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (DL68) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stewart is exactly the kind of risk the Panthers should not be taking in the first round.

He is no doubt a promising prospect, but a lack of sack production makes him a major roll of the dice in this spot. Stewart tallied just 4.5 sacks during his collegiate career, including 1.5 last season.

On the plus side, he has great size and length, and he can align in multiple spots on the defensive front, giving Carolina different ways to deploy him.

We could definitely see Stewart going somewhere in the first round, but taking him in the top 10 is simply too risky for the Panthers to do.

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