Carolina Panthers earn more high marks for stellar 2025 NFL draft class

An NFL analyst ranked the NFC’s 2025 draft classes, and the Panthers were near the top of the list. Then again, so were the reigning NFC South champions.

Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It’s been a rough stretch for a franchise that still hasn’t enjoyed back-to-back winning campaigns. The Carolina Panthers last reached the playoffs in 2017, and own a combined 36-80 the past seven seasons.

There has been some progress since the team won two games in 2023. After a miserable 1-7 start in 2024, Dave Canales’s team won four of its final nine games. This offseason, GM Dan Morgan worked quickly to address the league’s worst defense from this past season in free agency.

Last month, Morgan used Day 1 of the draft to give the league’s 30th-ranked passing attack a new weapon in wideout Tetairoa McMillan, then addressed the club’s sub-par pass rush with Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). With the first of two picks in the fourth round, the Panthers added running back Trevor Etienne (Georgia). He’ll provide depth behind Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, and could also factor in as a pass-catcher and on special teams.

Georgia running back Trevor Etienne (1) stiff-arms Tennessee Tech defensive back Omari Philyaw (16) during the first half of a NCAA college football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated recently gave his rankings and thoughts on the 16 teams in the NFC and their 2025 draft classes. Carolina was No. 4 and earned an A-minus grade as well. ““Regardless of how it works out with Bryce Young, at least Carolina can now say it gave the 2023 No. 1 pick a fair shot to prove himself. Two years removed from his dreadful rookie year, Young will now have a receiving corps that features McMillan, last year’s first-round selection Xavier Legette, and last year’s undrafted gem Jalen Coker.

“The rushing attack drastically improved last season with the emergence of Chuba Hubbard,” added Manzano, “but the team didn’t settle there, adding Etienne in the fourth round. Even the defensive side has progressed, with Carolina selecting Scourton and Umanmielen. This roster has come a long way since its miserable 2-15 season two years ago.”

That’s all and good, expect for one little note. The three teams ranked ahead of Carolina are the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Todd Bowles’s club also earned an A-minus grade for their work from Manzano. The reigning NFC South champions continue to get richer, which is bad news for a talented Panthers’ team that owns a dismal 1-9 record vs. the Bucs since 2020.

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