ESPN NFL draft expert names Panthers' class his favorite, predicts big award for Tetairoa McMillan

Panthers’ GM Dan Morgan was aggressive during the three-day NFL drafting process. One analyst was impressed with the team’s work, and one pick in particular.

NFL Commissoner Rodger Goodell, left, with Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan selected by the Carolina Panthers as the number eight pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Off a 2-15 showing in 2023, the Carolina Panthers won four of the final nine games this past season after dropping seven of their first eight outings. Quarterback Bryce Young overcame a rough rookie season and a benching from new head coach Dave Canales after two games in ‘24 and played very well one he got his starting job back.

General manager Dan Morgan added plenty of newcomers to the league’s worst defense a year ago via free agency. In this year’s NFL draft, he turned nine picks into eight selections by making several moves. When it was all said and done, ESPN’s Jordan Reid says that the Panthers came up with his “favorite” draft class.

Oct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Nic Scourton (11) reacts against the LSU Tigers during the fourth quarter. The Aggies defeated the Tigers 38-23; at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

“Receiver, edge rusher and safety were their top needs entering the draft, and they addressed all of them in the first four rounds. Tetairoa McMillan was my highest-ranked receiver—he gives Bryce Young a true WR1. Princely Umanmielen and Nic Scourton provide Carolina with two young edge rushers. Lathan Ransom is a hard-hitting safety who can produce on the back end and special teams. Jimmy Horn Jr. was one of my favorite late-round receivers and could stick on the roster as a return specialist.”

Reid is certainly high on McMillan. In fact, when asked for his “early call” for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the former University of Arizona standout got the nod. “I’m a big believer in McMillan’s fit with Bryce Young. McMillan’s catch radius will instantly make him the go-to receiver for the Panthers. He also has the formational versatility to play multiple spots and can fill the role Mike Evans had in Dave Canales’s offense in 2023, when Canales was the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator.”

If the ESPN draft analyst is correct, the Panthers may well be in for a breakthrough year.

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