No surprise Panthers not represented on ESPN’s 2025 tight end rankings

It was a position that lacked production by Dave Canales’s team in 2024. The Carolina Panthers were a no-show when it came to a recent ranking of tight ends.

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (0) on the field before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Via Jeremy Fowler, ESPN continues its 2025 NFL player rankings by position series, a survey of league executives, coaches, and scouts. Tight ends have taken center stage, and the list is impressive. Three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs held the top spot the previous two years, but now 2024 first-round pick Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders rules the roost.

On the other hand, Dave Canales’s Carolina Panthers didn’t make a dent on the list. Not the Top 10, nor an honorable mention, or even one of their six tight ends on the roster getting a vote.

Perhaps that changes after 2025? Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan used a fifth-round pick in late April on Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans. Here is his pre-draft scouting reports by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “Combination tight end who came back strong from a season-ending knee injury in 2023 and got better and more productive as the season progressed. Evans is willing as a blocker and has the size to help in that area, but he would be more consistent with better pad level and strain to finish what he starts…"

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Mitchell Evans (88) runs after a catch against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"He has good ball skills and put a couple of spectacular catches on tape," added Zierlein, "but he will lose effectiveness beyond the second level. Evans’ size and dual-capacity ability on all three downs gives him a chance to become a starter with average catch production.”

Keep in mind that the Panthers were the only team in the league this past season that didn’t have a player catch at least 50 passes. It’s even more sobering when you consider that four Carolina tight ends combined for a mere 60 catches, all but four of those grabs by the combination of Ja’Tavion Sanders (33) and Tommy Tremble (23). The duo combined for just three touchdowns, two by Tremble. Troubling numbers indeed.

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