UDFA Most Likely to Join Jalen Coker, Corey Thornton on Panthers' Roster

The Carolina Panthers have done really well in the UDFA market, especially compared to other teams. They have a decent defensive back, a clutch kicker, and a legitimate WR2 all from their UDFA hauls in the last two seasons.

Jalen Coker has quickly shed the dubious UDFA label. Corey Thornton was playing well before his injury last year, and Ryan Fitzgerald nailed four game-winners last year. That's half the Panthers' 2025 win total thanks to his leg.

Following the draft, the Panthers haven't been overly active in the UDFA market, but they've still signed 11 players. Among them, which one is poised to join Coker, Thornton, and Fitzgerald?

The Panthers UDFA most likely to make roster

Mississippi State Bulldogs offensive lineman Albert Reese IV (76) against the Arizona State Sun Devils | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

For a full look at the UDFAs that the Panthers have signed, check this tracker out. They didn't sign Deonta Lawson, Zxavian Harris, or any of the other perceived top targets after the draft, but they have a few sleepers in tow.

Still, the Panthers did sign former Mississippi State offensive tackle Albert Reese IV. He has primarily played tackle, but he has the versatility to and projects as a potential guard at the NFL level.

That is the big reason he can make the roster. The depth up front is not great. The Panthers love having depth and versatility on the offensive line, but with Cade Mays, Austin Corbett, and Brady Christensen gone, they have neither depth nor versatility.

The backup guard situation is not good, with Chandler Zavala being the first one off the bench in case of emergency. The tackle situation's not much better, even with Monroe Freeling. Stone Forsythe, one of the worst pass-protectors in the NFL last year, is the next tackle, and after that, there's nothing.

Reese and fellow lineman Isaia Glass of Vanderbilt could easily fix that problem, but we're predicting that the little bit of versatility Reese brings to the table will give him the edge and land him a spot on the roster.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox disagrees. He believes it will be former Georgia Tech QB Haynes King. Admittedly, he's the UDFA with, in our estimation, the second-best shot at it. All he has to do is be better than Will Grier as QB3, and that bar is low.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) runs out of the pocket | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

"Neither [Kenny] Pickett nor Grier, though, has the dual-threat upside of Georgia Tech's Haynes King, who recently signed with the Panthers," Knox wrote. "The 6'2⅜", 212-pound King delivered a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine after a six-year college career that included 7,907 passing yards and 2,277 rushing yards over the last three."

This is exactly why he could make the roster, but we're still betting that the extremely thin offensive line provides a path for Reese to sneak on and provide depth behind the guards and the tackles.

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