Why Carolina Panthers’ Pass Rush Could Take Huge Leap After NFL Draft

Dave Canales’s club finished 8-9 in 2025, one of three teams in the NFC South to claim that mark. And thanks to their combined 3-1 record vs. the Atlanta Falcons (2-0) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1), it was the Carolina Panthers that emerged as division champions. It marked the first time since the franchise’s Super Bowl 50 campaign in 2015 that the Panthers finished atop the NFC South.

Getting to opposing quarterbacks remained a Panthers’ problem in 2025

Canales’s team was much improved in many aspects, most notably on defense following a troubling showing in 2024. However, one aspect of this unit that has really struggled as of late has been the pass rush.

Dating back to 2023, no team in the NFL has totaled fewer quarterback traps (89) than the Panthers. Carolina finished with only 30 sacks this past season, and that was down from 32 QB traps the previous year. In ’23, Panthers’ defenders managed only 27 sacks.

To put that in perspective, the Denver Broncos have led the league in sacks in each of the past two seasons, and have finished with a combined 131 quarterback traps since 2024. That’s 42 more sacks than the Panthers have amassed the past three years.

LB Nic Scourton showed promise as a rookie in 2025

Last April, Carolina general manager Dan Morgan addressed the problem in free agency with the signing of edge rusher Patrick Jones II (Vikings), as well as the Day 2 selections of Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). While Scourton would tie for the team lead with five sacks (with DT Derrick Brown) and shows a lot of potential, injuries derailed Jones’s season (he played in only 4 games) and Umanmielen is still very much a work in progress.

Back in March, Morgan once again addressed the issue with the signing of one-time Dolphins’ first-round pick Jaelan Phillips. After four and a half seasons in South Florida, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles during 2025. He’s totaled 28.0 sacks in 63 regular-season games and managed to stay healthy this past season after playing in a combined 12 games from 2023-24.

Second-round DT Lee Hunter could have a big say this season

Last week, Morgan used a second-round pick on Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com explains how the 6’3 1/2”, 318-pound prospect could have a huge impact on Carolina’s pass rush.

Good stuff from @LanceZierlein on how Lee Hunter is going to help out the #Panthers defense

✅✅✅✅ pic.twitter.com/JI6Go6RmdR
— (Thomas) threes&tds (@threesandtds24) April 29, 2026

Listen to a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Former Panthers’ linebacker Luke Kuechly stated that Red Raiders’ defender such as new Jets’ edge rusher David Bailey—the second overall pick in last week’s NFL draft—and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (the Miami Dolphins’ second-round selection) would not have had the success they did in 2025 without an interior presence such as Hunter.

It goes without saying that the combination of Brown and the 49th overall selection in April’s draft could certainly make life easier for those outside edge rushers. The Panthers may finally have the right pieces to make life very uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks.

Add us as a preferred source on Google