CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After the Carolina Panthers had taken a wide receiver in the first round for the second year in a row, someone asked general manager Dan Morgan if he was becoming an offensive-oriented guy. Morgan, a Panthers linebacker for seven seasons, assured reporters that wasn’t the case.
“I don’t think so,” Morgan said following the selection of Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick. “I’m turning into a guy that just wants to bring good football players in here, and it’s just another opportunity to bring a great player in here.”
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Sure enough, Morgan traded up for two edge rushers on the second night of the draft and by the end of the weekend, the Panthers’ eight-player draft class was split evenly with four offensive and four defensive players, which Morgan chalked up to happenstance.
Draft analysts liked the group that Morgan, Dave Canales and executive VP of football operations Brandt Tilis put together. The Panthers were one of only three teams to receive an A-plus from Pro Football Focus, where Carolina VP of football analytics Eric Eager previously worked. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked the Panthers’ class as the league’s 10th-best and tops among their NFC South peers, followed by Tampa Bay (14th), New Orleans (23rd) and Atlanta (30th).
Some position groups and players already on the roster benefited more than others from Morgan’s decisions, which The Athletic breaks down with a look at the winners, losers and those still to be determined after the draft.
Winner: QB Bryce Young
This is the second year in a row Young emerged from the draft as a winner, which speaks to what the front office is trying to do for the No. 1 pick from 2023. Young was able to see firsthand what the 6-foot-4 McMillan could bring to the offense, throwing with him for a day at a training facility in California. Young then lobbied on behalf of McMillan, whose ability to snatch balls cleanly with his hands stands in contrast to Xavier Legette’s pass-catching issues as a rookie. “Of course I’m going to take Bryce’s recommendation on a guy that he was out there throwing with and he had intimate knowledge of what he looked like. And of course I’m going to pick his brain and get his thoughts,” Morgan said. “Bryce is a big part of this organization, so I’m glad we communicated and we got it done.”
Loser: WR Xavier Legette
It’s hard not to see the McMillan pick as something of an indictment of Legette, whom the Panthers took at 32 last year after trading up with Buffalo. Legette’s catch percentage of 58.3 ranked among the 22 worst in the league in 2024, when he dealt with a wrist injury. Legette didn’t need surgery on the wrist, but did undergo a procedure on his foot after the season. Maybe McMillan’s arrival will ease the pressure on Legette and help him succeed as a WR2. “Xavier wants to win,” Morgan said. “And he’s hungry to go out there and compete and show up big this year. I know he’s been working his butt off.”
Xavier Legette caught 49 passes for 497 yards and four TDs last season as a rookie. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
TBD: The tight ends
The Panthers let Ian Thomas leave in free agency but re-signed Tommy Tremble, a hard-working athlete who still hasn’t really broken out as a receiver. Morgan waited until the fifth round to dip into a deep tight end group. Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans, who underwent ACL surgery in 2023, was more of a possession receiver in college than a Greg Olsen-type tight end who exploited mismatches.
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Winner: LT Ikem Ekwonu
There was some thought the Panthers might take an offensive tackle on the third day as a possible successor to Taylor Moton or Ekwonu, the first-round pick from N.C. State in 2022. Morgan said there were tackles on the board the Panthers liked, but it didn’t work out to take one. And minutes after the Panthers wrapped up Saturday, Morgan notified Ekwonu they were picking up his fifth-year option for a guaranteed $17.56 million in 2026.
Loser: RB Raheem Blackshear
Blackshear had the same type of positive energy that Canales exudes and has been the Panthers’ No. 3 back and primary kick returner the past three seasons. But adding Georgia running back Trevor Etienne in the fourth round puts Blackshear’s roster spot in jeopardy, especially since Etienne and seventh-round pick Jimmy Horn Jr. have return experience. A veteran personnel executive for another NFC team thinks Etienne will be a better NFL player than he was in college, saying: “Good in the pass game with good instincts as a runner.”
TBD: RB Jonathon Brooks
It’s too soon to write off Brooks following his second ACL surgery on his right knee. Morgan and Canales have not offered any timelines on Brooks’ recovery. If last year’s second-round pick from Texas needs any inspiration, he can look to Panthers great Thomas Davis, who was the first player to return from three ACL surgeries on the same knee.
Winner: Ejiro Evero
The defensive coordinator went from getting head-coaching interviews after the 2022 and ’23 seasons to hearing speculation about his job status after a season in which the Panthers were the league’s worst-ranked defense and gave up more points than any team in NFL history. But as promised, Morgan gave Evero more pieces to work with this offseason, beginning with five free-agent acquisitions and continuing through the draft. Most of the additions have been up front, where the Panthers beefed up the interior and at the edge.
Loser: Jadeveon Clowney
One of the more interesting moments of the draft came Friday night after the Panthers picked a pair of SEC edge rushers — Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton in the second round and Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen in the third. Asked if the Panthers were considering moving on from the 32-year-old Clowney, Morgan didn’t exactly shoot it down. “We’re still working through the roster. We’re still talking through things,” he said. “Obviously, we’re focused on the draft right now and what’s in front of us.” The draft is now behind the Panthers and there’s not yet been any word on Clowney, who would count $13.8 million against the cap. Morgan made some preliminary trade calls on Clowney, who — if he’s still on the roster — won’t be forced to play as many snaps as he did last year.
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TBD: Backup cornerbacks
The Panthers made Jaycee Horn the highest-paid corner in NFL history with a four-year, $100 million extension (since surpassed by Houston’s Derek Stingley), and brought back Mike Jackson on a two-year, $14.5 million deal. But the Panthers didn’t address corner depth in free agency or the draft. They did claim cornerback MJ Devonshire off waivers from the Raiders on Monday, giving them a lottery ticket on a 2024 seventh-round pick who can play outside and in the slot. Devonshire spent last season on the Raiders’ practice squad, but intercepted seven passes his final year at Pittsburgh, including three he returned for touchdowns.
(Top photo of Bryce Young: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
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