Seven takeaways from an NFL Draft chat with the Carolina Panthers’ GM
The Carolina Panthers see Georgia hybrid-linebacker prospect Jalon Walker as an edge rusher in their defensive scheme.
GM Dan Morgan met with the media Tuesday ahead of next week’s 2025 NFL Draft to discuss the team’s outlook entering the big weekend. And with Walker being linked to the Panthers as much as any other prospect in first-round mock drafts, Morgan was asked about the Bulldogs defender’s fit within Ejiro Evero’s defense.
“Jalon’s a good player,” Morgan said. “For us, I guess I’ll talk on it now — he’s an outside linebacker for us that I feel like can do a lot in our defense. I think he’s definitely a great person, really great player, and I think he’s got a bright future ahead.”
Walker, who is listed as 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds, has been pegged by draft analysts as a movable chess piece. He played both inside and outside linebacker in college, which has led some evaluators to forecast an early role inside and a third-down role on the outside.
Morgan, a former inside linebacker, acknowledged the value of Walker’s versatility.
“I don’t know if it makes him more attractive,” Morgan said. “But I think it definitely adds value to them. In Jalon’s case, he can play on the outside, you can move inside, you can do a lot of different things with him on the defense. I know that we do value those types of things. And again, he’s a great player.”
While Walker can be used in multiple ways, there are some drawbacks to giving young players too much to do too early. Just because Walker can do a lot of things, that doesn’t mean he should be thrown into a bunch of different looks right away.
A mistake teams can make is spreading young talent too thin.
“I think that’s a fair statement,” Morgan said. “I think it’s always good to align a guy where you really want to play him, so he can develop in a specific place. That way you’re not just moving him around and he’s not really getting better, or getting great, at anything. He’s just getting good at a bunch of different things. Yeah, I definitely think (that’s true).”
In recent years, Georgia defenders have taken some time to develop at the next level. While the program is a championship contender every year, the prospects that have left for the NFL have typically developed radically from Year 1 to Year 2. Take OLB Nolan Smith, now with the Eagles. Or DE Travon Walker, now with the Jaguars.
A learning year in the NFL might scare some GMs away from such prospects, but Morgan believes the SEC talent that the defenders face is helpful in the evaluation.
“I mean, I think it makes it a little easier just knowing the level of competition certain teams play against,” Morgan said. “Obviously, a school like Georgia, they’re playing against top competition in the SEC. So from an evaluation standpoint, it does make it a little easier.”
Here are six other takeaways from the pre-draft discussion with Morgan:
Panthers GM willing to trading back
Morgan said during his chat with the media that he is open to trading back if the opportunity presents itself. The team has plotted out several different scenarios to figure out how the board will fall with the first seven picks. Morgan said that the team likes a lot of prospects in the first round, but they’ll evaluate their options closer to the draft.
For instance, last year’s trade up for wideout Xavier Legette was largely completed on the day of the move, he said.
Pushing back against talent narratives
Morgan pushed back on the notion that the No. 8 pick was a talent wasteland of sorts. The GM thinks the Panthers will have options, and if the team can’t trade out of the pick, they’ll be prepared for all the different scenarios that could drop on Day 1.
While Morgan declined to talk about the appeal of a team potentially trading up into the top-10, he did acknowledge that it takes just one team having the desire to move up to make a potential trade happen.
Morgan said last week’s news of Derek Carr’s shoulder injury didn’t immediately lead to interest from the league in the trade-up pool. The thought among media evaluators is that the Saints could have interest in landing a QB in the top 10, and that if a team were to want to grab a QB that high, they might to need to trade ahead of New Orleans at No. 9.
Feelings about the wide receiver room
Morgan echoed head coach Dave Canales’ thoughts on the wide receiver room from earlier this month. The GM, like the head coach, feels good about the room that is led by Legette and veteran Adam Thielen. Morgan also mentioned second-year wideout Jalen Coker and journeyman wideout David Moore as important pieces in the room.
But, despite that appreciation for the current group, Morgan didn’t rule out the possibility of adding a wideout in the draft. He also discussed generally adding playmakers to the offense, which includes tight ends. While media evaluators have lauded the tight end class and downplayed the wideout group, Morgan didn’t say one group was clearly deeper than the other.
Latest on Ickey Ekwonu’s contract status
The Panthers plan to take their time with the decision on Ekwonu’s fifth-year option because they can afford to. Carolina has until May 1 to pick up the option, which is projected to cost $17.56 million in 2026.
Morgan didn’t rule out selecting an offensive tackle, but he said drafting that player wouldn’t have anything to do with right tackle Taylor Moton’s contract status. As of now, Moton is expected to play out the final year of his contract.
The need at safety
Morgan said he’d like to come out of the draft with at least one safety. However, the Panthers’ top decision-maker also noted that he wouldn’t force a pick at a position. The Panthers feel good about the addition of free-agent safety Tre’von Moehrig, but the GM did acknowledge that the numbers at the position are still light earlier in the offseason.
The Panthers have Moehrig, Nick Scott and Demani Richardson at the position. Typically, teams bring six or seven safeties to offseason workouts.
Evaluating kickers
Morgan was asked about how the Panthers evaluate kickers entering the draft. The GM said that he relies heavily on special teams coordinator Tracy Smith for the projections of those specialists.
The Panthers have journeyman kicker Matthew Wright under contract. However, the team is likely to host a kicking competition this offseason between Wright and a rookie. The Panthers need to weigh if drafting a kicker is worth it, as the team has three fifth-round picks and one seventh pick to use in that regard.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 1:17 PM.
