Grading Carolina Panthers’ 2025 NFL Draft: Analysis of Tetairoa McMillan-led class
The Carolina Panthers upgraded their offensive and defensive depth charts throughout draft weekend.
After just six rounds of action, GM Dan Morgan and the Carolina front office added eight notable prospects to their evolving roster.
On offense, the team collected two wide receivers, a running back and a tight end. And on defense, the team brought in two pass rushers, a safety and a defensive tackle.
And while the team’s Day 1 led to plenty of debate, the rest of the weekend played out as most would expect. Predictability isn’t a bad thing when it comes to the NFL Draft, especially because it seemed like the Panthers had a collective plan throughout the three days of work.
Here is how Morgan and the front office graded out during their second turn at the NFL Draft:
First round, No. 8: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
With Mason Graham off the board (No. 5 to the Cleveland Browns), the Panthers didn’t get the trade-back opportunities they sought ahead of the draft. So, from there, it was about determining who was the best player on their board, and they went with McMillan over Georgia pass rushers Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams.
And that’s fine, really. It’s not a slam-dunk move, but it’s also not a damning one either, from value or prospect standpoints. In a way, the weight of McMillan’s selection in the process would be determined by how the Panthers played the rest of the board during draft weekend.
Was slighting the defense to improve the offense worth risking a miss on several top defensive prospects? The Panthers needed to make the gamble worth it during the final two days of the weekend.
The Panthers needed a dynamic playmaker at wide receiver, and Texas wideout Matthew Golden might have only been a trade-back option for the franchise. Dynamic wideout play can come in many forms, and while Golden’s special trait is speed, McMillan’s top trait is jump-ball ability.
The first-round pick has shown an incredible catch radius. He’s also subtly shifty in his change of direction, and while he’s not known as a fast playmaker, he does have notable yards-after-catch ability because of his smoothness down the field. He’s also not particularly easy to tackle because of his 6-foot-4, 219-pound frame.
In a cylinder, McMillan was a logical pick.
What’s making this pick seem kind of lukewarm is Xavier Legette’s first-round selection last year and his immediate return. Plus, the defense was historically bad last year, and while the team spent a lot in free agency to fix that issue, one could argue there wasn’t a marquee pillar piece added to the bunch. This beat writer would say that guy was safety Tre’von Moehrig, but it’s also understandable that onlookers are skeptical of the new bunch.
McMillan was highly productive in college. He collected 3,423 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns during his three-tenure in Tuscon, Arizona, and his 16.1 yard-per-catch average was quite notable. He’s not a burner. You won’t see him streaking past NFL cornerbacks. But he can be a big-play maven in a vertical offense that pushes the ball down the field and relies on winning contested catches.
Young showed last year that he can launch balls to his weapons, and McMillan fits into that style of play. He might not ward off safeties from the tackle box, but he’s going to be able to bully smaller outside and nickel cornerbacks in individual matchups.
Defenses are going to have to respect his size advantage, which could lead to double teams, which would open up lanes for Legette and Adam Thielen underneath.
The pressure is now on the staff — led by a head coach who is a former wide receivers coach — to develop McMillan.
The instant gratification on Legette was middling at best, so the staff will need to get more out of McMillan early to make this feel like a legitimate upgrade. Skepticism is natural and probably warranted, but McMillan is the best prospect the Panthers have added at wideout since D.J. Moore, who they’ve been trying to replace since he was traded away in 2023 by the former brain trust.
In full transparency, last year’s column gave the Legette pick a B+, but the circumstances and the information at the time were obviously different. Given what we saw last year, and the current information we have on the team and the staff, it’s hard to feel like this was the absolute best outcome at No. 8. However, it’s worth noting that with little trade-up interest, there were only a few moves to be made.
As someone who had been largely skeptical of the fit of Walker in Carolina — he slid to No. 15 with the Atlanta Falcons — it’s hard to nail down who would have been a better value pick at No. 8 with the Panthers stuck in their spot.
This pick doesn’t feel like a home run, despite the internet draft community’s admiration. That said, once Graham was off the board, it would have been hard to label any prospect a surefire success on Day 1.
The Panthers were in a tough spot, but they got a good prospect who will be a legitimate upgrade for the offense.
Grade: B
Second round, No. 51: Nic Scourton, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
As with last year, the Panthers were very active on Day 2 of the draft with trades. The team swapped second-, third- and fourth-round picks with the Denver Broncos — along with swapping a seventh-round pick for a sixth-round pick — to move up the board and land Scourton, who was graded as a first-round pick by some draft analysts, including Pro Football Focus’s big board.
Scourton is just 20 years old, and yet he’s produced 17 college sacks in three seasons with two different programs. He’s a pass rusher with immense upside who has already shown he can adapt to new surroundings. In his lone season with Texas A&M, he was a menace at 285 pounds. He finished the season at 275 pounds and got down to 257 pounds in February at the NFL Scouting Combine. Even before losing the offseason weight, he showed incredible burst and speed for a big-bodied pass rusher.
Scourton fits defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s system to a T. He’s got heavy hands, long limbs (33-inch arms) and notable power. He can clearly set the edge as a run stopper, and his pass rushing arsenal already has some polish — he’s got a particularly deadly spin move and he can win with either speed or power off the edge.
Scourton will play in preseason games before he’s legally able to purchase beer or wine. His upside, especially with a svelter frame, gives the Panthers someone who could be the face of their defense in short order.
While the Panthers missed out on some first-round pass rushers with the pick of McMillan, Scourton feels like a mighty win for the franchise at No. 51.
Grade: A
Third round, No. 77: Princely Umanmielen, OLB, Mississippi
The Panthers doubled down on trades and pass rushers in the third round. After trading up in the second round for Scourton, the Panthers dealt their third-round pick (No. 85, acquired from the Broncos in the early trade) and a fifth-round pick (they had three at the time) to the New England Patriots for the No. 77 pick.
Morgan identified Umanmielen as his next target, and he selected the 23-year-old pass rusher immediately after trading up. Umanmielen is a different style of edge rusher from Scourton. While Umanmielen feels like his power is underrated, he is known more for his bend and speed off the edge.
Unlike Scourton, Umanmielen projects, at least early on, as a pass-rushing specialist who can come in on obvious passing downs and feast on QBs. And while that might seem like a minimization of his talent, the Panthers needed that type of player in the rotation. Eventually, Umanmielen can grow into a bigger role, perhaps opposite Scourton as a starting edge rusher.
Umanmielen has notable speed off the edge — a 4.72-second 40-yard dash and a 7.33-second 3-cone drill in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine — and while he is an older prospect, he still has upside worth exploring.
The difference between Umanmielen and 2023 third-round pick D.J. Johnson — both older prospects — is that Umanmielen has already shown that he can win as a pass rusher in multiple systems over a long stretch of time. He’s also got a special trait — his bend — that applies to his position.
In five college seasons — one with Ole Miss and four with Florida — Umanmielen produced 40 tackles for loss and 25.5 sacks. That’s really strong production in the SEC.
At 6-foot-4 and 244-pounds, the Panthers might want to add some weight to his frame down the road. But they won’t want to hinder his speed, and he already has excellent length at the position (33 7/8-inch arms).
He could become a closer on third down when the Panthers need a big play.
Grade: B+
Fourth round, No. 114: Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
It was clear the Panthers were going to add a running back in the draft well before the weekend. Head coach Dave Canales acknowledged the desire to run a lot and add to the room earlier in the offseason.
Still, the Panthers selected Etienne probably earlier than most assumed. However, Etienne could essentially clear two needs in one pick because of his background. The brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne was a running back and kick returner during his career in the SEC with Florida and Georgia.
Etienne ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and put up good complementary all-purpose numbers (2,081 rushing yards, 432 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns) during his three-year college career.
While he’s a smaller back (5-9, 198 lbs.), Etienne has the shiftiness to complement the likes of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. With Jonathon Brooks coming off a second ACL surgery in as many years, Etienne provides insurance and support behind his older teammates in the backfield.
If Etienne can wrestle the kick returner job away from Raheem Blackshear, he will create a major role for himself on game days, along with his opportunities on offense. He could be a third-down back on offense early in his career.
Grade: C+
Fourth round, No. 122: Lathan Ransom, DB, Ohio State
The Panthers desperately needed additional bodies in the safety room this offseason. Ransom, though, isn’t just some guy.
Coming off a national championship win, Ransom is a tone-setting defensive back who can make plays on the ball. During his college career, he produced 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and six forced fumbles across five seasons.
The 6-foot, 206-pound safety has good NFL size and some versatility as well. While he’s probably not best fit as a post safety, he can certainly handle himself in the box. A strong tackler and contact player against the run, Ransom can help turn around one of the worst run defenses in NFL history. There’s also a possibility that the Panthers view Ransom as a big nickel option.
Ransom fits the temperament and personality that the Panthers should want on the back end of the defense. They can’t suffer through another season where the safety group becomes a miserable final line of defense.
With Tre’von Moehrig and Ransom setting the tone in the room, the Panthers should feel like they have talent and toughness in the secondary.
If the Panthers add a veteran post safety like Julian Blackmon in the coming weeks, the safety room could look pretty good come mandatory minicamp.
Grade: B
Fifth round, No. 140: Cam Jackson, DT, Florida
Morgan warned outsiders that he wasn’t done with the defensive line after free agency. He kept his word and selected Jackson with his first fifth-round pick.
Jackson is a massive human being. The 6-foot-6, 328-pound defensive lineman has 34 1/8-inch arms. His size alone should help him get on the field as the Panthers look to stop the bleeding against the run in 2025.
Jackson joins Derrick Brown, A’Shawn Robinson, Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown on a completely revamped defensive line. With last year’s sixth-round pick Jaden Crumedy and former starting nose tackle Shy Tuttle competing to stick around, Jackson could end up pushing one or both of them off the roster.
While the team is very excited about Bobby Brown, an athletic nose tackle, it feels like Jackson, a towering presence, could shift in behind him as a big body in the middle of odd fronts. With Brown signed to a three-year deal, Jackson could end up succeeding him down the road.
The Panthers clearly feel like they can never have too much talent in the trenches, especially after last season.
Grade: B
Fifth round, No. 163: Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame
The Panthers were happy enough with their top tight end tandem, Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders, to not spend a high pick on the position during draft weekend. Instead, they added a solid cog to the machine in Mitchell.
The new Notre Dame tight end is tough as nails. He quickly returned from ACL surgery to have a strong senior year with the Fighting Irish. While he’s not an elite prospect, he does have the versatility to block and catch regularly in the NFL.
His college numbers won’t blow you away (77 catches for 903 yards and five touchdowns), but most tight ends aren’t putting up huge numbers in college and getting selected on Day 3. He was a standout at the Shrine Game in Frisco, Texas earlier this year, and he seems to have strong potential as a role player early on.
The Panthers like running two-tight end sets, so Mitchell could be the immediate backup to Tremble and Sanders as a rookie. His competition for that job, Jordan Matthews, is more of a move tight end, while Mitchell will probably work inline at the position this summer.
Grade: B+
Sixth round, No. 208: Jimmy Horn Jr., WR, Colorado
The Panthers didn’t rest at wideout after selecting McMillan in the first round. With their final pick on Saturday, the organization brought in a speedy playmaker in Horn.
The Colorado wideout isn’t big, but he can make big plays. He split his college career between South Florida and Colorado, and put up 1,967 receiving yards, 128 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns on offense as a complementary playmaker. He also returned kicks and punts, showing off his shiftiness and speed in the process. He averaged 21 yards per kick return and 6.4 yards per punt return in college.
The Panthers aren’t likely to feature Horn on offense right away, but he should fit in quite well on special teams. The team had an opening for an upgrade at punt returner, and the kick returner job appears to be pretty wide open, too. Horn could also challenge some of the incumbent talent for a gunner spot on punt coverage as well.
The 5-foot-8, 174-pound receiver ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. And while that’s not super impressive for his size, his change of direction and smoothness as a route runner should help him in a competition with the likes of David Moore, Dan Chisena and others.
It would not be surprising to see Horn line up in the slot this summer and beyond. He might be in line for some gadget work as well.
Grade: B-
The overall grade
The Panthers were balanced and creative with their output this weekend. While McMillan was polarizing as the top pick, the work on Day 2 — both with trades and pass-rushing talent — showed aggressiveness and outside-the-box thinking to accomplish improvement at a premium position.
The Day 3 haul made the Panthers deeper at several positions. It was interesting to see how and when Carolina addressed specific avenues on its roster, especially during the heart of the draft.
And while they might have waited longer than most would have wanted for safety and tight-end depth, they were still able to get a pair of pretty strong prospects from winning programs.
All eight of these players feel like roster-worthy rookies. The Panthers needed to get younger, faster and stronger on this depth chart, and this draft class was a step in the right direction.
Overall grade: B+
This story was originally published April 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
