Stock watch: Carolina Panthers’ winners and losers from 2025 NFL Draft
The Carolina Panthers added some notable talent to their roster during draft weekend.
Through three days of work, the Panthers selected eight prospects, some of whom will be heavily used during their respective rookie seasons.
So, how will the new recruits impact the incumbent roster?
Some players will be knocked down the depth chart. Others, who avoided having new players added to their position, will have much more favorable outlooks in 2025.
Here are eight incumbent winners and losers in the aftermath of the 2025 NFL Draft:
Stock up: QB Bryce Young
The Panthers went out of their way (again) to give Young a big target in the first round. Tetairoa McMillan should be an easy guy to find down the field, as the 6-foot-4, 219-pound playmaker has rare shiftiness for a player of his size. McMillan is also a dependable pair of hands in the passing game. His catch radius is elite, and he should be able to make dynamic plays in a vertical offense dependent on winning jump balls down the field.
The Day 3 additions of two-way tight end Mitchell Evans and speedy wideout Jimmy Horn Jr. shouldn’t be overlooked, either. Both will help give Young more options in the passing game.
Stock down: WR Xavier Legette
The coaching staff can toss praise and encouragement Legette’s way all it wants, but McMillan’s addition probably doesn’t happen if the 2024 first-round pick is firmly entrenched as the No. 1 wideout. Legette had a relatively middling rookie season, as he struggled with injuries and dropped passes last year. McMillan, who is known for his dependable hands, feels like an answer to Legette’s woes in a way.
Legette is probably better off as a long-term No. 2 wideout, but the optics of McMillan’s selection are at least somewhat discouraging.
Stock up: DC Ejiro Evero
While the first-round pick went to the offense, Evero got his fill on Day 2 and Day 3. After receiving an influx of veteran talent in free agency, Evero gained two new pass rushers, a safety and a defensive tackle during draft weekend. It’s been argued throughout his tenure that he’s been unfairly stocked on the defensive depth chart.
Well, after how much the team has invested in his unit this year, the excuses are gone, but the opportunities are plentiful.
Stock down: OLB Jadeveon Clowney
At minimum, it feels like the Rock Hill, South Carolina, native has been pushed off the field into a minor role following the selection of two pass rushers on Friday. But Clowney, who co-led the team with 5.5 sacks last season, could potentially find himself all the way out in Charlotte, as his release would save the team roughly $7.78 million on the salary cap.
The Panthers need to start developing young talent that can ascend. Clowney, despite signing a two-year deal last year, still has the vibes of a pass rusher-for-hire player, despite being from right down the road.
Stock up: LT Ikem Ekwonu
The Panthers didn’t select an offensive tackle during the first two days of the draft. That served as good news for Ekwonu, who had his fifth-year option picked up on Saturday.
While Ekwonu was always going to be the starting left tackle in 2025, his spot on the roster is now unchallenged for the immediate future. He will be under contract until at least 2026.
Stock down: OLB D.J. Johnson
Johnson, the team’s 2023 third-round pick, is squarely on the roster bubble following the respective Day 2 arrivals of Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. Both players are notable upgrades over the third-year pass rusher, who has just a half-sack through two seasons.
Johnson is already 26 years old (27 in October), and he was just pushed down the depth chart by a 20-year-old (Scourton) and a 23-year-old (Umanmielen), and rightfully so, during the weekend.
Stock up: ILB Trevin Wallace
Wallace, last year’s third-round pick, won’t be challenged by a high-round rookie this summer. While Christian Rozeboom will push him throughout the offseason, Wallace clearly has an edge at the spot opposite Josey Jewell.
After an up-and-down rookie year, which included a notable shoulder injury, Wallace is positioned for a big bounce-back year entering OTAs.
Stock down: RB/KR Raheem Blackshear
Blackshear re-signed with the team on a minimum deal earlier this offseason. While he is the incumbent kick returner and third running back on the roster, he might have just been one-upped by fourth-round pick Trevor Etienne. The former Georgia Bulldogs RB was the first pick of Day 3 for the Panthers, and with an investment like that, Carolina isn’t going to shelve him deep down the depth chart.
Etienne should at least be viewed as the favorite over Blackshear for the No. 3 running back job, barring injury. Also, the sixth-round addition of Horn (and the Sunday signing of Hunter Renfrow) won’t help Blackshear’s returner cause, either.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
