Ranking each of the Carolina Panthers’ 30 draft classes, from best to worst
The Carolina Panthers are about to take part in their 31st NFL Draft.
And with their draft order being eighth, there’s a chance they select a playmaker — or playmakers — who will one day lift this 2025 draft class into the pantheon of Panther draft classes. Kind of like what Cam Newton did in 2011, or what Steve Smith did in 2001, or what Julius Peppers did in 2002.
This all prompts an entertaining query:
Which are the best draft classes in franchise history?
And on the flip side:
Which are the worst?
Below is an answer to those questions, with a full listing, 1-30. Factored into the ranking calculations are a class’s impact on team success, class longevity and more.
Two final disclaimers: Please keep in mind that the latest draft classes are ranked relatively low because, like anything, impact requires time. Also, remember that the following is one writer’s opinion; the fact that it is unimpeachably correct is besides the point!
The four best draft classes in Carolina Panthers history
Carolina’s Deepest Draft Class (2001, 1st). Dan Morgan is the team’s general manager now, but before that, he was a Pro Bowl linebacker in the NFL, leading the defense that reigned supreme in the Panthers’ first golden era. He was the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2001 but was far from the only stalwart the franchise drafted that year. Carolina also selected future Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kris Jenkins in the second round and arguably the best Panther of all-time in receiver Steve Smith. Each of the first four picks stayed with the franchise until 2006, which marks one of the most enduring drafts in team history.
Home of the Hall of Famer (2002, 2nd). There is only one player in Panthers history who was drafted by the franchise and then was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And that was Julius Peppers, the second overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft. And Peppers’ impact on what became one of the best defenses in the NFL wasn’t the only important addition. They also added a running back in DeShaun Foster who went on to become the fourth-leading rusher in franchise history, an undersized LB in Will Witherspoon who played bigger than he was, and Dante Wesley, who played for Carolina for seven of his nine NFL seasons. Most importantly, though, you can draw a bolded line from the 2002 draft to the 2003 season Super Bowl appearance — and that’s what makes this class indelible.
Superman’s Arrival (2011, 3rd). Let’s not overthink this one. The first guy the Panthers took in the 2011 draft was the overall No. 1 pick in Cam Newton — one of the most influential quarterbacks in NFL history and the only MVP in Panthers history. His selection alone warrants Top 4 consideration for the class. It’s a good thing, too, because no one else in the class is particularly memorable. The team’s next pick — third-round pick Terrell McClain — was cut from the team in 2012. The rest of the draft class wasn’t on an active NFL roster after 2014. Still, if they could do it over again, it’s hard to imagine the Panthers would change anything about the 2011 draft. The 2011 class, like the one in 2001, set the stage for the Panthers’ second of two Super Bowl appearances.
The Foundation (1995, 4th). Perhaps this is unimaginative considering that the Panthers got expansion draft benefits, including what wound up as three first-round picks, in the franchise’s first draft in 1995. But it’s hard to look at this class and not see how they were instrumental in the Panthers’ first NFC conference championship appearance in 1996. You got QB Kerry Collins with the fifth overall pick, who quarterbacked that 1996 team. You also got cornerback Tyrone Poole at No. 22, who was traded away in Carolina in 1997 for another future draft pick and fourth-round center Frank Garcia, who started all six years he was in Carolina.
The four worst draft classes in Carolina Panthers history
The Last Dom Capers Draft (1998, 30th). If you remember anything about the 1998 draft — anything beyond that it was the final draft of the Dom Capers era — than no one should ever question your diehard Panthers fandom. Out of the eight picks taken in the Panthers’ 1998 draft class, only one notched an NFL regular-season stat past 2002. Jason Peter, the team’s first-round pick at No. 14, had his career shortened due to chronic neck pain and was out of the league by 2001. One of the team’s third-round picks, Mitch Marrow, never played an NFL snap due to multiple back injuries early in his career. And the pick who had the longest NFL career, third-round DE Chuck Wiley, spent the entire 1998 season on the injured reserve before playing one year in Carolina in 1999 and then departing for Atlanta in 2000. Tough to find any “hits” in this draft.
The Draft Before Cam (2010, 29th). Jimmy Clausen was the Panthers’ second-round pick in this draft ... but he’ll more so be remembered for paving the way for Newton the next year. Brandon LaFell, the third-round pick, only became a regular starter by 2013 and his best seasons statistically happened after he left Charlotte (in 2014 with the Patriots and 2016 with the Bengals). Third-round pick Armanti Edwards never reached his potential in Carolina, as a quarterback or as a receiver or as a returner. The list could go on.
The Rae Carruth Draft (1997, 28th). Wide receiver Rae Carruth, the team’s first-round draft pick in 1997, played in 22 games and started in 20 of them before going down in history as the subject of one of the highest-profile murder cases in Charlotte history. We don’t have to rehash all that here. But if this draft has any legacy, it’s what happened off the field with Carruth. The only two regular starters for the Panthers that this draft produced was safety Mike Minter, who started for the Panthers for his entire career from 1997-2006, and seventh-round pick TE Kris Mangum, who lasted in Carolina as long as Minter. The Panthers’ record from 1997 to 2002: 34-62.
SpiderMan, Before He Left (2019, 27th). Brian Burns, the pass rusher and the Panthers’ 16th pick in 2019, showed a lot of promise in Carolina. He was turning into a friendly superstar, the SpiderMan to Cam’s Superman. But the Panthers failed to capitalize on Burns’ talent. He never played on a winning team before leaving at the conclusion of 2023, and then he was traded before signing an extension with Carolina (and the Panthers didn’t even get the most they reportedly could have for him). Besides Burns, the Panthers didn’t turn the rest of their draft picks into sustained contributors: Draft picks from the second round to the fifth — Greg Little, Will Grier, Christian Miller, Jordan Scarlett — haven’t played in an NFL regular-season game after 2022, per Pro Football Reference.
Ranking every Panthers draft class
1. 2001: Dan Morgan, Kris Jenkins, Steve Smith Sr., Chris Weinke, Jarrod Cooper, Dee Brown, Louis Williams, Mike Roberg.
2. 2002: Julius Peppers, DeShaun Foster, Will Witherspoon, Dante Wesley, Randy Fasani, Kyle Johnson, Keith Heinrich, Pete Campion, Brad Franklin.
3. 2011: Cam Newton, Terrell McClain, Sione Fua, Brandon Hogan, Kealoha Pilares, Lawrence Wilson, Zachary Williams, Lee Ziemba.
4. 1995: Kerry Collins, Tyrone Poole, Blake Brockermeyer, Shawn King, Frank Garcia, Michael Senters, Andrew Peterson, Steve Strahan, Jerry Colquitt, Chad Cota, Michael Reed.
5. 2012: Luke Kuechly, Amini Silatolu, Frank Alexander, Joe Adams, Josh Norman, Brad Nortman, D.J. Campbell.
6. 2005: Thomas Davis, Eric Shelton, Evan Mathis, Atiyyah Ellison, Stefan LeFors, Adam Seward, Geoff Hangartner, Ben Emanuel, Jovan Haye, Joe Berger.
7. 2007: Jon Beason, Dwayne Jarrett, Ryan Kalil, Charles Johnson, Ryne Robinson, Dante Rosario, Tim Shaw, C.J. Wilson.
8. 2008: Jonathan Stewart, Jeff Otah, Charles Godfrey, Dan Connor, Gary Barnidge, Nick Hayden, Hilee Taylor, Geoff Schwartz, Mackenzy Bernadeau.
9. 2017: Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel, Taylor Moton, Daeshon Hall, Corn Elder, Alex Armah, Harrison Butker.
10. 2006: DeAngelo Williams, Richard Marshall, James Anderson, Rashad Butler, Nate Salley, Jeff King, Will Montgomery, Stanley McClover.
11. 1996: Tshimanga Biakabutuka, Muhsin Muhammad, Winslow Oliver, J.C. Price, Norbert Davidds-Garrido, Emmanuel McDaniel, Marquette Smith, Scott Greene, Donnell Baker, Kerry Hicks.
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12. 2014: Kelvin Benjamin, Kony Ealy, Trai Turner, Tre Boston, Bene Benwikere, Tyler Gaffney.
13. 2018: D.J. Moore, Donte Jackson, Rashaan Gaulden, Ian Thomas, Marquis Haynes, Jermaine Carter Jr., Andre Smith, Kendrick Norton.
14. 2003: Jordan Gross, Bruce Nelson, Mike Seidman, Ricky Manning, Colin Branch, Kindal Moorehead, Walter Young, Casey Moore.
15. 2000: Rashard Anderson, Deon Grant, Leander Jordan, Alvin McKinley, Gillis Wilson, Jeno James, Lester Towns.
16. 2021: Jaycee Horn, Terrace Marshall Jr., Brady Christensen, Tommy Tremble, Chuba Hubbard, Daviyon Nixon, Keith Taylor, Deonte Brown, Shi Smith, Thomas Fletcher, Phil Hoskins.
17. 2013: Star Lotulelei, Kawann Short, Edmund Kugbila, A.J. Klein, Kenjon Barner.
18. 2015: Shaq Thompson, Devin Funchess, Daryl Williams, David Mayo, Cameron Artis-Payne.
19. 2004: Chris Gamble, Keary Colbert, Travelle Wharton, Drew Carter, Sean Tufts, Michael Gaines.
20. 1999: Chris Terry, Mike Rucker, Hannibal Navies, Robert Daniel, Tony Booth.
21. 2020: Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jeremy Chinn, Troy Pride Jr., Kenny Robinson Jr., Bravvion Roy, Stantley Thomas-Oliver.
22. 2022: Ikem Ekwonu, Matt Corral, Brandon Smith, Amare Barno, Cade Mays, Kalon Barnes.
23. 2016: Vernon Butler, James Braderry, Daryl Worley, Zack Sanchez, Beau Sandland.
24. 2023: Bryce Young, Jonathan Mingo, D.J. Johnson, Chandler Zavala, Jammie Robinson.
25. 2024: Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks, Trevin Wallace, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Chau Smith-Wade, Jaden Crumedy, Michael Barrett.
26. 2009: Everette Brown, Sherrod Martin, Corvey Irvin, Mike Goodson, Tony Fiammetta, Duke Robinson, Captain Munnerlyn.
27. 2019: Brian Burns, Greg Little, Will Grier, Christian Miller, Jordan Scarlett, Dennis Daley, Terry Godwin.
28. 1997: Rae Carruth, Mike Minter, Kinnon Tatum, Tarek Saleh, Matt Finkes, Kris Mangum.
29. 2010: Jimmy Clausen, Brandon LaFell, Armanti Edwards, Eric Norwood, Greg Hardy, David Gettis, Jordan Pugh, Tony Pike, R.J. Stanford, Robert McClain.
30. 1998: Jason Peter, Chuck Wiley, Mitch Marrow, Donald Hayes, Jerry Jensen, Damien Richardson, Viliami Maumau, Jim Turner.
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
