The Carolina Panthers have hit some home runs in the NFL Draft during their history, but which players were the biggest hit for the franchise?
Formally established on October 26, 1993, when the NFL owners approved the new franchise, the Carolina Panthers were off and running.
Playing their first game in 1995 and enjoying a playoff berth in only their second season which included eliminating the defending Super Bowl champions, Dallas Cowboys, in a playoff game in Charlotte.
From the 1995 draft until 2019, the Panthers have drafted 188 players. As is the case with most teams, some have been a huge success and others have fallen by the wayside after failing to live up to expectations.
Here is the top ten draft picks in team history but first, a mention of the players that deserved an honorable mention.
Muhsin Muhammad
Drafted in the second round of the 1996 draft (43rd overall), the Michigan State standout finished his career with 860 receptions for 11,438 yards and 62 touchdowns. He has a first-team All-Pro selection to his credit as well as two invitations to the Pro Bowl.
He tied for the league lead in receptions with Marvin Harrison in 2000 and also led the league in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2004.
Mike Rucker
Drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft (38th overall), the defensive end from Nebraska played his entire career with the Panthers. He recorded 445 tackles, 55.5 sacks, one interception, and 15 forced fumbles. He has a Pro Bowl invitation to his credit in 2003.
DeAngelo Williams
Drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 draft (27th overall), Williams finished his career with 8,238 yards on 1,769 attempts resulting in 62 rushing touchdowns.
He also had 246 receptions for 2,165 yards resulting in nine touchdowns. He has a second-team All-Pro selection to his credit as well as a Pro Bowl invitation. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns on two separate occasions.
Charles Johnson
Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2007 draft (83rd overall), this defensive end from Georgia finished his career with 342 tackles, 72.5 sacks, and 19 forced fumbles. He also has a second-team All-Pro selection to his credit.
Jonathan Stewart
Drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft (13th overall), Stewart notched 7,809 yards on 1,806 attempts resulting in 56 rushing touchdowns. during his career. He also has 171 receptions for 1,344 yards for seven receiving touchdowns. The running back made the Pro Bowl once.
Kawann Short
Drafted in the second round of the 2013 draft (44th overall), the defensive tackle from Purdue is still active and to date has 292 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and nine forced fumbles. He has a second-team All-Pro selection to his credit as well as two invitations to the Pro Bowl.
Trai Turner
Drafted in the third round of the 2014 draft (92nd overall), the former LSU guard became a mainstay of the Panthers’ offensive line on his way to five straight Pro Bowls. Turner is no longer with the franchise after he was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers for left tackle Russell Okung this offseason.
10. Mike Minter
Drafted in the second round of the 1997 draft (56th overall), the safety from Nebraska was an inspirational leader and anchor for a defense that was regularly one of the best in the NFL.
He finished his career with 660 tackles, 12 sacks, 18 interceptions in which 4 were returned for touchdowns and 8 forced fumbles.
9. Chris Gamble
Drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft (28th overall), Gamble was a high-profile recruit from Ohio State and controlled his side of the field on defense from the cornerback position.
He finished his career with 530 tackles, one sack, 27 interceptions in which two were returned for touchdowns. Gamble also attained four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
8. Christian McCaffrey
Drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft (8th overall), the running back from Stanford has already made quite an impression despite only having three seasons to his name.
McCaffrey became only the third player in league history, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk, to achieve 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season in 2019. He has a first and second-team All-Pro selection to his credit as well as an invitation to the Pro Bowl.
The standout has totaled 2,936 rushing yards on 629 attempts resulting in 24 rushing touchdowns. He also has 309 receptions for 2,624 yards resulting in 16 touchdowns during a glittering career to date and recently penned a new four-year deal worth $16 million per season.
7. Thomas Davis
Drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft (14th overall), the Georgia prospect quickly became one of the Carolina Panthers’ inspirational leaders on defense.
Despite having three serious knee injuries he continued to come back and play with a vengeance. Recognized as the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year and winning the Bart Starr Award in 2016, he has a first-team All-Pro selection to his credit as well as three Pro Bowls.
Davis is still active as a member of the Washington Redskins. He has 1,210 tackles, 29 sacks, 13 interceptions, 18 forced fumbles, and 11 fumble recoveries during his career.
6: Ryan Kalil
Drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft (59th overall), the center from USC was the anchor of the offensive line for 12 seasons.
He was a first-team All-Pro on two separate occasions as well as a five-time Pro Bowler.
5. Jordan Gross
Drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft (8th overall), Gross was a highly-touted prospect out of Utah and became a mainstay at left tackle for 11 seasons. He can claim one first-team All-Pro to his credit as well as three invitations to the Pro Bowl.
4. Julius Peppers
Drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft (2nd overall), the legendary defensive end from North Carolina changed the landscape at the position thanks to his rare combination of strength and speed.
The Carolina Panthers swooped for Peppers after the Houston Texans took quarterback David Carr first overall and the rest is history. The supreme pass-rusher finished his career with 768 tackles, 199 sacks, 12 interceptions, 51 forced fumbles, and 21 fumble recoveries. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team on two consecutive occasions in the 2000s and 2010s.
3. Cam Newton
Drafted first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Auburn quarterback took the league by storm and was the unquestioned starter from day one. In his rookie season, Newton earned Rookie of the Year and just kept building from there.
During the 2015 season in which the team appeared in Super Bowl 50, he was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Newton has been a first-team All-Pro and has three Pro Bowl invitations on his resume.
His ability to pass and then run with the speed of a running back but the size of a defensive end made him a nightmare for defenses. Newton has 30,862 passing yards and 192 touchdowns, in addition to 5,064 rushing yards on 997 attempts and 60 touchdowns.
2. Luke Kuechly
Drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft (9th overall), the dominant linebacker from Boston College changed the way players at the position approach the game.
Kuechly would drive offensive players crazy when he often knew what play they were going to run and where the ball was going prior to the snap. He has won several league awards which are Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013, Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and the Art Rooney award in 2018.
He retired at the end of the 2019 season but has five first-team All-Pro selections as well as an invitation to the Pro Bowl every season he has been in the league.
Kuechly finished his career with 1,153 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 21 interceptions, seven forced fumbles, and nine fumble recoveries during phenomenal career.
1. Steve Smith
Drafted in the third round of the 2001 draft (74th overall), the wide receiver from Utah will go down as an icon with the Carolina Panthers.
Steve Smith scored the first time that he touched the ball on a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and things only got better from there. The only thing that could stop Smith during his 16-year career was two leg injuries.
He was as competitive as they come and he never allowed his 5-foot-9 frame to be an excuse. Smith was a first-team All-Pro on two occasions as well as a five-time Pro Bowler. The wideout was the Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 and during that same season, he led the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
He finished his career with 1,090 receptions for 15,732 yards resulting in 90 receiving touchdowns. He also has 432 yards on 62 attempts and four touchdowns. To top it all off he had 2,412 kickoff return yards on 100 attempts with two touchdowns and 1,757 punt return yards on 187 attempts to score five times.
These players have laid the foundation for a franchise that has just recently celebrated its 25th season. As the team enters the Matt Rhule era, it is exciting to anticipate what new talent will be headed to Charlotte and to see how that translates to victories on the field.