Panthers draft: How many picks have become All-Pros since 2000?
By Dean Jones
Which Panthers’ draft picks went on to secure All-Pro?
There are plenty of familiar names that the Carolina Panthers draft team selected who went on to become All-Pro selections during their career. This includes recently released quarterback Cam Newton, who was taken No. 1 overall out of Auburn and excelled with the franchise on his way to an NFL MVP Award in 2015.
Legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly is a perennial All-Pro selection that cut his time with the Panthers short this offseason due to health concerns. He will go down as one of the organization’s greatest ever players and won both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year during his career.
Defensive end Julius Peppers recently earned his second straight All-Decade team selection and is another of the Panthers draft picks that secured arguably the highest individual honor possible. The list also includes feisty wide receiver Steve Smith, who arrived in Carolina as a mid-round selection that will undoubtedly become a Hall of Famer in the coming years.
The most recent name added to this list is running back Christian McCaffrey, who attained first-team All-Pro in 2019 after becoming the third player in history to achieve 1,000-yards rushing and receiving. It also earned the former first-round pick out of Stanford a four-year extension worth $64 million.
Another success story from the Panthers draft is Josh Norman, who was a late-round pick that went on to became one of the NFL’s primary shutdown cornerbacks at his peak. Standout offensive lineman Ryan Kalil is Kris Jenkins, Thomas Davis, Jon Beason, and Muhsin Muhammad round off an illustrious list of names that have thrived in Carolina over the last 20 years.
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Whether the current class has the same scope relating to this achievement remains to be seen. They are going to be thrown in at the deep end next season and how they respond is going to tell the Panthers a great deal about what sort of players they can become in the future.