Carolina Panthers: 5 biggest NFL Draft mistakes in history
By Josh Linares
2. JASONPETER. player. 87. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. DE. NEBRASKA
2. Jason Peter over Randy Moss
The Carolina Panthers used their 14th overall pick in 1998 on Jason Peter, a defensive end from Nebraska. He was a good prospect that the organization thought could upgrade their pass rush.
Peter would only start for two seasons and he was out of the league by 2001. This represented a significant disappointment from the franchise. And this had the potential to set them back considerably.
Seven picks after the Panthers took Peter, the Minnesota Vikings took a wide receiver out of Marshall by the name of Randy Moss. He had his character flaws coming out of college. But his ceiling was exceptionally high if he made a good transition to the pros.
Moss became one of the best receivers the NFL has ever seen. He has the fourth-most yards of all time, the second-most touchdowns, and was almost unguardable without a double team.
Three years later the Panthers took Steve Smith in the third round. Imagine a receiver duo of Smith and Moss in Carolina. It would have been simply unstoppable.
The Panthers missed out on an all-time great who could’ve helped them reach multiple Super Bowls instead of just the one in 2003. Moss was a huge miss for the Panthers, but there is one more that ranks ahead of him when it comes to Carolina’s biggest ever draft errors.