Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan struck gold last season with undrafted wide receiver Jalen Coker. Most of the draft community was shocked that he was not selected during the 2024 NFL Draft, and he showed why as a rookie.
These are the moves that separate competent general managers from the great ones, but doing it once isn’t enough.
There were a couple of UDFA pick-ups I liked this year. But with the release of Josey Jewell, linebacker Bam Martin-Scott's stock has risen overnight.
With an obvious hole at linebacker and no veteran free agent who will be a definitive upgrade, the spot next to Trevin Wallace is wide open.
Martin-Scott fits the mold of a smaller athletic linebacker, amazing blitzers, almost pass rushers, but great against the run from an off-ball standpoint. In the 2024 draft, the Panthers seemed enamored by Edgerrin Cooper, who seemed destined to be their second-round selection. Carolina opted to take Texas running back Jonathon Brooks instead, which looks like a mistake in hindsight.
In 2025, you could not find a mock draft that didn't have the Panthers selecting Jalon Walker in the first round. Whether it was at No. 8 overall, a trade back, or even a trade up, analysts penciled in the Georgia Bulldog and Salisbury native to be the big defensive splash Carolina needed. But again, Morgan went with an offensive player instead when wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan came into the fold.
This shows Evero has an affinity for players like this and a role for them in his defense. That is what gets me excited about Martin-Scott.
The 6-foot-2, 231-pound UDFA was a fan favorite in a South Carolina Gamecocks' defense that was one of, if not the best, in the SEC. With 67 tackles and three sacks, Martin-Scott was a speeding bullet at the defensive second level in college.
Martin-Scott played downhill, blitzing quarterbacks with ferocity from his off-ball linebacker position and hawking down running backs with his insane closing speed. He showed proof of product at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, a 1.6-second 10-yard split, and a 10-foot-2 broad jump, ranking sixth among all participating linebackers.
Wallace has the coverage skills and experience to be the Green Dot linebacker. The Panthers could place Martin-Scott next to him and let him play flats, quarterback spy, and be a blitzer. This might be a match made in Evero's heaven.
The Panthers' pass rush was so bad last season that Evero was forced to blitz on 32 percent of coverage plays, ranking ninth in the NFL. It was even higher on third down at 35%.
Most of those blitzes were what we call 'fire zone'. A fire zone blitz is when a defense sends five rushers and uses a three-deep, three-underneath zone coverage, with the blitzer usually being a linebacker or safety. I imagine with an improved pass rush, the blitz rate should drop. Martin-Scott could be the player deployed if he impresses enough at training camp.
I am not willing to say Martin-Scott will be a starter in Year 1 like Coker, but I am confident that he will make the team.
If Martin-Scott is placed in the hyper-specific role Carolina has shown an interest in, he could easily become a contributor in some aspect or later down the line in his career.
Carolina's linebacking core is putrid, most likely the worst in the entire league. Why not let your young guys get out there and see what you've got?