The 2025 NFL Draft was a wild one for many reasons. The Carolina Panthers managed to largely fly under the radar without making many splashy selections throughout the seven rounds. However, there was one decision that seemed most perplexing.
Namely, the linebacker core was not addressed at all.
Fans are well aware of how bad the Panthers' defense was in 2024. However, one thing that remains painfully clear from that season was a lack of impact from the defensive second level.
This was due to the loss of players like Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell to injury. But the former first-round pick wasn't brought back and there were no big-name acquisitions to fill the void.
Carolina Panthers should have prioritized another LB during the draft
The Panthers signed Christian Rozeboom, a player who has never started a full season and is coming off his most productive year with the Los Angeles Rams. Still, this is yet another unproven player in an incredibly thin room.
Players like Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus performed admirably in a bad situation last season, but that is not exactly the type of thing you want to rely on. Add to this the fact that behind them, the linebacker unit is a mishmash of underperforming veterans and undrafted rookies, and it paints a grim picture.
A team like the Panthers needs young players to develop into future starters, especially on defense. The team then found itself with a golden opportunity at No. 8 overall to take either of the best linebacker prospects in the draft — Jihaad Campbell or Jalon Walker. The team once again went with a wide receiver.
It's a position that could have been addressed during free agency with a larger crop of quality starters than in most years.
Granted, quarterback Bryce Young needed help at receiver after how little impact Xavier Legette had as a rookie. Even so, it was not just the first round that saw the Panthers look elsewhere with their selections.
The Panthers did not take a linebacker in the first round. They didn't end up taking one at all. And this comes from a general manager who used to play the position and, as such, should know just how important a strong second level is to a team's defensive strategy.
At some point, this team needs to take a hard look at itself and realize it needs some more solid leaders down the middle in the future. Morgan must stop throwing band-aids on this obvious complication.
Linebacker has been a bit of a revolving door ever since the days of Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly came to an end. Journeyman after journeyman have tried to fill that void, only to fail miserably.
The Panthers have to place a priority on linebackers if they want to improve this defense beyond a middle-of-the-pack unit. Jewell is capable of leading this team; there just isn't a proven starter alongside him.
It remains to be seen how well this combination of Jewell, Wallace, and Rozeboom will pan out in 2025. If it goes anything like last season, there will be even more questions for Morgan to answer come the 2026 draft.