Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan faces a difficult offseason ahead as he looks to keep his franchise in contention for the postseason. After winning the NFC South for the first time in 10 years, the team is on the right track, finding ways to win and growing as an organization.
Morgan will work with the No. 19 overall selection in this year's NFL Draft while also aiming to create more salary cap space to add key veteran players who can help improve the dynamic abilities on both sides of the football. It is a lot of work for the third-year general manager, who spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills in various roles before his assistant general manager role under Scott Fitterer in Carolina.
The draft will be important for Carolina again this offseason. Morgan will pursue greater depth and stability for the roster's foundation, hoping his second set of rookies from a season ago will set the standard for what the future holds in Charlotte.
Carolina Panthers 2025 NFL Draft class receives high praise from respected analyst
This week, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports regraded and ranked each team's 2025 draft class, No. 1 through No. 32. The Cleveland Browns took the top spot, with a plentiful number of standouts who project as future stalwarts of the organization. However, the Panthers were not too far behind.
Edwards ranked Morgan's second draft class fifth among all teams, behind only the Browns, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots. He gave the Panthers an A-, listing the first-year hits with first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, second-round pass rusher Nic Scourton, and fifth-round tight end Mitchell Evans.
Edwards mentioned McMillan's rookie of the year honors, along with the vertical playmaking ability he added to Carolina's offense, as major pluses with long-term upside. Evans had a surplus value last season, with Scourton becoming a complementary piece to the Panthers' edge threat with starter upside in the coming years.
"McMillan exceeded expectations as a rookie. In fact, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. His ability to win down the field brought a stabilizing presence to the Carolina offense. The team also found surplus value in the selection of Evans, a fifth-round pick. His production was limited, but that is expected to change when the depth chart is not so competitive at the position. Carolina still needs a dynamic rusher who can go get the quarterback, but Scourton developed into a quality complementary rusher over the course of the season."Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Edwards hit the nail on the head with this observation.
McMillan, Scourton, and Evans were all the main standout players from this draft class. All three should have much bigger roles in 2026 after flashing immense promise during their first taste of the big time.
However, one player, fourth-round safety Lathan Ransom, should've been listed as a key draftee from the class, providing much-needed pop and versatility in the secondary for the Panthers. Princely Umanmielen, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Cam Jackson were brought along more gradually, but they remain part of the team's plans entering their second year.
The Panthers are not quite there yet, but they are getting closer. And Morgan's draft class in 2025 is a major reason.