While they considered trades, the Carolina Panthers happily selected former Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. If all goes well, McMillan should quickly develop into one of Bryce Young’s top targets in Carolina, giving the Panthers a strong young core to work with for several years.
Yet, the Panthers also reported several other prospects with their first-round pick. In fact, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently named a trio of targets the Panthers were believed to be high on. Interestingly enough, the other positional targets were kind of all over the place, which could be an indication that this team still had a lot of areas to address when the draft kicked off.
“Carolina’s No. 8 selection felt like a moving target. The Panthers were linked to Georgia’s Jalon Walker for a while, and I do believe the love for him was real. In the end, though, taking a smaller front-seven player (6-foot-1, 243 pounds) was an issue. Some in the building were intrigued with Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. And I believe that if Mizzou right tackle Armand Membou was there, the Panthers would have thought long and hard about it.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Carolina Panthers draft
Even if they play different positions, seeing a pair of pass-rushers on Fowler’s list is no surprise after allowing the most points in NFL history in 2024. Plus, they later address those concerns with the selections of Nic Scourton in the second round and Princely Umanmielen in the third.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Brooks’ recent placement on the PUP list, effectively knocking him out for the season, justifies the selection of Trevor Etienne in the fourth round too. Ultimately, one could make a case that the Panthers addressed key needs while keeping the best player available draft tactic in mind.
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