There was certainly a case for the Carolina Panthers to go defense with their first pick in the 2025 NFL draft. After all, they are coming off a season that saw them field the worst pass-rushing unit and the worst run-defense unit for the year and the worst scoring defense in NFL history.
That was what they were expected to do, with practically every plugged in reporter and mock drafter picking Georgia’s Jalon Walker at No. 8 overall for Carolina. Instead, the Panthers went in a different direction – one that will benefit their young franchise quarterback Bryce Young a great deal.
By taking Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers landed the consensus top wide receiver in this class outside of Traivs Hunter. McMillan fits the big-bodied, wide catch radius type of WR ethat Carolina prefers and his presence should give a significant boost to the passing game.
According to The Athletic, the McMillan pick makes Bryce Young one of the biggest winners in the league from Round 1 of the draft.
“For the second straight year, Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan went wide receiver in the first round… Last April, it was South Carolina’s Xavier Legette at No. 32. This time, it’s Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8, a bit of a surprise considering the Panthers’ defensive needs, but a fascinating choice for an offense that needs playmakers.”
That it does. Heading into this draft you could argue that Carolina had a bottom-five wide receiver corps and the worst tight end room in the league. That means even with a great offensive line and a very capable running back, it was going to be hard for this unit to really reach its full potential. With McMillan in the fold, the Panthers take a big step forward towards fielding a balanced offense
The work should not be done on this side of the ball, though. If nothing else Carolina should take advantage of a deep class of tight ends to add more firepower to a unit that only has one decent pass-catching option in JT Sanders. Defense has to come first on Day 2, but the Panthers should probably target their top tight end prospect on the board on Day 3.