Carolina’s passing attack finished near the bottom of the league in 2024. The club has added some wide receiver help, and may have found an undrafted gem.
Grant Potter of Last Word on Sports recently assessed the Carolina Panthers’ numerous undrafted free agents, and focused on three players that could wind up making the 53-man roster. At the top of the list was University of Central Florida wideout Kobe Hudson. He began his career at Auburn University and after two seasons with the Tigers, transferred to UCF. In three seasons with the Knights, he totaled 130 catches, good for 2,311 yards and 19 scores
The Panthers have invested a lot in the receiver position in the draft and free agency to make sure Bryce Young has improved weapons around him in 2025,” stated Potter. “They not only signed Hunter Renfrow and took Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick, but also spent a sixth-round pick on Jimmy Horn Jr., and signed multiple undrafted free agent receivers, including Hudson.
“Hudson is a gifted route runner with one of the best release packages of any receiver who was available in the draft. He can consistently beat press coverage, and he does a great job making plays down the field with great vertical route running ability and ball tracking skills. Hudson is not the most athletically gifted receiver, and he will need to clean up some of the drops he had in college, but he is talented enough to compete for a spot as a quality depth receiver.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had this pre-draft assessment of the 6’1”, 193-pound pass-catcher. “Perimeter wideout with good size and above-average speed to separate as a deep-ball option. Hudson is slick with his press release and tracks the football effectively once it goes up. He can make challenging catches but struggles with focus drops and bringing in off-frame throws over the first two levels. Hudson will need to improve as a route runner before he can be anything more than a field stretcher, but he has the size and athletic profile to be worthy of a Day 3 pick.”
Of course, Hudson was not one of the 257 selections this year. That doesn’t mean he’s not capable of making an impression on Dave Canales and Carolina’s coaching staff over the next few months.