Dark horse prospect named 'best' 1st-round fit for the Panthers
Dark horse prospect named 'best' 1st-round fit for the Panthers
What if the Carolina Panthers were free to find the perfect first-round pick from the 2025 NFL draft?
Pro Football Focus analyst Mason Cameron recently bucked the typical mock draft trend and paired each team with their "best" first-round fit—and without any limitations.
No considerations on positional value, player availability, order or depth. Just simple matchmaking.
And the Panthers, according to Cameron, should be targeting Marshall University edge defender Mike Green. He writes:
The Panthers defense needs reinforcements at every level, but starting up front makes the most sense for a unit that finished dead last in PFF pass-rush grade at 37.5, more than 10 points behind the next worst team. Green has produced a 95th-percentile pass-rush win rate over the last two seasons and would give Carolina a high-upside building block off the edge.
Along with that lowly pass-rush grade, the Panthers also mustered up the lowest pressure rate (16.2 percent) in the NFL this past season. Their 32 sacks, if you're more into the traditional stats, were tied for the third-lowest amongst all defenses.
Green, on the other hand, hasn't had any issues producing takedowns. The 2024 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year amassed an FBS-leading 17.0 sacks in his final season at Marshall.
Carolina currently holds the eighth overall pick of the draft, which may seem a bit high for Green—at least based off consensus rankings. But maybe the match, even in a possible trade-down, will be too perfect for them to pass up.
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