Panthers mock draft roundup 7.0: Tracking the latest 2025 projections
The Carolina Panthers were pretty busy during the early stages of free agency last week. But did their work on the open market change their outlook for the 2025 NFL draft?
Well, let's see what the experts and their new mock drafts think.
Here are the latest first-round projections for Panthers and this year's eighth overall pick:
Draft Wire
Pick: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Author: Curt Popejoy
Take: The Panthers have been very active in free agency so they can go after a shutdown cornerback to pair up with Jaycee Horn.
USA Today
Pick: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE, Georgia
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Author: Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Take: After general manager Dan Morgan established the defensive line as his team's primary point of focus entering free agency, the Panthers missed out on defensive tackle Milton Williams before settling on Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III. But Carolina shouldn't respond by insisting on spending its top draft pick up front, as Walker might be the most disruptive defensive prospect available at this point..
NFL.com
Pick: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
Author: Daniel Jeremiah
Take: The Panthers came up a little short in their pursuit of Milton Williams in free agency, but they get another chance to bolster the interior defensive line here. Graham would be a key addition for a defense that ranked last in yards and points allowed last season.
ESPN
Pick: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE, Georgia
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Author: Mel Kiper Jr.
Take: Carolina's biggest weakness last season was the defense. It allowed 6.0 yards per play and surrendered 31.4 points per game. Those league-worst numbers were clearly on Panthers general manager Dan Morgan's mind during free agency, when the team inked Tre'von Moehrig, Tershawn Wharton, Pat Jones II and Christian Rozeboom. But Morgan shouldn't stop there.
Drafting Walker would give Carolina a versatile defender who can play off-ball linebacker (where I have him ranked) or on the edge. He had 62 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2024, and his sideline-to-sideline speed and first-step burst are really awesome traits..
CBS Sports
Pick: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
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Author: Chris Trapasso
Take: With Johnson and the newly minted Jaycee Horn, the Panthers would have two instinctive and athletic perimeter corners.
Pro Football Focus
Pick: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
Author: John Kosko
Take: The Panthers trotted out one of the worst defensive lines in the NFL in 2024. Here, they select the disruptive Graham to help fix that. While his lower weight at the NFL Combine was shocking, his tape is still incredible, as his career PFF overall grade (92.5) indicates.
Yahoo Sports
Pick: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
Author: Charles McDonald
Take: Stewart's production makes him a risk, but for a team that needs juice off the edge like the Panthers, his potential makes him an intriguing dice roll at the top of the draft. Some teams will look at Stewart's build and his 4.59 40-yard dash from the scouting combine and fall in love sooner than later. According to TruMedia, the Panthers' defense finished dead last in pressure percentage last season (25.2%). This may be the type of risk the Panthers are willing to take.
The 33rd Team
Pick: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
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Author: Kyle Crabbs
Take: Carolina has gotten serious in a big way about improving its defense this offseason. It has signed big free agent contracts for Bobby Brown, Trevon Moehrig, and Tershawn Wharton.
Now, it lands a glue piece in the middle to help tie everything together.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers mock draft roundup 7.0: Tracking the latest 2025 projections
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