By most accounts, the Carolina Panthers cleaned up rather well on the 2025 NFL draft. They grabbed themselves a first-round weapon for their offensive, a pair of promising pass rushers and some depth at a number of key positions for their growing roster.
This weekend's additions will, as designed, benefit a few current Panthers. But the class will also create a bit of uncertainty for others.
Here are the team's biggest winners and losers from the draft . . .
Winner: QB Bryce Young
Thursday night's selection of wideout Tetairoa McMillan was a surprise to many, but probably not to Young.
We learned, shortly after the pick, that the two had been training together in their home state of California during the lead-up to the draft. This Cali-to-Cali connection may finally give Young his true No. 1 target in McMillan—whose athleticism, natural hands and top-notch ball skills are sure to elevate the receiver room.
Loser: RB Raheem Blackshear
Blackshear, who returned on a one-year deal at the beginning of April, may have seen his stock take multiple hits.
The first came in the fourth round, when the Panthers drafted University of Georgia running back Trevor Etienne. Etienne's speed and pass-catching prowess could serve as a fine change-of-pace behind Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, potentially pushing Blackshear out of the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.
Plus, both he and wideout Jimmy Horn Jr.—the team's sixth-round pick—have experience in the return game. So Blackshear, Carolina's primary returner in 2024, will have some competition in that department as well.
Winner: WR Xavier Legette
As it pertains to Legette, the McMillan pick kind of feels like Toy Story—when Woody gets pushed aside for the shiny new Buzz Lightyear. But as Woody eventually did with Buzz, Legette will learn that he has a friend in his fellow first-round wideout.
Legette was forced into being the offense's X receiver as a rookie, a role better suited for McMillan's strengths. The mere presence of the 6-foot-4 McMillan will free up Legette to be the freakish big-play threat we saw flashes of at South Carolina.
Loser: OLB Jadeveon Clowney
Not only did the Panthers draft two pass rushers on the second night of the draft, but they traded up to secure both of them. That, obviously, indicates the belief this front office has in second-rounder Nic Scourton and third-rounder Princely Umanmielen.
Those moves may also spell the end of the line for the 32-year-old Clowney, who's entering the final season of his contract. After general manager Dan Morgan stopped short of committing a roster spot to the former No. 1 overall pick on Friday night, we have to wonder if Clowney will be pushed out to make room for the youth movement.
Winner: CB Mike Jackson
Jackson already won earlier this offseason when he earned a well-deserved two-year, $14.5 million deal. He won again when the Panthers went without drafting any competition to his position this weekend.
While Jackson had a fine 2024 campaign, Carolina could've found an upgrade—in what was a solid cornerback class—to start alongside Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn. But they didn't, leaving that position to the 28-year-old veteran.
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