The Carolina Panthers have not been a contender in the NFC for far too long. However, there is a glimmer of hope heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Bryce Young showed signs of development throughout the 2024 campaign. He started showing flashes of being a potential long-term franchise quarterback.
In his first year as the Panthers' head coach, Dave Canales did an excellent job. While the team didn't win a lot of games, finishing with a 5-12 record, the culture felt different.
Carolina heads into the 2025 NFL draft holding the No. 8 overall pick. While that pick could be used on a key long-term piece, the Panthers also might look to make a major move.
According to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, Carolina is expected to look to trade out of their first-round selection to add more draft capital.
"First of all, they're a team that a lot of people around the league expect is going to try and get out," Jeremiah said. "There's a decent number of needs still left on that roster. Can't they parlay New Orleans' need for a quarterback into scaring somebody to come up in front of New Orleans? I don't know if they can pull that off, but at least there's people around the league that think they're going to effort to do that in Carolina."
While Jeremiah thinks the Panthers will trade down, there has been some buzz about them trading up. If they can land an elite prospect like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, they should go for it.
Throughout the course of the offseason, Carolina has been busy. They signed defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, safety Tre'von Moehrig, linebacker Pat Jones II, defensive tackle Bobby Brown III, and running back Rico Dowdle. Also, the Panthers re-signed both cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but trading back and adding additional draft capital could be the direction Carolina is headed.
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