The Carolina Panthers prepare to wrap up a miserable season in Charlotte with the team’s finale in Atlanta against the Falcons on Sunday afternoon. But the action won’t end at North Carolina sportsbooks when the Panthers season does, because we can speculate on which player the NFC South squad will pick in the first round of April’s NFL Draft.
In 2024, the Panthers lost what would have been the top pick in the draft as part of the deal that ultimately landed the club the rights to draft quarterback Bryce Young. But in 2025, Carolina has a good shot at landing a generational talent in this year’s opening round of the made-for-TV event that’ll take place April 24-26 inside Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Entering the final week of the regular season, Carolina holds the sixth pick in the first round, thanks to the logjam at the bottom of the NFL league table. Four teams sit at 3-13 (the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants) and five more are 4-12 including Carolina, the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears.
The Panthers have the opportunity to land a quality first-round pick. BetCarolina.com, the best place to find North Carolina betting promo codes, wanted to break down odds on which NCAA prospect will wind up in Charlotte come late April, with a quartet of defensive linemen ranking atop our list right now.
Panthers First-Round Pick Odds
| Player | College | Position | Odds | Percentage Chance |
| Abdul Carter | Penn State | DE | +400 | 20.0% |
| Mason Graham | Michigan | DT | +475 | 17.4% |
| Nic Scourton | Texas A&M | DE | +600 | 14.3% |
| Mykel Williams | Georgia | DE | +600 | 14.3% |
| Will Johnson | Michigan | CB | +900 | 10.0% |
| Tetairoa McMillan | Arizona | WR | +900 | 10.0% |
| The Field | - | - | +650 | 13.3% |
This analysis is exclusive to BetCarolina, but there will be plenty of props and odds available at NC sports betting apps surrounding the 2025 NFL Draft.
The top candidates to go to Charlotte this draft season are Penn State’s Abdul Carter, with the defensive end sitting at +400 odds on our board. Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Mason Graham (+475) and defensive ends Nic Scourton of Texas A&M and Mykel Williams of Georgia are next up, at +600 apiece.
Longshots to land with the Panthers with the team’s first selection include Wolverines cornerback Will Johnson and Arizona Wildcats star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. We list those two at +900 apiece to land with Carolina this spring, while all others are lumped into “the field” with +650 odds.
The Tankathon.com draft website has Carolina taking Carter sixth overall, with Graham going to the Jaguars at No. 5 and the Jets selecting Williams at No. 7. That illustrates how much of a toss-up picking at the top end of the first round is in this year’s draft.
Carolina Panthers Draft Picks 2025
Pick |
1st Round (Panthers) |
2nd Round (Rams) |
3rd Round (Panthers) |
4th Round (Panthers) |
4th Round (Cowboys) |
5th Round (Giants) |
5th Round (Panthers) |
5th Round (Ravens) |
7th Round (49ers) |
In 2025, the Panthers have nine total picks. Carolina added a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams among a handful of other selections acquired in trades.
Carolina Panthers Draft Needs 2025
Panthers’ Biggest Position Needs |
QB, EDGE, S, CB, OG, DT |
As far as draft day needs, Carolina’s options run the gamut, with the franchise last making the NFL postseason in 2017 and having gone nearly a decade without a playoff victory. That’s why we list positions on offense (QB and offensive guard) and defense (edge, safety, cornerback and defensive tackle) on our draft board for the Panthers this year. See our Carolina Panthers betting guide for more general insights.
For now, we’ll assume that Panthers general manager Dan Morgan is most likely to go with a defensive lineman with their first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The franchise needs to build up in the trenches to claw back toward being competitive in the NFC South.
Carolina Panthers Draft History, 2024
| Round | Pick | Name | Position | College |
| 1st | 32nd | Xavier Legette | WR | South Carolina |
| 2nd | 46th | Jonathon Brooks | RB | Texas |
| 3rd | 72nd | Trevin Wallace | LB | Kentucky |
| 4th | 101st | Ja’Tavion Sanders | TE | Texas |
| 5th | 157th | Chau Smith-Wade | CB | Washington State |
| 6th | 200th | Jaden Crumedy | DL | Mississippi State |
| 7th | 240th | Michael Barrett | LB | Michigan |
Last year, Carolina had seven picks in the draft, moving back into the first round to pick wide receiver Xavier Legette out of South Carolina with the 32nd pick. Again, they had dealt what wound up being the No. 1 overall pick to land Young from the Chicago Bears in 2023. Legette has hauled in 46 catches (a team high) for 467 yards and four scores for the Panthers this season.
Of the seven first-round picks in 2024, Legette and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders have played the most this year, appearing in 15 games apiece. Sanders, a fifth-round pick, has been a solid contributor offensively for the Panthers, with 30 catches for 307 yards and a TD.
Other than that, fifth-round cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (14 games played) and linebacker Trevin Wallace (13) made the most impact as rookies. Sixth-round defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy (four games played) and second-rounder Jonathan Brooks (three games at running back) were the others to see the field in 2024-25.
Only seventh-round pick Michael Barrett has not seen any game action for the Panthers out of the 2024 draft class.
USA Today photo by Eric Hartline
Carolina Panthers Draft Q&As
The Panthers’ 2024 NFL Draft was highlighted by the selection of WR Xavier Legette 32nd overall pick in the first round out of South Carolina. In the next two rounds, they selected Texas RB Jonathon Brooks and Kentucky LB Trevin Wallace.
With the 2024-25 regular season nearly over, the Carolina Panthers have nine draft picks for the 2025 Draft – including their own first-round pick, the Rams’ second-round pick and many other picks on Day 3.
We favor Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter to go to Carolina at No. 6 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Since our last projections, BetCarolina’s projection leans heavily toward defensive line help.
Yes. As of Jan. 3, 2025, the Carolina Panthers have nine draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft – including their own first round pick.
