There’s only one game left to play in the 2024 NFL season. Once the Super Bowl concludes in two weeks, all 32 teams will be back to square one and looking to reshape their rosters as they look ahead to the 2025 campaign. While free agency can sometimes net a difference maker or two, good teams tend to build through the draft year after year, and if the Carolina Panthers are going to join that group they’ll need to get better in this department.
Last year general manager Dan Morgan had his first draft in his new position, and while it’s too early to make any definitive judgements about this class, the early results have not been inspiring. His first-round pick, South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette looks like he needs a total overhaul in catching mechanics and his second-round pick, Texas running back Jonathon Brooks has now suffered two major ACL tears in a year.
There have been some promising flashes from linebacker Trevin Wallace, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and nickel corner Chau Smith-Wade, but as of yet none of the players Carolina drafted last year look like a guarantee to become a long-term starter.
There’s still plenty of time for that group to grow. For now, Morgan is currently doing his homework on 2025 prospects at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Here’s what he told the Charlotte Observer about what he’s looking for in college players.
“Obviously, we’re looking for passionate football players… Guys that just love playing the game, and kind of have a little bit of an edge to them, too. So, I think when you’re interviewing these guys, you’re just getting a sense of, ‘Is that passion coming through in what he’s saying? Does the guy have a little bit of an edge with some of the stuff that he’s saying or are you kind of reading through it as a bit of fakeness?’ I think it’s just really getting a feel for the guy and what he’s made of.”
Morgan does have one very important asset that he didn’t last time around: a top-10 overall selection. The Panthers will be on the clock at number eight overall, a spot where they have previously landed superstars like Jordan Gross, Christian McCaffrey and Jaycee Horn.
While it’s tough to miss on a top-10 draft pick, it’s not impossible. So long as Morgan is targeting top wide receiver prospects or blue-chip defenders he should be able to land a difference-maker at a desperate position of need.
