Kassidy Hill

CHARLOTTE The 2025 NFL draft is now less than a month away. Teams are updating their big board every day, welcoming in prospects for visits, and evaluating their current rosters every minute of every day. Only a select few in each building know what a club might due when the first round quicks off on April 24 in Green Bay, but between now and then, we will take a look at different positions of need for the Carolina Panthers, and how they might be addressed in the upcoming draft.

The Panthers currently have nine picks:

• Rd. 1, No. 8 overall
• Rd. 2, No 57 overall (from Rams)
• Rd. 3, No. 74 overall
• Rd. 4, No. 111 overall
• Rd. 4, No. 114 overall (from Cowboys)
• Rd. 5, No. 140 overall (from Giants)
• Rd. 5, No. 146 overall
• Rd. 5, No. 163 overall (from Ravens)
• Rd. 7, No. 230 overall (from Cardinals)

Position previews are an aggregation from the opinion and analysis of various draft websites and mock drafts. Analysis by the Panthers editorial staff does not necessarily reflect the Panthers football staff and front office.

Next up is wide receiver.

The Panthers kept much of their receiving corps intact, withXavier LegetteandJalen Cokerreturning, re-signing trustworthy veteran David Moore, getting backAdam Thielenafter he flirted with retirement. The group went through some ups and downs last season, but they found a groove asBryce Youngbegan to distribute the ball more in the back half of the season, but options for the future are still on the table.

Travis Hunter Colorado

There are some boards that will have Hunter listed as their top receiver, and some that don't list Hunter on their receiver list at all. One thing for certain though is that Hunter is one of the top players overall in this year's draft, it's just a matter of how you want to play him. The Heisman winner for the 2024 season pulled in 96 receptions for 1,258 yards (fifth in the FBS) and 15 touchdowns, tied for second in college football. One of the few people that could hope to guard Hunter the receiver is probably Hunter the corner. The two-play player had 35 tackles, 11 passes defended and four interceptions.

Tetairoa McMillian Arizona

The lengthy Arizona receiver (McMillian is 6-4) put together back-to-back seasons of 1,300-plus yards, making him an enticing option for teams who need a downfield threat. His 1,319 in 2024 were third most in FBS, and most scouts agree that his 2023 tape (1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns) is really where McMillian shines. The Catch-22 with McMillian is that he's a good contested catch receiver, but also allows more contested catches than necessary due to an inability to create space. Still, his production and natural athletic talent are exciting.

Luther Burden III Missouri

Burden III is interesting. He had a stellar 2023, with 1,212 total yards (top 10 in FBS) but his yardage production was cut almost in half the next season, with 676 yards. If you look more at the tape than the box score, though, Burden still stands out as one of the better receivers in this class. He has a knack for taking short yardage throws (75 percent of career catches were targeted inside of 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus) and picking up yards after the catch.

Emeka Egbuka Ohio State

Egbuka is a prototypical Ohio State receiver in the best way. He was arguably ready for the NFL two years ago, he's not super flashy, but is so incredibly productive. He posted 1,000-plus yards twice in his four years, including in route to a national championship this past season. He works out of the slot, and flashes his baseball background when tracking balls.

Jaylin Noel Iowa State

Noel had to share the receiving reps with another top pass catcher in this draft, Jayden Higgins, but Noel made his own way in the slot with 1,194 yards and eight touchdowns. He's projected as a late Day 2, possibly early Day 3 pick. What will make Noel more intriguing to teams is his return ability, something that is even more important this season with the kickoff rules. He averaged 21.1 yards on kickoff return in his career, but in 2024, Noel really shined on punt returns, where he finished with 199 returns yards, averaging 15.31 yards per return.