byDarin Gantt&Kassidy Hill

CHARLOTTE The clock is ticking. And it's almost time for the Carolina Panthers to add to the roster.

With the 2025 NFL Draft a week away, it's worth looking back over the last few months to see how that impacts the team's needs and how they might fill them.

The Panthers were aggressive in adding to the defense in free agency (you can follow up on all the moves in our free agency tracker), but they still have significant needs on that side of the ball.

General manager Dan Morgan has made no secret of his desire to fix a defense that finished last in the league last season and allowed the most points, the second-most yards, and the third-most rushing yards in NFL history.

When he did his annual pre-draft press conference, that was clear. Of course, he wasn't giving much away, either, as he's learned early in his career as a GM how to disguise intentions.

And as the days pass, we'll have all of that action documented here at Panthers.com. Bookmark this page for the next few weeks, and we'll keep you up to date on all the moves and news.

Panthers 2025 draft picks

The Panthers have nine total picks and eight in the first five rounds.You can take a look at how they acquired those picks here.

Their own first-rounder (No. 8 overall)

Los Angeles Rams' second-rounder (No. 57 overall)

Their own third-rounder (No. 74 overall)

Their own fourth-rounder (No. 111 overall)

Cowboys fourth-rounder (No. 114 overall)

New York Giants' fifth-rounder (No. 140 overall)

Their own fifth-rounder (No. 146 overall)

Ravens' fifth-rounder (No. 163 overall)

Cardinals' seventh-rounder (No. 230)

Panthers history with the No. 8 overall pick

This spot has been good to the Panthers in the past. They've chosen eighth four times in franchise history.

1996 RB Tshimanga Biakabutuka

Injuries hampered the Michigan product during his career, but he was brilliant when he was well.

The man once gained 123 yards and scored three touchdowns in a quarter against Washington in 1999. That was his most productive season, as he ran 138 times for 718 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and six touchdowns while splitting the work with Fred Lane.

He was only able to play in 50 games over six seasons, but has gone onto a successful career in the restaurant business,owning eight Bojangles stores in Augusta, Ga.

2003 OT Jordan Gross

All he did was step into the starting lineup as a rookie and help a retooled offense to a Super Bowl appearance.

Of course, he wasn't supposed to be the eighth pick, as the Panthers began that draft with the 9th overall pick. But when Minnesota didn't get the seventh pick in before their time elapsed, the Jaguars ran to the front with their card to take quarterback Byron Leftwich, and the Panthers weren't far behind to secure the rights to Gross.

He earned All-Pro honors in 2008, went to three Pro Bowls, and was named to the Panthers Hall of Honor in 2019.

Gross is now a successful farmer and high school football coach in Idaho (Go Fruitland Grizzlies), and the co-host of the mega-hitJordan and Jake Podcast.

2017 RB Christian McCaffrey

One of the game's true talents, McCaffrey was a do-it-all back, and the kind of player who carried an offense.

He led the league with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in 2019, going over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving.

He struggled with injuries before the Panthers traded him to the 49ers in 2022, playing in just 10 games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. But he was a two-time All-Pro selection during his years here.

And as he showed in 2023 with the 49ers, when he ran for a league-high 1,459 yards, he can still get it done.

2021 CB Jaycee Horn

The South Carolina product is no longer just Joe Horn's son, as he has established himself as one of the top cover players in the game.

Horn was named to his first Pro Bowl last season, which was an honor that came from his peers since he was never in the top 10 in fan voting.

The Panthers also extended his contract this offseason,securing one of their leaders into the future,something they felt comfortable doing after seeing what he put into getting himself ready to play last season.

"I saw a guy that was just so focused on helping the team, on being out there, on making sure that his body was right," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "I wasn't around Jaycee before, but what I saw was just this professionalism, this way that he went about his week, his body readiness, his mental preparation, his film study, and all those habits.

"I just saw him give us something so solid and stable for other guys to see. This is how you achieve excellence, and I love the fact that he was recognized for it with the Pro Bowl and all that. But I thought that was inevitable if he could just be out there. But he brought that to us, so I thought that was really important for Jaycee to be somebody that people could look at."

Draft previews, by position

We've been looking at some of the possibilities at each position leading up to the draft. Here's a quick look at each position, from the Panthers perspective.

4/12Quarterbacks

And a look atColorado's' Shedeur Sanders.

4/13Running backs

And a look atUNC's Omarion Hampton.

4/14Wide receivers

And a look atArizona's big-play wideout Tet McMillan.

4/15Tight ends

And a look at Penn State's ultra-productive,old-school Tyler Warren.

4/16Interior offensive linemen

And a look at UNC'sWillie Lampkin, whose size has some thinking about a new position for the road grader.

4/17Offensive tackles.

And a look at Missouribig man Armand Membou.

Pre-draft analysis video with PFF's Trevor Sikkema

We brought in Pro Football Focus' lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema to take a look at a number of facets of the pre-draft process.

In the first episode, he broke down the consensus of the mock drafts, to help get a sense of who's in play for the Panthers at No. 8.

You cansubscribe to our YouTube channelfor all the latest.

In the second episode, he offered early, mid and late round pick options for the Panthers at edge.