Draft Grades

[jfra78]

SI

https://www.si.com/nfl/2025-nfl-draft-grades-analysis-for-every-team#_s4q414nom

Grade: A-

Analysis: The Panthers’ gamble to neglect the defense in the first round paid off, with the team selecting talented edge rushers Scourton and Umanmielen. But their prize from this draft class is the 6' 4", 213-pound McMillan, who will make life easier for Bryce Young because of his massive catch radius. McMillan got dinged a bit in the lead-up to the draft due to a few concerns with his work ethic, but he has the skill set to be the best wideout from this class when it’s all said and done. It’s tough to gauge where the Panthers are in their rebuild, but they’re finally giving Young a fair shake to succeed. —GM

PFF

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-grades-for-all-32-teams-2025-nfl-draft#car

A+

1 (8): WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

McMillan — The Panthers continue to build around Bryce Young, who led the NFL in big-time throws from Week 8 through the end of the regular season. Now, he has another downfield target. McMillan has been one of the most productive receivers in college football over the past two seasons, ranking in the 85th percentile or better among qualifying NCAA wideouts in receiving grade versus single coverage, yards per route run and contested-catch rate.

2 (51): ED Nic Scourton, Texas A&M

Scourton — The Panthers trade up the board for an opportunity to add much-needed firepower on the defensive side of the ball. Scourton, the 29th-ranked player on the PFF Big Board, has an alluring combination of size and pass-rush moves, as well as the versatility to play in 3-4 or 4-3 fronts. Over the past two seasons, his 91.7 PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets charted in the 94th percentile.

3 (77): ED Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss

Umanmielen — The Panthers moved up to target some pass-rush help with the selection of Umanmielen. The Ole Miss product was the No. 50 overall player on the PFF Big Board, and his 91.1 PFF grade ranked sixth among players at the position in 2024.

4 (114): RB Trevor Etienne, Georgia

Etienne — At 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Trevor Etienne, brother of Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, is stoutly built and it showed on tape, as he forced 30 missed tackles on 126 rushing attempts. Despite missing time throughout various points of the season, Etienne still managed to rush for nine touchdowns while putting the ball on the ground only once. With Chuba Hubbard’s emergence this past season, Etienne provides Carolina with a power back who can spell him in short-yardage situations.

4 (122): S Lathan Ransom, Ohio State

Ransom — Carolina continues to address areas of need on their defense by selecting Ransom after already adding a couple of edge defenders in previous rounds. The Panthers ranked 31st last season in explosive pass percentage allowed at 17.6% overall and now add to their secondary.

5 (140): DI Cam'Ron Jackson, Florida

Jackson — Ranked No. 130 on the PFF Big Board, Jackson is a massive presence who can control the point of attack against the run. He posted an 80.9 run-defense grade last season along with a 9.3% run-stop rate.

5 (163): TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame

Evans — Evans dominated defenders with the ball in the air in 2024, posting an impressive 72.7% contested-catch rate.

6 (208): WR Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado

Horn — Horn earned a 65.1 receiving grade last season while averaging 11.9 yards per reception.

NFL.COM

https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-final-snap-grades-for-all-32-teams

B-

McMillan could be a threat in the mold of Drake London, but Carolina might have been better served by drafting one of the top tight ends (Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren) or defensive players (Jalon Walker) at No. 8. The Panthers doubled up on pass rushers Scourton and Umanmielen on Day 2. They could have improved the secondary with one of those picks, though, and found another edge defender on Saturday.

Carolina used the fourth-round pick it received from Dallas in the Jonathan Mingo trade to select Etienne. That decision stood out since the team rewarded Chuba Hubbard with an extension last year, signed Rico Dowdle in free agency and spent a top-50 pick on Jonathon Brooks, who is recovering from his second ACL tear in as many years, in 2024. Ransom's downhill play should get him on the field for the Panthers quickly, as will the size and surprising agility of run-stopper Jackson. I expect Evans to thrive early in his career in 12 personnel.

CBS

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2025-nfl-draft-grades-for-every-team-giants-raiders-commanders-deliver-steelers-49ers-receive-poor-marks/amp/

I love the way general manager Dan Morgan approached this draft. Get Bryce Young a premier weapon first, then throw loads of resources at the defense. Scourton and Umanmielen have polished games and rocked in the SEC at defensive end. 

Etienne is a young runner with Chuba Hubbard-like ability, and Ransom will provide stability at safety. Jackson blocks out the sun on the interior, and Evans is an overachieving tight end who could become a favorite security blanket for Young. 

Grade: A-

[Wolfman83]

Mel Kiper gave a C. Can't believe ESPN thinks he's a draft savant.

[jasonluckydog]

Wait till end of the season before we get all giggly with our picks. 

[Panthero]

42 minutes ago, jasonluckydog said:

Wait till end of the season before we get all giggly with our picks. 

 

[45catfan]

I agree with the NFL.com  assessment.  A grade of B- sounds about right.

[CRA]

1 hour ago, Wolfman83 said:

Mel Kiper gave a C. Can't believe ESPN thinks he's a draft savant.

I like how Kiper went on a rapid meltdown about the NFL not knowing how to evaluate QBs passing on Sanders….

somehow oblivious to his promise to quit his job if he was wrong about Jimmy Clausen 

[Icege]

Having a former top guy at PFF means they're going to be fellating us all offseason.

It's about time.

[07579394]

PFF sucks,but Mel Kiper is a joke.

[Jaxel]

First time in a long time we ger a consensus good grade on a draft.

[Captain Morgan]

according to these 3, we had the best draft in the division

These are the draft grades given respectively by Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports, and NFL.com:

ATL--A-, B-, B-
CAR--A+, A-, B-
NO--C+, B, B-
TB--B+, B+, B+

[tukafan21]

3 hours ago, jasonluckydog said:

Wait till end of the season before we get all giggly with our picks. 

[kungfoodude]

2 hours ago, 45catfan said:

I agree with the NFL.com  assessment.  A grade of B- sounds about right.

I would personally put it in the B- to C range. I like it quite a bit more than the 2024 draft, so that is nice. 

Even though I think we made some of the same dumb blunders we always do, it felt like a definitive improvement overall.

[rmoneyg35]

It looks like we didn’t reach for any player in this draft. I think we have potentially 3 starters with our first 3 picks and even our late picks have a lot of potential.

[Jon Snow]

2 hours ago, CRA said:

I like how Kiper went on a rapid meltdown about the NFL not knowing how to evaluate QBs passing on Sanders….

somehow oblivious to his promise to quit his job if he was wrong about Jimmy Clausen 

Mel Kiper is a moron. If he gave you a bad grade that means you've done well.