According to longtime NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline, the Panthers may have their sights set on a certain playmaker out of Michigan.

Bryce Young's emergence means the Panthers don't need to draft a quarterback, but their roster still needs a lot of help.

The Carolina Panthers will have plenty of room for growth on the offensive side of the ball. But two position, in particular, make more sense as draft needs than avenues for free agency spending.

Take: The Panthers had one of the least productive defensive lines in the league for most of the 2024 season. They’ll get Derrick Brown back from injury, but they need more difference-makers in that area. Green was a monster as a pass-rusher and a run defender this past season, and it was just more of the same at the Senior Bowl.

The Athletic is getting an early jump on things, two weeks before the NFL combine and a month or so before the start of free agency. That can make for some tricky projections. So we followed a simple strategy in this first Carolina Panthers seven-round mock: When in doubt, draft defense.

With the Super Bowl behind us, Field Yates predicts landing spots for top NFL draft prospects in Round 1, including three QBs and a bunch of playmakers.