NFL Draft: Panthers trade up for edge rushers in 2nd, 3rd rounds :: WRALSportsFan.com
The Carolina Panthers selected Texas A&M defensive end Nic Scourton with the 51st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the 77th selection, Carolina took edge rusher Princely Umanmielen from Mississippi.
The selections of the edge defenders follow up the team’s choice of Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick in the first round.
General manager Dan Morgan traded up from the 57th pick to land Scourton. The Broncos oringally owned the 51st pick. The Panthers traded picks 57 (2nd), 74 (3rd), 111 (4th), and 230 (7th) for the Broncos’ picks at 51 (2nd), 85 (3rd), 122 (4th), and 208 (6th).
In the third round, Morgan traded up with the Patriots to get the 77th pick. Morgan sent pick 85 (3rd) and 146 (5th) for the 77th pick.
Scourton began his college career at Purdue University. As a sophomore, he led the Big Ten with 10 sacks. Scourton transferred to Texas A&M to give himself the challenge of playing in the SEC. As a junior, Scourton added weight to help himself against the run, but it affected his pass rushing production. In the pre-draft process, Scourton worked to return his weight to range he kept it at Purdue (aound 260 pounds) and plans to play at that size on Sundays. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Scourton measured in at 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds.
Umanmielen is 6-foot-4, 244 pounds. He began his career at the University of Florida. Instead of declaring for the 2024 Draft, he chose to transfer to Ole Miss. Umanmielen was named First Team All-SEC thanks to his 10.5-sack performance with the Rebels in 2024. Scourton was named Second Team All-SEC.
Acquiring a defensive playmaker was top of mind for Panthers fans entering the draft. The pick of McMillan wasn’t widely expected given the needs on defense, but general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales said they couldn’t pass up the profile.
Drafting Scouton and Umanmielen gives defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero more options to scheme with in the edge room.
Panthers fans had to wait a bit longer to hear the name of their newest player on Friday night than on Thursday night. The team’s original second round pick (No. 39 overall) was sent to Chicago as a part of the Bryce Young trade. The Bears selected wide receiver Luther Burden III.
The No. 57 selection originally belonged to the Los Angeles Rams. The Panthers acquired it in a second round trade down in the 2024 NFL Draft.
NC State’s Belton Heads to Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers chose NC State offensive tackle Anthony Belton with the 22nd pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It was the 54th overall selection.
Belton, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound player, was a three-year starter for the Wolfpack.
Some NFL drafting sites had Belton pegged as a third round selection, but the Packers saw him as a worthy candidate to protect Jordan Love. According to Pro Football Focus, Belton never gave up more than three sacks in a season.
ACC Watch
Just two ACC players were taken in the first round, but one of them was No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward from Miami. Omarion Hampton of UNC went 21 picks after.
On night two, thie ACC got back on track with the Saints’ drafting of Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough at No. 40 overall and the Cowboys’ drafting of Donovan Ezeiruaku of Boston College at No. 44 overall. Ezeiruaku was the conference’s sack leader.
The Seahawks picked Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo with the 50th pick. NC State’s Anthony Belton went at No. 54 and Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo was taken two spots after.
In the third round, Louisville edge rusher Ashton Gillotte was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 66th overall pick. Florida State corner Azareye’h Thomas was picked by the New York Jets with the 73rd pick. California corner Nohl Williams was picked with 85th overall selection by the Chiefs. Virginia safety Jonas Sanker was picked by the New Orleans Saints with the 93rd overall pick.
East Carolina’s Highest Draft Pick in 8 Years
The Dallas Cowboys picked East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. with the 76th overall pick. Revel was the highest pick for the Pirates since Zay Jones was picked in the second round in 2017. Revel is a North Carolina native who played his high school football in the Winston-Salem area.
Former UNC Commit Jared Wilson Drafted in 3rd Round
University of Georgia center Jared Wilson, analytically the most athletic center in the 2025 NFL Draft, was picked by the New Orleans Saints with the 95th overall pick. The Forsyth County native played at West Forysth. He was committed to play for Mack Brown and Carolina for a period of his recruitment.
The Carolina Panthers picked wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan out of Arizona with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the second-straight year that Carolina took a wide receiver in the first round.
The Panthers had the league’s worst defense and many expected them to go defense at No. 8 overall. Instead they added another weapon for quarterback Bryce Young.
“He’s somebody that we obviously really liked, thought he could really add a different dimension to our offense, and just add another playmaker to the offensive side of the ball,” Carolina general manager Dan Morgan said.
Carolina has lacked a true No. 1 wide receiver since trading D.J. Moore as part of the deal to land the No. 1 pick that became Young. Xavier Legette, who was the team’s first-round pick last season, led the Panthers with 49 catches in 2024. Adam Thielen led the team with 615 receiving yards.
McMillan, who said he prefers to be called “TMac,” had 84 catches for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns for Arizona in 2024. He had 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023 at Arizona.
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes,” McMillan said on ESPN during the draft. “I know I’ve got a quarterback I can trust in, a coaching staff that believes in me and teammates that are ready to play for me and I’m ready to play for them. The sky’s the limit for this organization, and I can’t wait.”
McMillan and Young played against each other in high school, though Young was two years older and his team whipped McMillan’s team in a metting. McMillan said that Young lobbied for him with Morgan and Canales.
“I feel like sky’s the limit for both of us in this offense,” McMillan said in a call with North Carolina reporters.
Carolina allowed an NFL-record 534 points in 17 games in 2024. The previous record was 533 points set by the 1981 Baltimore Colts in 16 games.
“If you start to chase needs and you’re not just being true to your process and true to the players that come to you and the ones you have belief in, sometimes you can get yourself out of whack,” head coach Dave Canales said.
Morgan said the team did address defense during free agency.
Watch a live press conference after the Panthers first-round draft selection. https://t.co/ROw63xJWze
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 25, 2025
Panthers picks
Round 1 (No. 8 overall): WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Round 2: No. 57 overall (from Los Angeles Rams)
Round 3: No. 74 overall
Round 4: No. 111 overall
Round 4: No. 114 overall (from Dallas)
Round 5: No. 140 overall (from New York Giants)
Round 5: No. 146 overall
Round 5: No. 163 overall (from Baltimore)
Round 7: No. 230 overall (from Arizona)
Ward, Hunter go 1-2: The Tennessee Titans selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up with the Cleveland Browns for the second pick and took Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter.
Ward was lightly recruited out of high school and began his career at Incarnate Word, an independent in the Football Championship Subdivision. Ward played two seasons there, two seasons at Washington State and one year at Miami, where he set the NCAA record for passing touchdowns in a career (158).
Ward joins a Titans team that finished 3-14 in 2024 with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Levis started 12 games, tossing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Rudolph threw nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Jacksonville took Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner who played cornerback and wide receiver in college. Jacksonville traded its first-round pick (No. 5 overall), a second- and fourth-round pick in 2025 and a first-round pick in 2026.
Salisbury’s Walker goes to Falcons: Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, who played at Salisbury High, was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 15 pick in the first round.
Walker had 89 tackles, including 19 for loss and 12.5 sacks, in three seaons at Georgia. He won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and was a third-team selection on the Associated Press All-American team.
Chargers pick UNC’s Hampton: North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 22nd pick in the first round.
Hampton, an All-American selection in 2024, rushed for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Tar Heels last season. He rushed for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns in 20243. He also 67 catches over the last two seasons.
First-round picks
- Tennessee Titans: QB Cam Ward, Miami
- Jacksonville Jaguars (from Cleveland): CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
- New York Giants: DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
- New England Patriots: OL Will Campbell, LSU
- Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville): DT Mason Graham, Michigan
- Las Vegas Raiders: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
- New York Jets: OT Armand Membou, Missouri
- Carolina Panthers: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
- New Orleans Saints: OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
- Chicago Bears: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
- San Francisco 49ers: DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
- Dallas Cowboys: OG Tyler Booker, Alabama
- Miami Dolphins: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
- Indianapolis Colts: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
- Atlanta Falcons: LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
- Arizona Cardinals: DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
- Cincinnati Bengals: DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
- Seattle Seahawks: OG Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
- Denver Broncos: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
- Pittsburgh Steelers: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon
- Los Angeles Chargers: RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
- Green Bay Packers: WR Matthew Golden, Texas
- Minnesota Vikings: OG Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
- New York GIants (trade from Houston Texans): QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
- Atlanta Falcons (trade from Los Angeles Rams): DE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
- Baltimore Ravens: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
- Detroit Lions: DT Tyliek Williams, Ohio State
- Washington Commanders: OT Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
- Buffalo Bills: CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
- Philadelphia Eagles (trade from Kansas City Chiefs): LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
- Kansas City Chiefs (trade from Philadelphia Eagles): OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
Source: wralsportsfan.com