By Mike Kaye
The Carolina Panthers’ rookie class is beginning to take shape.
On Thursday, the team selected Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick in the first round. With the offense getting a new weapon early, the logical sentiment is that the Panthers will try to even things out on defense throughout the rest of the draft.
With Day 2 of the selection process set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday, here’s a second- and third-round mock draft to contemplate before the picks start rolling again:
Panthers Day 2 mock draft: Morgan makes a trade
The Panthers enter Day 2 with a long wait ahead of them. After selecting eighth overall on Day 1, the team isn’t scheduled to pick again until No. 57, the spot acquired from the Los Angeles Rams during last year’s draft.
So, with little need to remain patient and six Day 3 picks at their disposal, GM Dan Morgan is likely to get a bit more aggressive in the second round.
The Panthers call up the Arizona Cardinals and offer the No. 57 (second), No. 111 (fourth) and No. 146 (fifth) for the No. 47 (second) and No. 225 (seventh) picks.
Second round (47th overall via AZ): Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Pegged by many draft analysts as a potential first-round pick, Emmanwori didn’t hear his name get called Thursday. But his slide to Day 2 could end up helping the Panthers, who desperately need to fill the safety depth chart with talent opposite Tre’von Moehrig.
Emmanwori, for what it’s worth, told The Observer just last month at South Carolina’s pro day that he would welcome a pick by the Panthers.
During his three seasons with the Gamecocks, Emmanwori produced 244 tackles, six interceptions and 11 pass breakups. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound safety has excellent size and range at the position, and both attributes allow for him to be used in several different ways in a zone-heavy defense.
Adding a potential top-20 talent in the top-50 picks is good business, even if the Panthers walk away with one fewer draft pick.
Third round (74th overall): Princely Umanmielen, Edge, Mississippi
This is probably longer than most fans would want to wait for an upgrade at edge rusher. But with the board falling the way it has, Carolina jumps at the opportunity to add a long, lean athlete at outside linebacker.
Umanmielen is a 6-foot-4, 244-pound edge rusher with nearly 34-inch arms. Coming off a 10.5-sack season in his lone campaign at Ole Miss, Umanmielen had a productive college stretch, which also featured four years at Florida. In total, he produced 136 tackles (40 for loss), 25.5 sacks and four forced fumbles during his five-year college career.
He fits the size and length profile that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero seems to covet. And his production and testing numbers (4.72-second 40-yard dash and 10-foot-6 broad jump) imply he has the athleticism and upside to make an immediate impact.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
Mike Kaye covers the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. He is a graduate of the University of North Florida.
