One of the points of emphasis for the Carolina Panthers going into this offseason was improving the defense at all levels, including the edge rusher group.
Along with incumbents Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum, the Panthers also have Tershawn Warton and Patrick Jones II, both of whom were signed in free agency this offseason.
But the future of the group remains in question, as Clowney and Wonnum will both be free agents in 2026. As a result, the Panthers need to start planning ahead for their possible departures.
The Panthers could target an edge rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft, and a recent mock draft from CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli has them doing just that via a trade up with the New York Giants that lands Carolina Penn State superstar, Abdul Carter.
“The Giants have Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and I don’t see them going QB here,” Fornelli wrote. “Perhaps they’d jump on Carter and call it a day, but they have Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. If they don’t want Sanders, and Hunter is gone, trading down makes sense. For Carolina, trading up to grab Carter, who singlehandedly makes their pass rush light years better, makes sense, too.”
Carter isn’t just the best edge rusher in the draft, he’s also thought of as the best player, period, and many believe he’s a can’t-miss prospect.
Carter’s impressive collegiate career included 23 sacks over the last three seasons, and he finished off his tenure at Penn State with 12 sacks in 2024.
Carter garnered five honors for his showings since 2022, including Unanimous All-American (2024), Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2024), first-team All-Big Ten (2023, 2024) and second-team All-Big Ten (2022).
“Overall, Carter’s blend of production at multiple levels within a defense showcases an elite prospect,” The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler wrote. “Carter’s instincts and playmaking ability in multiple facets set the stage for a highly intriguing chess piece that can play all over a front seven, with projectable traits that could see him evolve into an All-Pro type of defender.”
Carter should be able to make an impact right out of the gate, but the Panthers are set up so that he doesn’t really have to thanks to the aforementioned players. What’s most important is that Carter develops into the game-changing defender he clearly has the potential to be for a long time to come.
It would cost a pretty penny for the Panthers to move up five spots to grab Carter, but with the Penn State product having franchise-altering talent, it would be a worthwhile move.