Top 25 draft picks in Panthers' history

Sir Purr

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Mar 16, 2019
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The NFL Draft is the lifeblood of roster building, but evaluating talent for the draft has been aptly described as an inexact science.


Still, the Panthers have had their share of success over the course of their 25 drafts. In honor of the Panthers' Silver Season, here’s a look at the 25 best draft picks in franchise history, presented by position:


QB: Cam Newton, Kerry Collins


The lone No. 1 overall selection in franchise history became the lone player to wear jersey No. 1 in franchise history - and Cam Newton has lived up to the lofty standards associated with the number. The top pick in the 2011 draft has been a game changer with his ability as a passer and his escapability as a runner, earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and in 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player recognition.


Carolina held the No. 1 overall pick in its inaugural draft in 1995 but traded down to No. 5 and took Collins. Veteran Frank Reich was the Panthers’ starting quarterback for the team’s first three games, but then Collins took over and was the starter for the franchise’s first three-plus seasons, helping Carolina advance all the way to the NFC Championship game in its second season of competition.


RB: Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, Christian McCaffrey, DeShaun Foster


The Panthers have used first-round picks on running backs four times in franchise history. By the end of the franchise’s 25th season, all four could rank among the top five running backs in terms of rushing yards in franchise history (quarterback Cam Newton ranks third).


With a 1,000-yard season in 2019, Christian McCaffrey, in just his third year, would trail only fellow first-rounders Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams and second-rounder DeShaun Foster in running back yards. McCaffrey would pass Tim Biakabutuka, the fourth first-rounder whose career was short-circuited by injuries.


Foster also struggled with injuries, but left an indelible mark with his postseason performances. He made two iconic touchdown runs during the Panthers’ run to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2003 season and rushed for a still-team-record 151 yards in a 2005 playoff victory.


The numbers posted by Stewart and Williams speak for themselves. The two leading rushers in franchise history combined for 14,164 yards on the ground as Panthers – 38.3 percent of the yards amassed by running backs in team history – and in 2009 they became the first teammates in NFL history to top 1,100 rushing yards in the same season.


WR: Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad, Mark Carrier


Steve Smith ranks eighth in NFL history in career receiving yards. Muhsin Muhammad ranks 31st. That’s a pretty good return on investment for a third-round pick and a second-round one.


Smith was selected 74th overall in the 2001 draft and was viewed as a special teams weapon who could develop into a serviceable receiver. He returned the opening kickoff of the 2001 season opener for a touchdown and landed on the Pro Bowl team as a special teamer – but of course that was only the tip of the iceberg.


Muhammad, picked No. 43 in the 1996 draft, was well-established when Smith came along. In both 2002 and 2003 they combined for more than 1,700 receiving yards, playing key roles in Carolina's run to Super Bowl XXXVII, where Muhammad caught an 85-yard touchdown that still ranks as the longest reception in Super Bowl history.


Speaking of return on investment, Mark Carrier was a 16th-round draft choice – in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft. The expansion Panthers and Jaguars took turns picking players not protected by their 1994 teams, selecting 66 in all. Carrier was the 32nd player taken and proved the Panthers’ most productive pick, racking up 1,002 receiving yards in 1995 (including the first touchdown in franchise history) and totaling 2,547 yards in four seasons, still ranking (a distant) third behind Smith and Muhammad in team annals.


No tight ends appear on this list and only one (Wesley Walls) appeared on the top 25 free agent signings in franchise history. Yet a list of the best trades in franchise history no doubt would begin with Greg Olsen acquired just before training camp in 2011 in exchange for a third-round pick. Olsen has been the one constant in the passing game during the Newton era, peaking when from 2014-16 he became the only tight end in NFL history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
 
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