The Carolina Panthers addressed their (very) troubled defense in Mel Kiper’s initial 2025 NFL mock draft.
ESPN’s longtime draft guru, in his first set of first-round projections of the offseason, used the Panthers’ eighth overall pick on University of Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker.
Kiper writes:
Carolina gave up 6.0 yards per play and 31.4 points per game this season, both last in the NFL. Regardless of what you think of quarterback Bryce Young’s long-term potential, it’s tough to win games with a defense that allows that many points.
Walker is versatile, and he can line up as a traditional off-ball linebacker or edge rusher. His game is all about speed-to-power, and no matter where you put him, he can get into the backfield to blow up plays. He had 6.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss this season, and he’d be a fit in coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit.
Evero’s unit led the way in allowing a new NFL single-season record of 534 points in 2024. The group also relinquished an astonishing 179.8 rushing yards per game, 38.4 more yards than the next closest team, while recording the third-fewest amount of sacks (32).
Walker could provide some answers to both problems. The Salisbury, N.C. native may project as a Frankie Luvu-esque talent at the pro level—possibly giving Evero and the Panthers a multi-faceted weapon not only in the middle of their defense, but off the edge as well.
