Take: The Panthers had one of the least productive defensive lines in the league for most of the 2024 season. They’ll get Derrick Brown back from injury, but they need more difference-makers in that area. Green was a monster as a pass-rusher and a run defender this past season, and it was just more of the same at the Senior Bowl.

The Athletic is getting an early jump on things, two weeks before the NFL combine and a month or so before the start of free agency. That can make for some tricky projections. So we followed a simple strategy in this first Carolina Panthers seven-round mock: When in doubt, draft defense.

W ith the 2024 season now officially in the books, we can set out sights on the next huge event on the NFL calendar: the 2025 NFL Draft. The first round is now set with the Super