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The Carolina Panthers have grown and improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years under the guidance of general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales. But unfortunately, they're still below average in most categories when compared to the rest of the league.
According to ESPN, that includes their youngsters. Of every team's group of talent under the age of 25 years old, the Panthers—per NFL analyst Aaron Schatz—rank 21st.
Schatz writes:
Carolina's young talent begins at wide receiver, with 23-year-old McMillan coming off a 1,000-yard rookie season. The Panthers gave a three-year, $35-million extension to 24-year-old Jalen Coker. Rookie third-rounder Chris Brazzell II is 22, while Jimmy Horn Jr. is 23... This year's first-round pick, offensive tackle Monroe Freeling, will turn 22 on July 25. Carolina drafted two edge rushers in 2025, and both still qualify for this list, as Nic Scourton doesn't turn 22 until late August and Princely Umanmielen is 24...
As you can see, the Panthers have a whole lot of under-25 players who have meaningful roles. What's missing for many of them is the talent part. Inside linebacker Trevin Wallace, safety Lathan Ransom, tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and several others are all under that mark, but have yet to prove that they will be solid starters at this level.
The odd thing is that in 2025, ESPN had Carolina 12th in these rankings—which was probably a bit too high. The two players who crossed the 25-year old threshold were left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and starting quarterback Bryce Young.
Conversley, 21st is probably a bit too low given the potential of key players like McMillan, Coker and Freeling—who will be starting at right tackle with the expected absence of Taylor Moton. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle between this year and last year's rankings.
That said, even a decent group of under-25 talent is a dramatic step up from where this team was a few seasons ago.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Where do Panthers rank among NFL teams in under-25 talent?
