The Panthers hired Dan Morgan as president of football operations and general manager on January 22, 2024. Morgan is a Panthers “lifer” after spending his seven-year NFL career in Charlotte from 2001 through 2007 then spending years in the Panthers front office. Let’s take a look back on Morgan’s second season as GM. We’ve previously evaluated his performance with trades and with free agents.
Let’s now assess Morgan’s 2025 draft day performance. Today we will focus on Rounds 4-7 after covering Rounds 1-3 last week.
Draft day performance
It’s a bit of a fool’s errand to evaluate a draft class after just one season because we still don’t know what type of player these guys will be in three or four years, but one season is all the data we have.
When grading draft picks it’s important to measure their performance relative to rookie expectations. My general criteria for rookies is this:
Round 1 – Average contributing starter
Round 2 – Spot starter and key rotational piece
Rounds 3-4 – Capable rotational depth
Rounds 5-6 – Special teams
Round 7 – Any contributions is a borderline miracle
Here we go!
Round 4, No. 114 – Trevor Etienne, running back
2025 Stats: 17 games (0 starts), 20 carries, 90 yards (4.7 YPC); 3 receptions, 13 yards; 20 punt returns (8.2 YPR), 31 kick returns (23.6 YPR)
The former Florida and Georgia star did what few fourth-round rookies do by appearing in all 17 games and making some meaningful contributions for a playoff team. Etienne joined a crowded running back room in Carolina behind two established starters in Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, both of whom had 1,000-plus yard seasons in 2024. Even then, in limited carries Etienne averaged a healthy 4.7 yards per carry. His main contributions came as the Panthers main punt and kick returner throughout the season, and fulfilling that role fairly well.
Draft grade: B
Round 4, No. 122 – Lathan Ransom, safety
2025 stats: 16 games (6 starts), 51 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 2 passes defended
Lathan Ransom had a quietly productive rookie season, especially for a fourth round pick. I did a double-take when I saw he had 51 tackles this year. He played 336 defensive snaps and 169 more on special teams, so he was on the field a lot. Per Football Reference, he was targeted 18 times in coverage and surrendered 10 receptions, or a 55.6% completion percentage. His tackling was sound with a 3.8% missed tackle rate. PFF graded him out as the No. 67 of 98 safeties in the league, which is more than commendable given his draft pedigree.
Draft grade: A-
Round 5, No. 140 – Cam Jackson, defensive tackle
2025 stats: 9 games (0 starts), 9 tackles
The 6-foot-6, 328-pounder hovered just below the “meets expectations” criteria for a fifth round rookie. He made the 53-man roster and appeared in nine games, playing 85 defensive snaps and 30 on special teams, which is lower than you’d like to see from the No. 140 pick. The highlight from his rookie campaign was the five tackles he racked up in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks late in the season.
Draft grade: D+
Round 5, No. 163 – Mitchell Evans, tight end
2025 stats: 17 games (10 starts), 19 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TDs
The former Notre Dame star was the biggest pleasant surprise from the Panthers crop of rookies. Despite joining a tight end room with established players like Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders, Evans still earned a meaningful role in his first NFL season. He played an impressive 393 offensive snaps, or 37% of the team’s total, meaning he was also blocking when not catching passes. His 19 receptions came on 25 targets, meaning he snagged 76% of his targets. He absolutely blew past what should be reasonably expected from a fifth round pick.
Draft grade: A
Round 6, No. 208 – Jimmy Horn Jr., wide receiver
2025 stats: 13 games, 11 receptions, 108 yards; 8 rushes, 69 yards
Getting 177 scrimmage yards in 13 games from a sixth round pick is sweet, sweet production. The Colorado product also snared 11 of his 15 targets, giving him a superb 73.3% catch percentage. To put Horn’s seemingly modest production in context, per Football Reference a total of 13 wide receivers were drafted between No. 133 in the fourth round and No. 252 in the seventh round. Jimmy Horn Jr.’s 177 scrimmage yards ranked third among that group. It was a promising start for the late-round pick.
Draft grade: A-
Rounds 4-7 summary
Man, relative to expectations, Dan Morgan killed the later rounds of the draft.
The contributions from Etienne, Ransom, Evans, and Horn well exceeded expectations for players selected where they were drafted. Cam Jackson was the only one to underperform, and even then made the roster and got nine games under his belt in his debut NFL season.
Outstanding work by Mr. Morgan and company!
Overall Rounds 4-7 grade: A-