Panthers Turn Page on Bryce Young Era in 2025 NFL Mock Draft

With the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, the Carolina Panthers and the rest of the 31 NFL teams are looking forward to the preseason and the regular season. The Panthers made seven picks in the NFL draft, with three players selected on the offensive side of the ball to help Bryce Young.

Carolina hopes that the added weapons will help Young take his game to another level under new head coach Dave Canales. However, if Young doesn’t take that leap, Carolina will likely be picking at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft and we could see another Justin Fields-Caleb Williams situation.

2025 NFL Mock Draft: Carolina Takes Shedeur Sanders With No. 1 Overall Pick 

Panthers fans hope that situation doesn’t play out as Young had a ton of buzz coming out of Alabama. But if it does happen, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson likes Carolina to draft Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders with the No. 1 overall pick in his 2025 NFL Mock Draft.

Wilson explains that he used the Super Bowl odds from Caesars Sportsbook (in reverse order) to come up with the draft order. Here’s what Wilson had to say about Sanders at the top of the draft.

“Shedeur Sanders made huge strides in his first year as an FBS QB and he'll be in the conversation with several other players to be the first quarterback drafted.”

It would not be shocking to see Sanders selected with the first overall pick as he’s currently the favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook (+100) over the likes of Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, Drew Allar, and Jalen Milroe.

Sanders had a solid first year at the University of Colorado, despite the Buffaloes going through a series of ups and downs. The former Jackson State quarterback completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Sanders might’ve had better numbers last season if the Buffaloes’ offensive line didn’t give up a ton of sacks. That said, the 6-foot-2 quarterback is picking up where he left off at Jackson State, where he established himself as one of the better players in the FCS.

Canales would love the opportunity to take Sanders next season, who can make almost every throw and has good touch on his passes. However, the Panthers head coach would love to see Young take strides in his development and turn Carolina into a contender.

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