Panthers get awful mark in 2023 NFL Draft regrade

[ASFN Admin]

The Carolina Panthers' final draft before Dan Morgan took over as general manager hasn't held up well.

CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco recently revisited his grades from the 2023 NFL Draft. At the time, he had given the Panthers a 'B+' for their class, one headlined by No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.

But now, in 2026, he knocks the grade down to a 'D.' Prisco writes:

How I did: Not good. Why in the hell did I give this grade a B+? I didn't love the Young pick, but did say he was a good passer. I was worried about his size and was never really in on the hype. I liked Mingo, so that's a big miss. But I said Johnson was their worst pick, so that's a hit. This draft is not good, but Young can save it.

To review, second-round wideout Jonathan Mingo was a total bust, but at least he got the Panthers a fourth-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys at the 2024 trade deadline. Third-round outside linebacker DJ Johnson was cut at the end of last September and Jammie Robinson didn't even make it to 2025 before he was released.

The only picks still on the team are Young and backup guard Chandler Zavala, which would make this one of the worst draft classes in Panthers history . . . if Young doesn't work out as a long-term solution under center.

If Young, however, does end up becoming the guy for Carolina at quarterback, then nobody will even remember the rest of these picks. He's coming off a career campaign in 2025, where he passed for career-highs across the board while leading the Panthers to their first division title in a decade.

So if Young and the team can keep up their ascension, that grade might go back up with them.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: CBS Sports' Pete Prisco drops Panthers in 2023 draft regrade

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