CHARLOTTE – The Panthers will have 35 tryout players joining their draft picks, undrafted additions and a handful of returning players and offseason signings at rookie minicamp, which begins Friday at Bank of America Stadium.
Running back Christian McCaffrey (first round, 8th overall), wide receiver Curtis Samuel (second round, 40th overall), offensive tackle Taylor Moton (second round, 64th overall), defensive end Daeshon Hall (third round, 77th overall), cornerback Corn Elder (fifth round, 152nd overall), fullback Alex Armah (sixth round, 192nd overall) and kicker Harrison Butker (seventh round, 233rd overall) will make their debuts in Panthers gear.
So too will five college free agents: linebacker Ben Boulware, wide receiver Fred Ross, defensive end Bryan Cox, wide receiver Austin Duke and cornerback Cole Luke.
Six players who spent time on Carolina's 2016 practice squad – safety Brian Blechen, safety Travell Dixon, wide receiver Keyarris Garrett, running back Jalen Simmons, defensive tackle Eric Crume and tight end Eric Wallace – will participate, as well as four others who were signed this offseason – quarterback Garrett Gilbert, wide receiver Mose Frazier, cornerback Jeff Richards and offensive tackle Pearce Slater.
Below is a complete list of the tryout players. Last year, Carolina signed six invited tryouts to the roster. The Panthers currently have three open spots on their 90-man roster.
| Pos | Name | Ht | Wt | Age | Exp | College | Hometown |
| QB | David Ash | 6-3 | 225 | 24 | 1 | Texas | Belton, Texas |
| LB | Alex Bazzie | 6-2 | 240 | 26 | 1 | Marshall | Silver Spring, Md. |
| OT | Mitchell Bell | 6-4 | 330 | 24 | 1 | Louisiana Tech | Houston, Texas |
| LB | Zeek Bigger | 6-2 | 215 | 24 | 1 | East Carolina | Gastonia, N.C. |
| G | Chris Boles | 6-4 | 320 | 24 | 1 | Illinois | Toledo, Ohio |
| WR | Marvin Bracy | 5-9 | 170 | 23 | R | Florida State | Orlando, Fla. |
| DT | Travis Britz | 6-4 | 295 | 23 | 1 | Kansas State | Harrisonville, Mo. |
| LB | Henry Coley | 6-2 | 240 | 25 | R | Virginia | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| G | Dylan Colucci | 6-6 | 315 | 23 | R | Youngstown State | Latrobe, Pa. |
| LS | Daniel Dillon | 6-3 | 235 | 24 | 1 | Campbell | Sanford, N.C. |
| FB | Mandel Dixon | 6-2 | 240 | 24 | 1 | Tulsa | Oakland, Ca. |
| CB | Montell Garner | 6-1 | 185 | 24 | 1 | South Alabama | Dallas, Texas |
| DE | Ryne Giddins | 6-3 | 255 | 26 | 1 | South Florida | Seffner, Fla. |
| C | Eddie Gordon | 6-1 | 320 | 22 | R | Louisiana Lafayette | Boiling Springs, S.C. |
| P | Hayden Hunt | 6-0 | 220 | 23 | R | Colorado State | Long Beach, Calif. |
| DT | Drew Iddings | 6-6 | 265 | 24 | 1 | South Dakota | Rapid City, S.D. |
| LB | Raphael Kirby | 6-0 | 235 | 23 | 1 | Miami (Fla.) | Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| LB | Kyle Kragen | 6-3 | 255 | 24 | 1 | California | Danville, Calif. |
| S | Jordan Lomax | 5-10 | 195 | 23 | 1 | Iowa | Fairfax, Va. |
| CB | B.J. Lowery | 5-11 | 195 | 25 | 1 | Iowa | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| OT | Miguel Machado | 6-5 | 305 | 25 | R | Michigan State | Miami, Fla. |
| DE | Omari Manhertz | 6-3 | 265 | 23 | R | American International | New York, N.Y. |
| DT | Gabriel Mass | 6-4 | 295 | 26 | 1 | Lane College | Jackson, Ala. |
| TE | Jake McGee | 6-5 | 250 | 25 | 1 | Florida | Richmond, Va. |
| S | Damian Parms | 6-2 | 210 | 24 | 1 | Florida Atlantic | Miami, Fla. |
| WR | Cameron Posey | 6-1 | 185 | 23 | R | Purdue | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| TE | Jordan Powell | 6-3 | 245 | 22 | R | New Hampshire | Forked River, N.J. |
| LB | Darnell Sankey | 6-3 | 250 | 22 | 1 | Sacramento State | San Jose, Calif. |
| G | Jake Schunke | 6-5 | 300 | 23 | 1 | Towson | Hackensack, N.J. |
| TE | Gannon Sinclair | 6-6 | 270 | 24 | 1 | Missouri State | Eden Prarie, Minn. |
| TE | Desean Smith | 6-5 | 245 | 22 | R | LSU | Lake Charles, La. |
| C | Austin Stephens | 6-3 | 290 | 23 | R | Utah State | West Des Moines, Iowa |
| DE | Brandon Williams | 6-3 | 255 | 23 | 1 | Southern Illinois | DuQuoin, Ill. |
| RB | Dominique Williams | 5-9 | 205 | 26 | 1 | Wagner | Bridgeton, N.J. |
| DT | Terry Williams | 6-1 | 320 | 25 | 1 | East Carolina | Atlanta, Ga. |
Some notes on the tryouts:
- Defensive end Omani Manhertz is the younger brother of Panthers tight end Chris Manhertz.
- Linebacker Kyle Kragen is the son of former Panthers defensive lineman Greg Kragen, who played for Carolina from 1995-97.
- Wide receiver Marvin Bracy is a competitive sprinter who earned a spot on the 2016 United States Olympic team.
- Tight end Jake McGee was one of Carolina's undrafted free agent signings following the 2016 NFL Draft.
