Inside the draft room

CHARLOTTE — On the first day of the 2025 draft inside the Panthers draft room in Bank of America Stadium, there might not have been two words said more often than "our guy."

As in, "Let's just take our guy."

Or, "They want our guy."

Or eventually, "We got our guy."

That kind of language is not out of the ordinary in the NFL because, let's be honest, every team gets their guy, even if he's only the guy that was available at that moment. That's the thing you say after picking someone and committing to them for the next four or five years. It would be embarrassing to admit otherwise.

But the interesting part about the Panthers draft was that their guy wasn't the guy the world thought their guy was, even if he was the guy inside the building for weeks, if not months. That doesn't mean that general manager Dan Morgan didn't work through a very elaborate procedure to make sure he was their guy or that executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis didn't challenge the assumption that their guy was the right decision right up until the call was made.

Deciding that wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was their guy with the No. 8 overall pick was less important than the way they arrived at that conclusion. They had to make sure the process was sound because that's the important part of this thing.

But eventually, their guy arrived somewhat casually, even if it was a surprise to many outside that windowless room on the second floor.

"They thought they knew,' Morgan said of the widely held belief that they were going defense with that first pick.

But their process led them to McMillan in the first round, and then a series of deals and non-deals resulted in an eight-man class that filled a lot of needs for the present and the future. And that process has been in the works for either 16 months or 20 years, depending on how you look at it.

With the Tennessee Titans going on the clock with the first pick around 8:09 p.m., there was plenty of time for the Panthers to get into position to make the eighth overall pick, if they decided to make one there.

After all, the world had already decided what they were going to do, so there was no pressure, really.

At 6:58 p.m., owner David Tepper walked into the room and started discussing numbers, as you'd expect, with vice president of football analytics Eric Eager. There was a lot of indistinct chatter, people coming and going, not yet into the business of the night because there was plenty of time. At 7:21 p.m., Morgan walked in, started shaking hands, and got into position for what was either going to be a short night or a very long one.

There were deals on the table, several of them, in fact, and they knew that based on the conversations they'd been having with other teams all week.

In hindsight, several of those proposals were tied to a specific player, who might or might not even be on the board when they chose. But that's how teams do this: they send out signals of interest, like "Hey, if our guy is there at eight, would you move?" Multiple teams seemed to want that guy, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, so with competing interests, the Panthers were able to wait and see who made the best offer.

But there were other deals on the table, too, including a framework of a significant deal with a familiar partner.

There was a brief recap of those offers a half hour before the draft even started, knowing it would be another hour, at least, before they would become actionable. But they went through them quickly and succinctly, recapping material they were all familiar with by that point.

That's a trend with this front office. This is a legwork crowd, a process-driven bunch. A group that values the same things, as different as they can be individually. So when Tilis thinks back on the whole weekend to name a moment he was most proud of, he actually went back months earlier.

"I'm proud that we put in a lot of good work before that day," Tilis said. "Whether that was watching players and stacking the board, meeting with the coaches, understanding what they wanted. We had a lot of coaches spend a lot of time on Zooms with players to get to know them as people, to understand who are we bringing in here, and a lot of other staff members doing the same things. And, I felt like all of that work when we got into the draft, all of that work was used to make really good decisions.

"So it was a collaborative process that yielded good results, and we didn't stray from the plan. There were moments where we could be tempted, and where I think different people would have been tempted to just do something out of left field because there was a perceived opportunity. But we just stuck to our plan. We had a good process both before and during the draft. And so you know, now we'll just see if we have a good outcome."

With all that prep work, they can make decisions quickly. Morgan and Tilis can process a trade and decide on whether to take it in roughly the time Morgan looked across the line of scrimmage and took off for a ball-carrier when he was playing.

But there's also a good bit of time to kill in a draft. And with time to kill, the draft room does what a bunch of co-workers tend to do — start making jokes about each other or people they saw on TV. Whether it was a television personality's outfit or one of their own, anything was fair game.

"What's with the socks?" someone said to Tilis in the restless moments before it all started. He was kicked back with his legs crossed, relaxing for a moment while he could before the action started, so the room had a clear view of his colorfully graphic footwear. "Are those doughnuts?"

"Those are actually the most thoughtful gifts I think I've ever received," Tilis began.

When he lived in Kansas City, he and his daughter would go get doughnuts every Tuesday morning on his way to work. They don't get to do it as often now since her school starts early, so it's the kind of thing a dad with growing kids misses. Last December, he gave his now 7-year-old daughter 20 bucks to spend at the Hannukah bazaar, and she found a pair of doughnut socks that she purchased for her dad, and he wore them to work on one of the biggest days of his year.

(All together, now: "Awwwwww." Also, pro tip: Nothing disarms potential sarcasm like a touching personal anecdote.)

But no one is ever immune to the playful jabs forever, and Tilis wasn't finished being on the receiving end.

At one point in the buildup, Morgan reached for the nearest beverage before drawing a sharp rebuke from the guy he calls "my wingman."

"That's mine," Tilis scolded. "It's got my name right on it."

Since the league doesn't want anyone showing up on TV eating or drinking something from a competing brand from an advertising partner (and those partners are important; they pay for this stuff we all enjoy consuming), there are blank mugs for everyone to drink from. Tilis' wife had applied decals with his name to three of them, one for water, one for his preferred energy drink, and one with a question mark so he was covered for any eventuality.

"The league will call in, and they'll say, hey, pull the (non-sponsored) can off the desk, so we get these cups every year, and I know how it happens," Tilis said after the fact. "You end up with a million different cups, and they're wasted. So I asked my wife, I said, hey, can you make me the labels for my cups so that I know which cups are mine?

"He (Morgan) was just grabbing it, and I was like, no, that's my cup. I actually wouldn't have cared, except it had my name on it. So I was like, you don't want to be drinking out of a cup with my name on it."

A reasonable response.

"Geez, relax," Morgan replied when Tilis snatched his cups back, but then leaned the other direction and admitted, "I would have totally drank out of that."

These two, in case you haven't noticed, have a vibe that borders on Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly at times. The former linebacker and the numbers guy/negotiator met for the first time on a Zoom call in January 2024, and quickly developed a rapport based on shared goals as well as a sense of humor that creeps in when you least expect it.

Morgan obviously admires Tilis's acumen with numbers. "I'll be over here counting on my fingers," the GM joked, describing his partner's ability to analyze trade offers in an instant.

"He makes my job easy because when we're going through the trade stuff, he can get stuff out so quick," the GM said. "You only have like 10 minutes or whatever, but like with Brandt, if you have 40 seconds, he can whip something up really quickly, or he can get trade offers and just be like, 'That's not good enough, no,' right away.

"I could tell right away. Usually, it's a good thing when you're like opposites; our personalities are opposite, like just our backgrounds are opposite so that it works to our advantage. My strengths aren't necessarily earn his strengths and vice versa. So I think we just really balance each other really well."

But not so well that they're going to drink out of the same cup or anything, at least if Tilis has anything to do with it.

"I'll drink out of your cup; who cares?" Morgan said with a laugh.

We think he's joking.

You can fast forward about 30 minutes because the first four picks were fairly chalky, at least in that room. Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, and Will Campbell were the anticipated picks, even if Jacksonville traded from No. 5 to No. 2 to take Hunter.

Tilis called the Browns in the fifth spot "the biggest pick in the draft" because it was the one that was going to cause a few things to tip one way or another, and when they took defensive tackle Mason Graham, things started moving.

At that point, the phones started ringing more regularly, teams following up on deals previously discussed, including one that included that most precious of commodities — future picks. And before the Raiders took Jeanty in the sixth spot, one of those calls came in.

"Or, we just stay and take our guy," Morgan said as they considered all their options.

The Raiders made most of those offers moot moments later by taking the running back, which many teams were interested in.

And as he reflected on it a few days later, Morgan said that was a moment of relief in a way, because he didn't really want to deal out of his spot unless the haul was huge.

That's why when the Rams called — as they did last year, giving the Panthers a future second so they could move up in the 2024 draft — Morgan asked for a lot, just in case they said yes.

"It's like if they want this, they're going to have to go above and beyond, kind of like what they did to us last year when they gave us the two," Morgan said. "That's because I was convicted on our guy. I really don't want to lose this player. But if we are going to lose the player, and it's something that could potentially set us up for the future, if we get a load of picks out of them, then let's explore it.

"But I didn't really want to. I was kind of hoping that they would say no. So when they said no at the end, I was fine with it. I was actually like, 'Sweet.'"

As Tilis described that sequence, he pointed to weeks of meetings that went through possibilities like that one when they worked to determine how far back they were willing to slide.

"The good thing about all of our trade options that we had is they were all discussed before we were on the clock," Tilis said. "We weren't going to let ourselves get surprised while on the clock. We're going to have all this stuff worked out and thought through. So, with all of the trades, we mapped out what that would look like and what would be fair value. You look at the charts, what's fair, but also like what is good for us.

"So when you're talking about moving way back in the draft. Who were the players who we're going to target when we're that far back, and what do we do if those players go earlier than we thought? So we map out a worst-case scenario of picking that far back and then what can we do to get ourselves out of this worst-case scenario.

"And that's any trade, but when you're talking about that far back, the value becomes very, very, very important."

The Panthers are clearly building for a sustainable future. But they also need players today, and striking that balance requires considering every option.

"We have to face not only our fans but also our coaches, our locker room, like, hey, we're trying to win," Tilis said. "We're not trying to just win next year; we're trying to win now and to instill that belief in everybody that this team is heading in the right direction and that we're not stuck in the same gear.

"So, all of those things didn't materialize, and the fact that we had talked about it beforehand just made it really easy to walk away."

They made their pitch. The Rams watched it.

Tilis was on the phone, ended the call, and said simply, "They're out."

And that was that. Their guy was there.

About their guy.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, the entire world came to the conclusion Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker was their guy.

And that made sense at a lot of levels since the Panthers needed help on defense, and Walker brought not only pass-rush credentials but the kind of leadership and "culture guy" intangibles that they wanted. Plus, he was an hour up the road in Salisbury.

So after the first few rounds of mock drafts say the same thing, a measure of groupthink begins to take over, and more and more mock drafts echo it. Figuring everybody else must know something, the next wave of mock drafts said the same thing: the draft industrial complex talking itself into a wrong answer.

There have been reports since the draft that the Rams were also targeting McMillan, and that was Morgan's assumption at the time he made them an offer he hoped they'd refuse.

That's why it's so important to have conversations in advance. If somebody else liked McMillan enough to trade in front of the Panthers, they had to be ready. So, Morgan's early conviction on McMillan still required a system of checks and balances.

"A lot of those conversations happen in advance of being in that room," Tilis said. "I think Dan was very clear early. And then when I hear that kind of conviction out of Dan, I will push back, in a supportive way to just challenge the conviction and make sure that we're thinking through all of the things.

"So my clarity wasn't there until Thursday, but I also wouldn't let it get there until Thursday. But Dan's conviction was there for a long period of time."

There may have even been people in the room who figured the Panthers were leaning defense, but in the moments before the call, you started hearing the nickname of the guy they were taking.

"TMac, TMac," came the quiet murmurs, sometime around pick No. 6 when it became clearer that a trade wasn't likely.

For head coach Dave Canales, a former receivers coach, there was an immediate enthusiasm (beyond even his baseline enthusiasm, which is considerable). He could go into great detail about McMillan's skills as a wideout, and he does, but for him, it's a simple equation.

"The first thing in a wide receiver's job description is 'catch the ball,'" Canales offered as he walked back from a press conference later that night.

Then he began moving his hands all around the area surrounding his body — up, down, together, separate, one way up there, one down there, both in close to his torso.

"And he catches it here," Canales said. "And here. And here. And here. And here."

The Carolina Panthers hold Rookie Mini Camp on Friday, May. 9, 2025 in Charlotte, NC.

And all that is true and needed. But the Panthers still needed more dudes on defense. Morgan pointed out Thursday night that he had "eight more picks" to address those needs, and when Friday night started, he began using most of them. (In the end, the only one of their original picks they used was the first one; the rest were acquired from other teams.)

Their original draft slot in the second round was 39th overall, but that was the last remnant of the Bryce Young trade, so the Bears had that one. They didn't pick until 57th in the second round and 74th in the third, so there was a long wait.

(Morgan filled part of that time by continuing to mess with Tilis about his cups. This was becoming a running joke. But these jokes work both ways. Friday morning, Tilis' wife made Morgan a set of cups with his own name on them, so he wouldn't have to try to drink out of her husband's. Touche.)

But that long wait until 57 caused them to miss out on some players they loved. There were guys they knew they were unlikely to get they felt particular affinities for. But they also knew their needs, and pass-rushers, plural, were near the top of the list.

The early 50s seemed to be the target range, but the pass-rushers started coming off the board in the mid-40s, and everyone moved a little closer to the edges of their seats. Runs on positions in the draft are real, and it was no mystery to the rest of the league where the Panthers' needs were.

They made some calls as the 40s ticked away and got at least one "hard no," but there came a point when Morgan said, "Let's go get our guy."

This new version of "our guy" was Texas A&M pass-rusher Nic Scourton. They found a willing partner in Denver, and swapped four of theirs for four of the Broncos', allowing them to go from 57 to 51 and from 230 to 208 while sliding back in the third and fourth rounds (74 and 111 for 85 and 122).

They were barely off the phone with Scourton before they started thinking about the next deal, possibly a safety or another pass-rusher, but they also knew they found a needed part in the 20-year-old Scourton, who had 10 sacks at Purdue in 2023 before transferring to the SEC.

"That pick felt good," Morgan admitted in the draft room.

(Days later, Morgan appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and said they had a first-round grade on Scourton.)

Scenes in the Carolina Panthers draft room on Friday, Apr. 25, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte, NC.

More calls were made, but sometimes, teams want to make their own picks, too. Mostly, they wanted to move up at least one spot, since their division rival Buccaneers were sitting at 84.

Eventually, they got the Patriots to bite, flipping 85 and 146 for 77, where they were able to land another pass-rusher, Ole Miss outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen.

Morgan admitted after the fact that he strongly considered going defense first in this draft, but the longer he looked at his options — and as Tilis said, they looked at them all, many times — they felt conformable taking a potentially game-changing receiver first, and then a couple of guys who could make an immediate impact on defense.

"The way that we had the board set, we had TMac up here at the at the top of one, and then in the second round, we only had like, I think we only had like three receivers," Morgan said afterward. "But then you looked at outside 'backer, we had multiple guys in the first round, and then we had multiple guys in the second round and even in the third round, so we're like, let's get the receiver, and then we'll circle back and we should be able to get one or maybe two edge guys.

"That's where it takes the discipline, which I have, but I'm also impatient and I like to get stuff done. So when I feel a need to do something to make our team better, there's an urgency to it. But we all bounce off each other, and Brandt, he always does a good job because I tell him to hold me accountable and don't let me do anything dumb. If you think it's dumb, say 'I don't know if we should do this.' And he does a good job of that."

In a short time, they've grown to trust each other. Maybe not enough to drink out of each other's cups, but a lot.

And with that, all of their scheduled picks for Friday had been used. It was time for Morgan and Canales to head upstairs for a press conference on the fourth floor.

Except for one thing. There were some targets on the board that appealed to them, still available past the point they thought they might.

"How can we get back up? Morgan asked Tilis.

As he left to go talk to reporters, Morgan suggested to his wingman that if there was a deal that made sense, to do it without him.

"I was joking," Morgan said a few days later.

"He was joking," Tilis confirmed.

It should be noted that Tilis and the rest of them in the room were still monitoring things while Morgan and Canales were answering questions and that there were options when the GM returned from his media responsibilities. Ten of the final 11 picks in the third round changed hands at least once. As much as they like to move for value, another deal wouldn't have been unheard of, especially since they still had five picks in their pocket and a few more needs they wanted to address in specific ways.

Entering Day 3, the Panthers still hadn't added a safety, and there were still only three on the roster.

Between the time they took Umanmielen 77th and their next pick, No. 114, a knot of four safeties went off the board. And as much as they studied that group, it's reasonable to think they liked some of them more than others.

But they also didn't want to be a prisoner of needs, knowing they also had the 122nd overall pick as well.

At that point, they began to consult with Eager, who had created a program to assess the likelihood that any particular player would be available at any particular slot, e.g., "What's the chance Player X is at 114 vs. 122." Eager would then reply with a percentage. That's a component of their decision-making, which also includes a scout's intuition or the "conviction" they have on a guy.

Tilis is asked if there's a short way to explain how Eager arrived at those numbers.

"No."

Is there a long way?

"No. I love Eric, and his secret sauce is his secret sauce," Tilis said. "And we're happy we have it."

Those numbers would factor into some decision-making on the third day, as they discussed which among a group of targeted players might make it to their spots.

As the weekend went on, lots of deals get discussed, most of which involve moving up a little in one round and back in another. The goal is to leave the weekend with the same amount of picks, or at least close. The temptation comes when someone offers future picks, which always go up a round in value (For instance, a third in the hand is worth a two in the bush, if that bush happens to be next year's draft).

But with all those discussions, there's a healthy discussion. With the duality of their roles, Morgan's always going to want players, and Tilis does too, but he also wants to make sure the numbers work. Value is an abstract concept. Players are tangible. It's worth noting that as Morgan scanned his board Friday night at the end of round three, he mentioned a list of potential players, and more than one of them ended up among their Day 3 picks.

In the case of using the 114th pick on running back Trevor Etienne, the talent of the player outstripped any hypothetical or potential trades. Sometimes, you need to get your guy.

"That was the guy that we were convicted on as both a returner, which is important for us moving forward, and as a running back," Tilis said. "With this new kick return rule, with the touchback at the 35 now, you're going to see a lot of returns, a lot."

Ultimately, they held fast at 122 as well and took hard-hitting Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom, a player who met a lot of their criteria. After that point, they continued to stack three more players, a large defensive tackle in Cam Jackson to add competition to that re-constructed line, another tight end prospect in Mitchell Evans, and a wide receiver in Jimmy Horn Jr. that Morgan seemed to love, offering that final word in the sixth round to close out their weekend.

"He's a guy I have conviction on," the GM said, settling a late discussion in the room about how to use their final pick.

But conviction isn't just a gut feeling; it's something that has to be built over months. You could fake it, I suppose, but when it is being challenged at the right times and in the right ways, it will stand up to scrutiny if it's real.

And no matter how convicted you might be, there's no guarantee any of this works out. Hitting on half your draft picks usually means it's a good year. But if you do the right things the same way every day, you at least have a chance to make a sound decision, and the process is always the important part to create when you're trying to build a stable base.

When it's time to make decisions on whether to make deals for the now or the later, Tilis said one key is feeling empowered by Tepper to work together. Football is a short-term game, but they understand that to get where they want to go, they have to consider the future in every calculation.

Morgan, Tilis, and Canales came in at the same time with the same mandate — to build a sustainable product. Since they're on the same timelines, it's easier to keep competing interests from emerging. Last year, they talked about "alignment" a lot, and it appears to have taken root in the way they make decisions as much as the decisions themselves. Sometimes, smart people disagree. But if they follow the right steps, results often follow.

"Say, for instance, Friday night, we had a bunch of really good players on the board at 33," Tilis said. "It would have been really easy to just take the cheese, and hey, we can trade future picks, we can get a guy we have really high.

"But no, that wasn't even a thought. It was no, that's not our plan. That's not who we are right now. It's great to work with Dan and Dave and Dave on these things and just try to make good decisions."

They've gotten closer to each other over this last year — close enough to finish each other's sentences, to understand each other's jokes, and to lean into the way the others do their jobs.

But not so close that they'd drink out of the same cups. That would be gross.