Where are the Carolina Panthers on pace to pick in the 2025 NFL draft after Week 13?

Nobody likes losing, but there is a pretty big silver lining when a top-five overall draft pick is involved.

Tim Weaver | 3 Hours Ago

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 01: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

Whoever said there are no moral victories in the NFL never watched the 2024 Carolina Panthers. Even though they have lost their last two games and are just 3-9 heading into Week 14, right now this team is getting the best of both worlds.

In Sunday's heartbreaking overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina saw more improvement from their growing second-year quarterback Bryce Young and their long-suffering defense also had their best game of the season. Neverthless, they lost the game and so they're still in last place in the NFC South and near the bottom of the conference standings.

On the bright side, this team is still on pace for a top-five overall draft pick next year. Here's the updated 2025 NFL draft order after the Week 13 Sunday slate of games.

2025 NFL draft order - Week 14

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)

2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)

3. New York Giants (2-10)

4. New England Patriots (3-10)

5. Carolina Panthers (3-9)

6. New York Jets (3-9)

7. Tennessee Titans (3-9)

8. Cleveland Browns (3-8)

9. New Orleans Saints (4-8)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)

11. Chicago Bears (4-8)

12. Miami Dolphins (5-7)

13. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)

14. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)

15. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)

17. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)

18. Arizon Cardinals (6-6)

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19. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)

20. Denver Broncos (7-5)

21. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)

22. Washington Commanders (8-5)

23. Houston Texans (8-5)

24. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

25. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)

26. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)

27. Green Bay Packers (9-3)

28. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)

29. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)

30. Buffalo Bills (10-2)

31. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)

32. Detroit Lions (11-1)

The best thing about this is that they don't need to use their top pick on another potential franchise quarterback. That means they're free to fill one of their big roster holes at edge, wide receiver, corner, or - in the best-case scenario, cover two of them at once with Colorado's dual-threat superstar WR/CB Travis Hunter. If he is no longer on the board, the next-best move might be to trade down with a team that does need a quarterback. Such a move might give the Carolina Panthers more total draft capital than any other NFL team. At the moment they already rank third in that race.