Panthers predicted to draft 23-sack superstar after blockbuster trade with Giants

The Carolina Panthers need more help along the edge and an analyst has them checking that box via a blockbuster trade up in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers entered the offseason with a desperate need to improve one of the league's worst defenses from last year, something the team has made strides in doing.

Carolina managed to keep two key defenders in town in Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson, and the team brought in Tershawn Warton, Tre'von Moehrig, Bobby Brown and Patrick Jones II.

Despite all that, the Panthers still need more help, and specifically on the edge, where the team needs more depth and is facing a situation in which Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum could depart in free agency in 2026.

With that in mind, Underdog Network's Hayden Winks predicts the Panthers will pull off a blockbuster trade up to No. 3 overall with the New York Giants and select Penn State's Abdul Carter.

The proposed trade would send the Giants pick Nos. 8 and 111 (fourth round), and a 2026 first-round pick.

"The Giants get: 8th overall, 111th overall, and a 2026 1st rounder (which could help get them a franchise QB eventually)," Winks said. "The Panthers get: a blue chipper at a premium position that they are currently terrible at. It's a similar trade to EDGE Will Anderson, who the Texans took at 3rd overall by moving on from 12th, 33rd, a future 1st, and a future 3rd."

Carter is not only the most coveted edge rusher in this year's draft class, he's also considered by some to be the best overall player.

The Penn State product tallied 23 sacks over the last three seasons, including a career-best 12 in 2024. He has all the makings of a generational talent at the next level.

"Overall, Carter’s blend of production at multiple levels within a defense showcases an elite prospect," The Draft Network's Ryan Fowler wrote. "Carter’s instincts and playmaking ability in multiple facets set the stage for a highly intriguing chess piece that can play all over a front seven, with projectable traits that could see him evolve into an All-Pro type of defender."

If the Panthers can get their hands on Carter, he would give them a foundational piece on defense and an immediate starter who can replace Clowney or Wonnum if they move on next year.

All that said, we find it hard to believe the Giants are going to trade down from No. 3 if one of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders are still on the board. In this particular mock, Sanders was still available.

But if the Giants are willing to deal and the Panthers are able to get their hands on Carter, general manager Dan Morgan should do what it takes to secure the superstar talent.

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