CHARLOTTE — The 2025 NFL draft is now less than a month away. Teams are updating their big board every day, welcoming in prospects for visits, and evaluating their current rosters every minute of every day. Only a select few in each building know what a club might due when the first round quicks off on April 24 in Green Bay, but between now and then, we will take a look at different positions of need for the Carolina Panthers, and how they might be addressed in the upcoming draft.

The Panthers currently have nine picks:

• Rd. 1, No. 8 overall
• Rd. 2, No 57 overall (from Rams)
• Rd. 3, No. 74 overall
• Rd. 4, No. 111 overall
• Rd. 4, No. 114 overall (from Cowboys)
• Rd. 5, No. 140 overall (from Giants)
• Rd. 5, No. 146 overall
• Rd. 5, No. 163 overall (from Ravens)
• Rd. 7, No. 230 overall (from Cardinals)

Position previews are an aggregation from the opinion and analysis of various draft websites and mock drafts. These are not rankings of a position, but rather a preview of names projected across all three days of the draft. Analysis by the Panthers editorial staff does not reflect the Panthers football staff and front office.

Next up is tight end.

Like the wide receiver corps, the Panthers kept much of the tight end room intact. The club resigned Tommy Tremble to a second contract, pairing him again with Ja'Tavion Sanders, who is coming off a promising rookie season. Also returning are veteran Jordan Matthews and Dominique Dafney. The group will be joined by the most interesting story of the offseason, Colin Granger, who was signed as a D1 basketball convert.

Tyler Warren — Penn State

The quintessential tight end in this year's class, Warren seems ready made for an NFL field. The Penn State product is big (6-5, 256 pounds), fast, can block, and is a dynamic receiver who can make a play anywhere on the field, as evidenced by his 104 receptions (tied second most in FBS) for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end, and finished seventh in Heisman voting, the highest finish for a tight end since 1977, if that tells you what Warren brings to the table.

Colston Loveland — Michigan

Loveland, for all intents and purposes, is a receiver in a body of a tight-end (6-5 245 pounds). He might not be the best blocker, but he's smooth as a route runner, with a full route tree at his disposal. He set school records at Michigan for a tight end in 2024 with 56 receptions, and had 582 receiving yards with five receiving touchdowns. He missed three games with a shoulder injury, and needs to work on some speed and footwork at the NFL level, but he's a legit tight end receiving option.

Elijah Arroyo — Miami

Arroyo is a bit of a victim of his draft class, headlined by two of the better tight end prospects in a while. That being said, Arroyo is still going to be a solid addition to a team's passing game. He pulled in 35 receptions for 590 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, but missed most of 2022 and 2023 with knee injuries. He's a friend to a scrambling quarterback though, one of the biggest pluses for a tight end.

Mason Taylor — LSU

Taylor is another big body receiving option, at 6-5 255 pounds. He's young, having only played three years at the college level, but set a LSU school record for a tight end with 55 receptions in 2024. He's also the only TE in school history with 100-plus career receptions and 1,000-plus career yards. Taylor still has a way to go but has the lineage to indicate he'll get there. His father is Jason Taylor, Hall of Fame defensive end, and his uncle is Zach Thomas, Hall of Fame linebacker.

Gunnar Helm — Texas

Helm is still developing after three years at the college level, but he put together a final season with the Longhorns that led the team with 60 receptions and set a single-season record for a TE in receptions. He comes in at 6-5 and 250 pounds, a moldable block of clay with solid pass catching ability that some team will bring in to shore up their unit.

Mitchell Evans — Notre Dame

Evans produced more year-over-year, working his way into a senior who led the Fighting Irish with 43 receptions. This while coming off an ACL tear suffered towards the end of the 2023 season. Evans is a willing blocker with a big frame at 6-5 258 pounds. He ran a 4.74 at that size in the 40-yard dash. His blocking combined with production as a receiver give him the chance to see the field early and often, even if just as a rotational player.

Jackson Hawes — Georgia Tech

Hawes spent four years in the Ivy League playing at Yale, before transferring into the ACC for his final year of eligibility. He doesn't have a ton of tape as a pass catcher; this past season was his most productive, with 16 receptions for 195 yards. He's stout though, at 6-4 253 pounds, and a road grader from a blocking position.

Luke Lachey — Iowa

Lachey has two lineages working in his favor; the Hawkeyes produce tight ends at a high rate, and his father, Jim Lachey, was a three-time All-Pro and Super Bowl XXVI winning offensive lineman. The younger Lachey has some of that size at 6-6 251 pounds. He pulled in 28 receptions for 231 yards this past season, but his career best season was in 2022, when he had 28 receptions for 398 yards and four touchdowns. He proved his worth as a contested catcher while at Iowa and will look to do the same at the next level.