CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers are only a week and a half away from the beginning of their next era. The NFL draft kicks off April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin and the Panthers are currently holding a Top 10 pick, at No. 8 overall. All total, the Panthers have nine picks, including eight in the first five rounds.

Ahead of the draft, Pro Football Focus' lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema joined the Panthers to preview several position groups of need, including edge rusher, wide receiver, and corner. But first, we mock.

After taking an aggregate of 30 top industry mock drafts, Sikkema offered reaction and analysis to picks 1-7, before offering his pick for the Panthers at No. 8 overall. You can watch the full Mock Draft breakdown here.

Back in early March, following the NFL combine, Sikkema mocked Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart to the Panthers at No. 8 overall. By the time Sikkema stepped into our studios in early April though, he had another player in mind: Arizona Wildcats receiver Tetairoa McMillian.

"I would go with the offensive player, because when I look at this wide receiver and just overall receiving group—because you could throw tight ends in there as well in Ja'Tavion Sanders who I still like a good amount and Tommy Tremble who they brought back—if you look at the receivers, it's solid," Sikkema began.

"If you throw Tetairoa McMillian in there, what an incredible compliment I think he is to the wide receivers they already have and it allows Dave Canales to really orchestrate the offense in a lot of ways that they want."

McMillian shined for the Wildcats in 2023 and 2024, posting back-to-back seasons of 1,300-plus yards and 18 touchdowns over that time as well. In 2024, he had 16 plays of 25-plus yards. He's long, at 6-5 212 pounds, with the ability to go up and win 50-50 balls.

The Panthers have made no secret about wanting to address the defensive side of the ball, but also hit there in free agency. It allows some flexibility, which is why Sikkema is so high on the McMillian possibility.

"So to me, you want to make sure that even though you want the defensive side of the ball to be better, what you did in free agency allows you the flexibility to make this pick," explained Sikkema. "And its's still about giving Bryce Young exactly what he needs to be the caliber quarterback that he can be."

Sikkema will join Panthers.com and the Panthers YouTube channel throughout the lead-up to the NFL Draft to preview position groups. Stay tuned and subscribe to the YouTube channel to be the first to know when a position preview is posted.