Draft History: Panthers reach two Super Bowls thanks to key draft picks

Feb 18

Draft History: Panthers reach two Super Bowls thanks to key draft picks

The Carolina Panthers have yet to win a Super Bowl, but have appeared in the “big game” twice. In Super Bowl XXXVIII after the 2003 season, Jake Delhomme (as well as two-star receivers from previous drafts) fell to the Patriots on a last-second field goal. Carolina ended the 2015 season with a franchise-best 15-1 record and a trip to Super Bowl 50. Although the Broncos won that game, five Panthers starters appear on the team’s best draft pick list.

BEST

10. Charles Johnson, DE (Round 3, Pick 83 in 2007) - The Panthers found a steal in the third round in 2007. The Georgia product spent all 11 NFL seasons with Carolina and ranks second in team history with 67½ sacks, including double-digit totals three times. Johnson registered five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in Super Bowl 50.

9. Ryan Kalil, C (Round 2, Pick 59 in 2007) - Kalil was drafted after a standout career at USC and finished his 12 Carolina seasons with five Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections, with the final one of each coming in 2015. Before signing with the Jets last August, Kalil was a stalwart who regularly played in more than 90 percent of Carolina’s offensive snaps and averaged just two penalties a year.

8. DeAngelo Williams, RB (Round 1, Pick 27 in 2006) - The former Memphis star ranks second in team history with 6,846 yards and third with 46 touchdowns in nine seasons. In 2008, Williams had 1,515 yards and a league-leading 18 touchdowns, and he made his only Pro Bowl with 1,117 yards and seven scores the following year. He just missed playing in Super Bowl 50 after he signed with Pittsburgh before the 2015 season.

7. Thomas Davis, LB (Round 1, Pick 14 in 2005) - Like Kalil, Davis was also a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2015. He is the franchise leader with 1,098 tackles and 789 solo stops. Davis also tied for most in team history with 11 fumble recoveries and ranks second with 18 forced fumbles, seventh with 13 interceptions and eighth with 28 sacks. The three-time Pro Bowler and 2014 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year winner had seven tackles in Super Bowl 50.

6. Muhsin Muhammad, WR (Round 2, Pick 43 in 1996) - “Moose” ranks second in team history with 696 receptions, 9,255 yards and 50 touchdowns in 11 seasons with Carolina. Muhammad led the NFL with 102 receptions in 2000 and topped the league with 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns in his 2004 All-Pro and Pro Bowl season. The Michigan State product had four catches for 140 yards and a score in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

5. Julius Peppers, DE (Round 1, Pick 2 in 2002) - Peppers is the all-time franchise leader with 97 sacks, including seven seasons with 10 or more. He earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after a 12-sack season in 2002. Two years later, Peppers earned the first of five Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections after posting 11 sacks and returning an interception and a fumble for touchdowns. He had nine tackles, a sack and a pick in Carolina’s four-game playoff run in 2003, including Super Bowl XXXVIII.

4. Christian McCaffrey, RB (Round 1, Pick 8 in 2017) - McCaffrey takes the term “dual-threat” to another level. Despite playing just three seasons, he already ranks fifth on the club list with 2,920 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. The son of former NFL receiver, Ed McCaffrey also sits fifth with 303 catches and sixth with 2,523 receiving yards. McCaffrey’s 2019 season included Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, 1,387 yards and 15 scores rushing, and a running back-record 116 catches and 1,005 receiving yards.

3. Luke Kuechly, LB (Round 1, Pick 9 in 2012) - Kuechly recently retired after what could end up being a Hall of Fame career, albeit a short one. He led the league with 164 tackles en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and made the Pro Bowl in each of his other seven seasons. “Captain America” also had five All-Pro selections and registered more than 100 tackles in all eight seasons (while also leading the NFL again with 153 in 2014). Kuechly ranks second in Panthers history with 1,092 tackles and 690 solo stops. He had 10 tackles against Denver in Super Bowl 50.

2. Steve Smith, WR (Round 3, Pick 74 in 2001) - Smith started his career with Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections as a kick returner in 2001, and he was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro in 13 seasons with the Panthers. He holds team records with 836 receptions, 12,197 yards, and 67 touchdowns. After registering his first of seven 1,000-yard seasons with Carolina in 2003, Smith had 80 yards and a score in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Two years later, he won the receiving “triple crown,” leading the league and setting career highs with 103 catches, 1,563 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Carolina cut Smith after the 2013 season, and he spent the final three years with Baltimore.

1. Cam Newton, QB (Round 1, Pick 1 in 2011) - Newton tops the franchise list with 29,041 yards and 182 touchdowns. He was a Pro Bowler and the Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing for a career-high 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns. “Superman” earned league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year honors, and was also a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2015 after posting 3,837 yards and 35 scores to just 10 interceptions. Newton had 335 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Cardinals in the 2015 NFC Championship Game before the Broncos held him in check during Super Bowl 50. He missed most of the 2019 season after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot that required surgery, and his future is uncertain after Carolina hired former Baylor coach Matt Rhule.

WORST

10. Mitch Marrow, DE (Round 3, Pick 73 in 1998) - With the Panthers being such a new franchise, the “worst” list might not include as many high picks. Marrow was a two-time All-Ivy League selection and a preseason All-American as a senior. After being drafted, he missed the 1998 season after suffering a ruptured spinal disc during training camp. Another back injury the following year forced him to retire, but he found success managing a hedge fund.

9. Dwayne Jarrett, WR (Round 2, Pick 45 in 2007) - Scouts thought Jarrett was similar to fellow USC product Keyshawn Johnson, but the two had many different career results. While Johnson was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Jets and Buccaneers, Jarrett never really latched on with the Panthers. He was stuck behind Smith and Muhammad on the depth chart and posted just 428 yards in four seasons. Carolina cut Jarrett in 2010 after his second DUI/DWI arrest in three years.

8. Bruce Nelson, G (Round 2, Pick 50 in 2003) - Nelson played just one game over two seasons due to hip injuries. He now works with the high school team in his hometown of Emmetsburg, Iowa. The Panthers could have had David Diehl, a 2009 Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl winner with the Giants.

7. Eric Shelton, RB (Round 2, Pick 54 in 2005) - Sheldon lost his rookie season due to a broken foot, and had just eight carries for 29 yards overall in nine games. The Panthers released him in 2007 and a neck injury prevented him from appearing in the NFL again. Shelton is best known for being on the We TV show “My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding,” but Carolina could have had Marion Barber, Brandon Jacobs or Darren Sproles, who had “big fat fabulous” NFL careers.

6. Kelvin Benjamin, WR (Round 1, Pick 28 in 2014) - The Florida State product started off strong, with 1,949 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first two seasons. However, he missed the 2015 season (and Super Bowl 50) after suffering a torn ACL. The Panthers traded him to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, but he has not been the same during stops in Buffalo and Kansas City.

5. Jeff Otah, T (Round 1, Pick 19 in 2008) - Otah’s career was done in by knee injuries that limited him to just 29 games in four years and cost him the 2010 season. He was sent to the Jets in 2012 but failed two physicals which voided the trade. The Panthers then released him and he never played in the NFL again.

4. Rashard Anderson, CB (Round 1, Pick 23 in 2000) - The Jackson State alum played in 12 games as a rookie and followed that with 47 tackles and an interception in 15 games in the 2001 season. Anderson was suspended for a year after a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and had the ban extended another year after failing to meet requirements for reinstatement. The Panthers released Anderson after he was finally reinstated by the league and he never appeared in another game as a professional.

3. Jimmy Clausen, QB (Round 2, Pick 48 in 2010) - The year before the Panthers drafted Newton, they took a chance on Clausen, the 2006 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year winner as a senior in high school. Clausen took over after starter Matt Moore suffered a concussion, but he was plagued by inconsistent play and a dispute with Smith on the sidelines during his first start. After a 1-9 record, Clausen fell to third-string once the Panthers drafted Newton and signed Derek Anderson, and he spent two years at that spot and another on the team’s practice squad before signing with the Bears in 2014.

2. Jason Peter, DE (Round 1, Pick 14 in 1998) - Peter was a two-time All-Big 12 and a 1997 All-American at Nebraska. He played in 38 games and had 7½ sacks in four seasons before chronic injuries stemming from a neck stinger forced him to retire. Peter’s post-playing career included being a high school coach, a radio host and the author of a book that detailed his dependence on heroin, cocaine, pain relievers, and alcohol.

1. Rae Carruth, WR (Round 1, Pick 27 in 1997) - Players usually end up on the “worst” list because of either poor or inconsistent play, injury or off-the-field issues. That was certainly the case with Carruth, a Colorado product who had 545 yards and four touchdowns in 1997 and made the All-Rookie Team. He lost most of the 1998 season with a broken right foot and played six games mostly as a reserve the following year. However, his life was controlled by poor choices involving women. Carruth neglected a child he fathered as a sophomore until his college girlfriend sued for child support. However, that was not even close to his worst incident. Another girlfriend, Charlotte real estate agent Cherica Adams, was eight months pregnant when she was shot four times on November 16, 1999. In her 9-1-1 call, Adams said two cars stopped by hers, one driven by Carruth and the other by one of his associates, night club manager Van Brett Watkins Sr., who fired the shots. Carruth preemptively posted $3 million bail if a death resulted from the incident, but fled from police after Adams fell into a coma and later died. He was picked up in western Tennessee in mid-December. While his lawyer said the incident was part of a drug deal gone bad, Carruth was later convicted of conspiracy to commit murder after Adams had refused to abort the child, who suffered permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy due to lack of oxygen. Carruth spent 18 years in prison and was released in 2018.

Next: Arizona Cardinals

-By: Kevin Rakas