Rap: Panthers EDGE Nic Scourton suffers ACL tear

This was expected after it was reported on Thursday that Scourton suffered a torn ACL in the team’s first practice. Scourton reportedly sought a second opinion on his injury, but the decision to place him on injured reserve on Friday officially signals the end of his season. The second-year pass-rusher was expected to make a nice leap this season after popping up for five sacks as a rookie, but will now spend this season rehabbing in preparation for 2027.

Per Wolfe, Scourton was in tears as he left the field and the entire team gathered around the cart before he exited practice. Scourton will undergo testing for the injury, but the optics are unfortunately concerning. A 2025 second-round pick, Scourton totaled five sacks across 17 games, eight of which were credited as starts. He was set for a larger role this year, but that may have to wait.

Per Canales, Jones’ injury requires surgery. He will be placed on injured reserve this week. The Panthers signed Jones to a two-year deal this offseason after his rookie deal in Minnesota came to an end. He appeared in four games with Carolina and logged one sack with 10 pressures.

Scourton suffered a collapsed lung just over a week ago and has been sidelined ever since. The rookie pass-rusher appears to be trending toward a return and could even be on track to play in Week 1 against the Jaguars if he’s able to log enough practices leading up to game day.

According to Canales, Scourton’s injury was worse than initially feared, and the rookie pass rusher is expected to miss some time. We don’t yet know the exact duration, but it sounds like Scourton could be at risk of missing the Week 1 opener against the Jaguars. We should have more insight on his injury and recovery timeline soon.

The Panthers officially bring their X-wide receiver into the fold via a $27.93 million deal. McMillan should immediately compete for the team lead in targets and should produce fantasy-friendly results in year one. The Panthers also signed third-round OLB Princely Umanmielen, fourth-round S Lathan Ransom, fifth-round DT Cam Jackson, fifth-round TE Mitchell Evans and sixth-round WR Jimmy Horn Jr.. Dynasty managers should take note of Horn, who could eventually work his way into three-wide receiver sets.

Umanmielen (6’4/244) is a former top recruit who spent his first four years at Florida, before taking off for Mississippi. He was a productive pass rusher who posted a 22.9% win rate with 100 pressures in 2023 and 2024 combined and four straight seasons with a pass rush grade of 83.0 or higher. He tends to work upfield and spin back to the inside where he has a 40.6% win rate to create havoc play and secondary sack opportunities. He tested well at the Combine with 96th percentile jumps, a 1.61s 10-yard split (90th%) and a 4.72s 40-yard dash (83rd%) for a combined 8.90 Relative Athletic Score. His advanced bend allows Umanmielen to dip around blockers and storm the backfield. He’ll get a chance to work into the Panthers’ EDGE rotation in 2025.

Scourton (6’3/257) had an elite 90.9 pass rush grade with 42 pressures in 2023 for Purdue before transferring to A&M. While he performed admirably earning First Team All-SEC accolades, Scourton’s pressure rate dropped from 17.1% to 12% and his 80.6 pass rush grade was a 10% drop from the previous season. Dense frame that is tough to move in the run game, allowing him to eat blocks and clog rush lanes. Loves to set up blockers by running the loop a few times before deploying a sharp inside spin move that won 54.8% of the time. Secondary moves utilize a spirited hop/chop with ample use of hesitations to keep blockers off balance so he can get inside their pads and push the pocket. He gets stuck on blocks if his initial salvo doesn’t land and has fairly tight hips which affects flexibility. Billed at 280 pounds during his college career, he lost 20+ pounds since the season in order to improve his draft stock. Scourton is an adequate power rusher with functional quickness and agility, but doesn’t have the freaky bend and acceleration NFL teams covet in a full-time Edge player.

The Vikings drafted Jones in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was deployed as a part-time defensive end and a special teamer throughout his rookie contract, being credited with just five starts over four years. Even in a limited role, Jones broke out last year with seven sacks. His contract, worth “up to” $20 million, signals that the Panthers will utilize him in a larger role going forward.

Jones teamed up with fellow NFL Draft class of 2021 teammates Rashad Weaver and Jaylen Twyman to comprise one of the most fearsome defensive lines in the country the past two years. The Chesapeake, VA product enrolled at Pitt as a three-star recruit, playing sparingly until the 2018 Sun Bowl against Stanford when he posted five tackles, two tackles for losses, one sack, and a forced fumble. He established himself as an accomplished pass rusher, recording 62 pressures and 8.5 sacks on the way to second-team All-ACC status. His long, sleek frame is well suited to the mechanics of the edge position, and Jones has a few arrows in his quiver when it comes to pass rushing moves. Though very productive in college, he had a dreadful 1-for-9 win rate in Senior Bowl 1-on-1 drills, getting exposed against high level competition during the week long session. He ran a respectable 4.8 40-yard dash with a strong 1.58 second 10-yard split that ranks in the top 98 percentile of defensive ends and his overall RAS of 6.33 was a commendable mark. Jones projects as a 4-3 defensive end where he can be let loose to get after the passer in a manner similar to Mathias Kiwanuka.