The Panthers are bringing in the son of one of the top receivers in franchise history.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that they have agreed to sign Muhsin “Moose” Muhammad III as an undrafted free agent. His father is second in Panthers history in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns after playing 11 years for the team in the 1990s and 2000s.
The younger Muhammad also plays wideout and spent his college time at Texas A&M. He had 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Panthers drafted Tetairoa McMillan in the first round of the draft and Jimmy Horn Jr. in the sixth round. Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and David Moore are also in the receiver room in Carolina.
Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan said earlier this month that the team was taking its time before making a decision about exercising their fifth-year option on left tackle Ickey Ekwonu’s contract and they’ve now come to a conclusion.
Morgan told reporters at a Saturday press conference that the team will be picking up the option. Ekwonu, who was the sixth overall pick of the 2022 draft, is now guaranteed a salary of $17.56 million.
Ekwonu has started 49 games since entering the NFL and the team will now decide if they want to hammer out a longer term deal with the tackle.
Morgan’s comments came after the Panthers made their eighth and final selection in this year’s draft. They did not select any offensive linemen.
The Panthers had pre-draft talks with other teams about trading edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, David Newton of ESPN reports.
It is unclear where those talks stand now that the draft is into the third day, but it does cast uncertainty about Clowney’s future in Carolina. The Panthers have added edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen since the draft started.
General Manager Dan Morgan twice was asked about whether Clowney is part of the team’s plans for 2025, and he was noncommittal.
“We’re still working through the roster,” Morgan said, via Newton. “We’re still talking through things. Obviously, we’re focused on the draft right now and what’s in front of us.”
Clowney, 32, is in the final year of a two-year, $20 million deal he signed with Carolina a year ago. He is set to count $13.775 million against the salary cap after having 5.5 sacks last season.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2014 has never had more than 9.5 sacks in a season and has only 58 in his 11-year career.
The Cowboys didn’t have a fourth-round pick in 2024 after trading for Trey Lance, and they missed out on adding a running back in the round. They don’t have a fourth-round pick today, having traded it to the Panthers for Jonathan Mingo.
The Panthers used the choice on a running back, selecting Georgia’s Trevor Etienne.
The 114th overall pick is the brother of Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, a first-round pick in 2021.
Trevor Etienne joins a running backs room that includes starter Chuba Hubbard and ex-Cowboy Rico Dowdle, who signed in free agency. Jonathon Brooks is expected to miss the season after tearing his ACL again.
Etienne played two seasons at Florida before transferring to Georgia, where he rushed for 609 yards and nine touchdowns on 122 carries in 10 games. He also caught 32 passes for 194 yards.
Etienne had only 371 carries in college.
For the second time during Day 2 of this year’s draft, the Panthers have traded up to select an edge rusher.
Carolina has been wheeling and dealing, this time sending No. 85 and No. 126 to New England in exchange for No. 77.
With that pick, the Panthers have selected Princely Umanmielen out of Ole Miss.
Umanmielen, 23, played his first four collegiate seasons at Florida before transferring to Ole Miss for 2024. After recording 7.0 sacks for Florida in 2023, he led Old Miss with 10.5 sacks in 2024. He missed a pair of games with an ankle injury.
In all, Umanmielen recorded 25.5 sacks in his 56 college games.
He’ll stay in the South as he heads to Charlotte.
