Panthers back to top of board … Carolina gave its fans a smidgen of hope when they took an early lead in Denver in one of today’s late games, but alas it was not to be as the Panthers weren’t all that competitive the rest of the way and ultimately dropped to 1-7 on the season with a 28-14 loss to the Broncos that really wasn’t as close as the score indicated. As a result, Carolina will be sitting on the #1 pick in this week’s updated selection order for the first round of the 2025 draft after New England won earlier today over the NY Jets. That moves Tennessee up into the #2 slot with New England slipping down to #3 and the Jets coming in at #4. At the same time, a quartet of teams will be in the mix for the 5-8 picks including Jacksonville, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Cleveland, but the exact order among them won’t be determined until after the Monday night game. In fact, the NY Giants, who are playing in Pittsburgh tomorrow night, could also be in the mix in that group if they lose to the Steelers.
