From UCLA, DeShaun Foster was a 2^nd Round Pick in 2002, and while he never had a 1,000 Rushing Yard season he did have three straight 850 Yard campaigns (2005-07), and in the five years he played for the Panthers he had 3,570 Rushing Yards and another 1,129 from the air.  Foster would have a 33 Yard Rushing Touchdown in Carolina’s Super Bowl XXXVIII loss to the New England Patriots.

A 3^rd Round Pick from the University of Georgia where as a rookie he would take over as the starting Middle Linebacker as a rookie (2002).  Witherspoon would remain at that position for the Panthers for the next three seasons and would record 8.0 Quarterback Sacks with 354 Combined Tackles, and he was part of the stellar 2003 Defense that was ranked second in the NFL.

Already a Super Bowl Champion with the Baltimore Ravens, Jeff Mitchell would play five seasons with the Panthers where he started all 78 games he played at Center.  Mitchell was the anchor of a Carolina O-Line that in 2003 only allowed 23 Sacks and rush for over 2,000 Yards, and his presence was undoubtedly critical to that group.

Andrew Norwell went undrafted in the 2014 Season, but the product of Ohio State would sign with the Panthers where he landed the starting Left Guard job as a rookie.  He played four seasons for Carolina, with his best year being his last in 2017.  Although he was never chosen for the Pro Bowl, he was named a First Team All-Pro.  He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars the following season.

Brentson Buckner played his last five seasons of his 11 years in the National Football League with the Carolina Panthers where he started at Left Defensive Tackle.  Buckner recorded 14.5 Quarterback Sacks with 168 Tackles with 25 Tackles for Loss.  His most productive time in the NFL was as a Panther.

An All-American and Butkus Award winner in 2000, Dan Morgan was drafted 11^th Overall where the former Miami Hurricane would play 58 games in a career covered in injuries.  Morgan started all of his games, but the Middle Linebacker never competed in more than 13 games in a season and was only in 4 Games in his last two seasons (2006 & 2007).  He was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2004.

Thomas Davis was drafted as a Safety in 2005, but the former First Rounder was also learning the role of Linebacker, which would be the position that he would stick within the NFL.  Davis would become a good Linebacker but missed the entire 2010 season due to injury and saw limited action in 2011. The Panthers never game upon him, and in his early 30s, Davis would put together three straight Pro Bowl seasons (2015-17) the first of which where he was named a First Team All-Pro.  Davis remained with the team until he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a Free Agent after the 2018 campaign but not before he racked up 1,111 Combined Tackles and 28.0 Quarterback Sacks.

Frank Garcia was a Fourth Rounder from Washington and the Offensive Lineman would play for the Panthers for the first six seasons of his career.  Garcia was versatile as he would play Center, Left Guard and Right Guard over his Carolina stint where he played 91 games and started 84 of them.  His work in the trenches was a factor in the team reach the NFC Finals in their second year of existence.

Lamar Lathon played for the Houston Oilers for the first five seasons of his career and signed with the Panthers for their inaugural season.  The Linebacker would have the best year of his career in 1996 where he was a Pro Bowl and a Second Team All-Pro and helped the upstart Panthers reach the 1996 NFC Conference Final.  Overall, Lathon would record 23.5 Sacks for the franchise.

A 3^rd Round Pick in 2004 from South Carolina, Travelle Wharton would start 111 of his 115 games for the Carolina Panthers, the only team he would play for in the National Football League, although he was a Cincinnati Bengal for one season however due to injury could not compete.  Wharton was never a Pro Bowl Selection, but there were a couple of seasons (2005 & 2011) where he was likely in the discussion.

Ryan Kalil would play the first twelve of his thirteen-year career with the Carolina Panthers where he started 145 of 148 Games.  Kalil played almost entirely at Center, and the five-time Pro Bowl Selection was a significant reason for the Panthers' rushing successful rushing attack.  Kalil was also a First Team All-Pro in both 2013 and 2015.

Luke Kuechly was the team's starting Middle Linebacker since he was drafted ninth overall from Boston College and he would be named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Kuechly immediately was the leader of the Panthers' defense, and in 2013 (his second year in the NFL) he was a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the first time, and he was named the Defensive Player of the Year.  Kuechly remained a dominant star for Carolina, and he has been a First Team All-Pro five of his last seven seasons.  Over the 2010s, Kuechly staked a claim as the game's top interior Linebacker, driving Offensive Coordinators crazy as Kurchly gobbled up attackers at will.  A two-time leader in Tackles, Kuchley never had a year where he had less than 100 Tackles per Season, and he sucked up 18 Interceptions over his career.

Kuechly retired after the 2019 Season, and it was arguably early, as he was still under 30, a Pro Bowl Selection and the seventh in a row.  It will be a long time before Kuechly is supplanted as the best defensive player in Panthers history, and it is even more impressive considering the relative brevity of his career.

Geoff Hangartner was drafted in the 5^th Round from Texas A&M in 2005, and he would play in various places on the O-Line for four seasons before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 2009.  The Panthers would sign him again where he would stabilize the Right Guard position for two seasons before being released after the third when he became injury prone.  Overall, he played 90 Games for Carolina.

There should be no question that Steve Smith is the greatest Wide Receiver in Carolina Panther history, and as of this writing is the best Panther period.

Julius Peppers was meant to be in a Carolina Panthers uniform.  Born in North Carolina and playing for UNC it was fitting that the 2001 Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi Award winner would be drafted by Carolina, which they did with the 2^nd overall pick.  The Defensive End would be named the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he would build on that with five Pro Bowl selections as a Panther (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 & 2009) and a pair of First Team All-Pro Selections (2004 & 2006).  Peppers would become the Defensive Captain in 2007, which he would follow up with a career-high 14.5 Quarterback Sacks in 2008.  He would have seven double-digit seasons in Sacks, and in 2004 he would lead the NFL in Tackles for Loss.  He would sign with the Chicago Bears and played there for four years and then another three with the Green Bay Packers.

In terms of overall talent, Cam Newton arguably was at the top of this list before he ever threw a ball on the professional level.  Newton was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2010 at Auburn where he turned every head with his freakish physical abilities and as a rookie, he was the AP Rookie of the Year going to the Pro Bowl and throwing for over 4,000 yards and rushing for 706 and 14 Touchdowns.  This was typical of what he would do for the Panthers throughout his career as a true dual-threat Quarterback who is built like a Linebacker.  Newton has rushed for over 50 Touchdowns, which is more than many Pro Bowl level Running Backs. 

Behind the depth chart to Brent Jones, Wesley Walls did not see a lot of action with the San Francisco 49ers, although he did win a Super Bowl with them (XXIV) and caught a pass in the big game.  Walls was injured through 1992 and 1993, and he would sign with the New Orleans Saints as a Free Agent, where he played well for two seasons, but it was with their division rival, the Carolina Panthers, where he would see his greatest success.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #70, 2022 Pre-Season Ranlk #64, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #62, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #65

Punters face a long road to Canton but if any current one could get there it is Hekker, who was a First Team All-Pro three years in a row from 2015 to 2017.  He was also named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #89, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #87, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #89, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #85. Peak Period:  2015-19.

More of a Swiss-Army Knife type of a player than a pure pass rusher, Clowney went to three straight Pro Bowls (2016-18) with the Houston Texans, though he has not been to one since.

Clowney has been more of a role player, bouncing from various teams but still providing value.  The Hall of Fame dream is likely over, but it is a solid career that still should provide more moments this year as a Carolina Panther.  A ten-sack season (he had 9.5 twice, including last year) is still within reach.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #97, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #96, 2021 Pre-Season #102 Rank, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #150.  Peak Period: 2012-16

Five years ago, we said this: “Dalton has played his entire career with the Bengals and is still capable of a monster year that could catapult him up this list”  

Four years ago, we said this:  So much for that.  Dalton lost his starting QB job last year (though many pointed out the woes of Cincinnati were not his fault.  His stat padding days might be over as he is now Dak Prescott’s backup, but there was a time when he was a really good Quarterback, and could wind up starting somewhere again.”

As it turned out, Dalton did get starts in Dallas when Prescott got injured, and was decent, though not spectacular.  After that, he was back up in Chicago, where he saw some playing time, and he entered 2022 in the same situation in New Orleans.  Dalton is now a backup in Carolina, who could see some starts depending on how things go. No matter how it ends for Dalton, he is a three-time Pro Bowl Quarterback, and that is impressive.