As one of the newest franchises in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers don't have the expansive draft history like the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers. However, in the 25 years of the team's history, the Panthers have had their fair share of great picks.
Obviously, there have been a lot of misses as well but that's true about any team and for a team as young as the Panthers, there have been a lot of great picks.
10. DeAngelo Williams
It's tempting to go with Jonathan Stewart here, as he is the team's all-time leading rusher, but Williams is a close second on that list.
Williams — the 27th pick in the 2006 draft — played nine seasons with Carolina racking up 8,467 all-purpose yards and 53 total touchdowns. In 2008, Williams also led the NFL 18 rushing touchdowns to go along with 1,515 rushing yards.
9. Muhsin Muhammad
One of the best receivers in franchise history, Muhammad was drafted in the second round of the 1996 draft with the 43rd overall pick. The Michigan State product broke out in his third season with Carolina and had three 1,000-yard seasons during his career including a dominant 2004 campaign where he caught 93 passes for a league-high 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns.
8. Thomas Davis
Davis commanded the Carolina front seven for 13 seasons and was named to three Pro Bowls during his career. The 14th overall pick in 2005 out of the University of Georgia, Davis recorded at least 100 tackles in every season between 2012 and 2016.
Davis was named an All-Pro in 2015 after recording 105 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, seven passes defended, 5.5 sacks, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
The Panthers star running back will likely be way higher on this list when it's all said and done but considering he has only played three seasons, being on this list is impressive in itself.
Carolina selected McCaffrey eighth overall out of Stanford in 2017 and the 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back has quickly developed into arguably the NFL's most versatile weapon.
This past season, McCaffrey became just the third player in league history to record over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.
6. Jordan Gross
Drafting an offensive lineman is never an exciting pick but the Panthers got a good one in 2008 when they drafted left tackle Jordan Gross with the eighth overall pick.
Gross manned the left tackle position for over a decade in Carolina and made three Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team throughout his career.
5. Ryan Kalil
Again, offensive linemen are not always the “sexy” pick but they are certainly necessary. Carolina actually traded back in the 2007 draft and as a result, were able to pick Kalil with the 59th overall pick in the second round.
Kalil spent 12 seasons as the Panthers' starting center. During that time, Kalil was named a Pro Bowler five times and a two-time All-Pro.
4. Julius Peppers
The only thing that's preventing Peppers from being number one on this list is that many of his best seasons were as a member of the Chicago Bears after he left Carolina. Still, Peppers, the second overall pick in 2002, gave the Panthers 10 incredible seasons.
In his 10 seasons with the Panthers, the 6-foot-7, 295-pound defensive end made five Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams and racked up 447 totals tackles and 97 sacks.
3. Luke Kuechly
If injuries hadn't forced Kuechly to retire after just eight seasons, there's a good chance that the former No. 8 overall pick (2012) would be considered one of the best linebackers of all time.
Still, Kuechly was a superstar for Carolina from day one and was the best middle linebacker in the league year in and year out.
Despite struggling with injuries, Kuechly recorded at least 105 tackles in every season and surpassed 150 three times. Kuechly was named to the Pro Bowl all but once and was named an All-Pro in five of his eight seasons.
2. Cam Newton
Depending on who you ask, number two is probably too high or too low for Newton on this list.
After winning the National Championship and Heisman TTrophy at Auburn, Carolina selected the 6-foot-5, 245-pound quarterback out of Auburn with the first overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Newton was immediately a star for the Panthers and broke several rookie records in 2011. Newton continued to improve and in 2015, hit his peak.
That year, the Panthers would go 15-1 before eventually falling to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Newton was named league-MVP that year after completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for another 636 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Injuries may have derailed Newton's career in the last two seasons and the former No. 1 overall pick may have been recently released from the team but no player in Panthers history has had as good of a season as Newton in 2015 and that deserves respect.
1. Steve Smith
Steve Smith IS the Carolina Panthers. A 5-foot-9, 195-pound frame forced Smith to fall all the way to the third round (74th overall) of the 2001 draft and Smith would go on to make all other teams regret passing on him.
The Panthers all-time leading receiver by a pretty large margin, Smith recorded eight 1,000-yard seasons during his 13 seasons with Carolina and led the NFL with 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2005
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