ESPN insider reveals two names the Panthers strongly considered over Tetairoa McMillan

The Carolina Panthers picked Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall in the 2025 NFL draft. This was a place many expected to see Jalon Walker's name called, but that didn't happen. Of course, the Panthers, according to ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler, were always a bit of a "moving target" with their draft choice.

It looked like it was going to be McMillan or Walker, but that there was a much greater chance of the Panthers taking Walker. They passed on him and ignored at least one legitimate offer to trade down (San Francisco). If they hadn't taken him, who would they have taken? Fowler has an idea.

"The Panthers were linked to Georgia's Jalon Walker for a while, and I do believe the love for him was real. In the end, though, taking a smaller front-seven player (6-foot-1, 243 pounds) was an issue," Fowler said. He went on to name two players who might've been the pick, "Some in the building were intrigued with Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. And I believe that if Mizzou right tackle Armand Membou was there, the Panthers would have thought long and hard about it."

Had they had the opportunity to take Membou, they really might have. He went one pick earlier, but contract issues with both tackles and a lack of long-term answers on either side could've made for an interesting decision.

The other option was Walter Nolen, the defensive tackle who went 16th to the Arizona Cardinals. There were a lot of questions about him early, and the Panthers had some interest. Ultimately, they liked McMillan more than anyone else and weren't willing to waver on that.