Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; National team kicker Ryan Fitzgerald of Florida State (14) practices during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Analyst claims Panthers have top-10 NFL UDFA class

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 8, 2025 11:33 AM ET

The Carolina Panthers used their eight draft picks to general excellence, filling needs, revamping units, getting good value, and improving the roster greatly. But it didn't end there. As Jalen Coker proved in 2024, undrafted free agents can be game-changers, and the Panthers signed a lot.

According to one insider, the team did better than most in this department. After acing the draft, at least in the eyes of some prominent analysts, the Panthers have also aced the UDFA portion. According to Fantasy Life's Thor Nystrom, Carolina has the seventh-best UDFA class in the NFL.

Three players in particular stood out to Nystrom: guard Luke Kandra, kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, and IDL Jared Harrison-Hunte. "Luke Kandra, a multi-year standout starter in the Big 12, had the size, strength, and athletic profile of a Day 3 interior offensive lineman," Nystrom said of the guard. "But Kandra has stiff hips—making it difficult to consistently win the leverage game—and has feet that can get stuck in the mud on sudden direction changes. It’s possible that he’s a Quadruple-A player, but it’s also possible that Kandra will wind up being a valued depth piece."

Nystrom said that Harrison-Hunte is both raw and old at 25 for a rookie, but he only made the transition to football from basketball in his junior year, so that can be forgiven some. When he did get on the field, he was "mostly a rotational player for five years at Miami," but he posted a really strong TFL/snap rate. Last year as a full-time starter at SMU, he recorded 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, so there's potentially a good player in there.

As for Fitzgerald, Nystrom said, "Ryan Fitzgerald was probably a little chapped that two kickers were picked in the draft and he wasn’t one of them—but he couldn’t have asked for a better landing spot than this." Eddy Pineiro did not get re-signed by the Panthers. Matthew Wright, who was described as "perennial camp leg," is not much competition, either.

Safety Jack Henderson, tackle Michael Tarquin, and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott are other standouts who could be players to watch during training camp. Moose Muhammad III, the son of Muhsin Muhammad, a Panthers standout, also got signed.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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