TheCarolina Panthersselected wide receiverTetairoa McMillanwith the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, as the team revealed inan episode of "Panthers Blueprint,"they considered moving out of the selection and significantly down the board. Why? TheLos Angeles Ramswere interested in Carolina's selection at No. 8. "There were some trade discussions going on at the time,"Panthersgeneral manager Dan Morgan explained. "I was kinda hoping that the trade would fall through because I really wanted to take T-Mac." Despite Morgan's preference, the Panthers andRamsdiscussed the possibility of a trade before Thursday's draft started. Carolina had an idea of what it would take for them to move from the No. 8 pick to the No. 26 pick – as executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis detailed – and Morgan proposed that package to Los Angeles ahead of the event. The price Carolina outlined was deliberately high. "They would have had to give us the moon for us to trade out of that spot," Morgan said. NFL FREE AGENTS:Best fits for Keenan Allen, Aaron Rodgers, more Ultimately, the Rams declined the Panthers' offer. As such, Carolina kept the selection and chose McMillan to partner withXavier Legetteand giveBryce Younga pair of talented, young receivers. That left Morgan – who was "convicted" about McMillan and didn't want to lose him – happy. "I was kind of hoping that they would say no,"Morgan told the team's official website. "So when they said no at the end, I was fine with it. I was actually like, 'Sweet.'" Meanwhile, the Rams ended up trading down from the 26th pick and selected tight endTerrance Fergusonwith their first pick in the second round, No. 46 overall. It isn't clear who Los Angeles would have targeted had it moved up, but tight endColston Lovelandwent off the board to theChicago Bears10th overall. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Panthers discussed Rams trade before drafting WR Tetairoa McMillan
