The Carolina Panthers are in the middle of their annual organized team activities (OTAs) and workouts in uptown Charlotte. And while the bulk of the focus will be on the team’s newly arrived free agents and draft picks, some of the under-the-radar contributors will hope to emerge ahead of training camp in July.
The Panthers signed 19 undrafted rookies following April’s NFL Draft. This year’s undrafted group — which has already lost Moose Muhammad III due to injury — will probably have a tougher time making the initial 53-man roster than Andrew Raym, Demani Richardson and Jalen Coker did last year. But with the need for improved depth and competition, the new recruits can’t be completely overlooked heading into the summer months.
Here is a breakdown of the undrafted offensive rookies taking part in the Panthers’ OTAs:
QB Ethan Garbers
Background: Following a one-year stint at Washington, Garbers — the younger brother of former Las Vegas Raiders QB Chad Garbers — transferred to UCLA in 2021. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound signal-caller threw for 4,462 yards, 31 touchdowns and 18 interceptions during his four-year career with the Bruins. He had a 9-9 record as a starter.
How he can earn a job: Garbers got off to a nice start in Carolina as the only QB in rookie minicamp. While he carried a heavy workload, Garbers was accurate and on time to his new targets during the two-day camp. He will need to keep that momentum going to unseat incumbent No. 3 QB Jack Plummer this summer.
Bryce Young and Andy Dalton are firmly entrenched at the top of the QB depth chart. The Panthers only kept two healthy QBs on the 53-man roster last year. Plummer and Garbers need to push the Panthers to keep three QBs on the main roster. At worst, one needs to show they belong as a developmental asset on the practice squad. While Plummer has the experience in the system, Garbers’ game is closer to Young’s skill set.
RB Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams
Background: Lynch-Adams is the oldest member of the Panthers’ undrafted class at age 25. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound running back was Raheem Blackshear’s teammate at Rutgers in 2019. Blackshear — by the way — is in his fourth NFL offseason. Lynch Adams bounced from Rutgers to UMass to Michigan State from 2019 to 2024. He produced 2,537 rushing yards, 373 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns during his college career.
How he can earn a job: Lynch-Adams is really going to need stick out on special teams to stick around. Barring injury, the Panthers will keep Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne at the top of their depth chart. In order to keep a fourth running back, Lynch-Adams, Blackshear and Emani Bailey will need to show upside as special teams contributors. If that doesn’t happen, those three are competing for practice-squad jobs at best.
WR Jacolby George
Background: As a four-year playmaker at Miami, George produced 130 catches for 1,929 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Hurricanes. While his career catch and yardage numbers aren’t particularly compelling, he scored 16 receiving touchdowns during his final two years with the program. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound receiver also handled punt return duties, on and off, during his college career.
How he can earn a job: George will have some stiff competition this offseason. The team selected Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr. in the draft, and David Moore, Dan Chisena and Hunter Renfrow form a trio of veteran wideouts worth monitoring at the bottom of the depth chart. Still, the team seems high enough on George that he shouldn’t be overlooked. His special teams prowess, perhaps most notably as a returner, will be his ticket to make the squad.
WR Kobe Hudson
Background: The 6-foot, 193-pound wideout split his college career between Auburn and Central Florida. After putting up somewhat pedestrian numbers for the Tigers over a two-year stretch, Hudson transferred to UCF and evolved during his time in Orlando. In his three years with the Knights, Hudson collected 130 catches for 1,311 yards and 19 touchdowns.
How he can earn a job: Like George, Hudson won’t be able to ease his way onto the roster. With McMillan, Horn, Coker, Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen likely locked into the top five spots at the position, Hudson will need to outduel the likes of George, Moore, Chisena and Renfrow, among others, to earn a job. Hudson is probably more of a long-term development option, but maybe he can surprise the way Coker did last year.
TE Bryce Pierre
Background: Pierre spent three seasons on the field during his college career. After playing two years at Arizona State, Pierre transferred to UCLA for a one-year stint. Pierre caught passes from Garbers, a fellow Panthers rookie, during his lone campaign with the Bruins. He finished his college career with 28 catches for 233 yards.
How he can earn a job: Pierre, like the undrafted wideouts, is facing a tough task. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end has really good size for the position, but he clearly doesn’t have the college stats that make one jump for joy. The Panthers drafted Mitchell Evans in the fifth round and just paid Tommy Tremble to work with second-year playmaker Ja’Tavion Sanders. So, Pierre will need to force the Panthers to keep a fourth tight end on the depth chart. That probably isn’t going to happen, so Pierre will need to earn a practice-squad job this summer.
G Luke Kandra
Background: Kandra split his four-year college career evenly with stints at Louisville and Cincinnati. He appears in 38 career games as an interior lineman. The 6-foot-4, 319-pound lineman was a favorite of the draft analyst community.
How he can earn a job: The Panthers didn’t select an offensive lineman in this year’s draft. Instead, they brought in three undrafted rookie linemen — including Kandra — to force some deep-depth competition. Kandra will look to push the likes of Chandler Zavala, Jarrett Kingston and Steven Losoya, a fellow undrafted rookie, for an interior line spot behind Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt.
G Steven Losoya
Background: The 6-foot-3, 324-pound lineman played for three different programs during his college career. He spent three years at Middle Tennessee State before transferring to Mississippi State. After two years at Mississippi State, he spent his final college season at Vanderbilt. Overall, he played in an eye-popping 61 games.
How he can earn a job: As an older lineman, Losoya should have a strong football IQ. He will need to show versatility to earn a 53-man roster spot. Like Kandra, his main competition is Zavala and Kingston.
OT Michael Tarquin
Background: Like his fellow undrafted linemen, Tarquin bounced around a bit at the college level. After spending his first four years with the Florida Gators, Tarquin transferred to Southern California in 2023 and then Oklahoma in 2024. He has played for three notable programs and gained 59 games of experience over the span of six college seasons.
How he can earn a job: The Panthers are somewhat lacking in long-term offensive tackle depth. Tarquin could be the solution to that problem. With Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen and Yosh Nijman all set to become free agents in 2026, Tarquin has a prime opportunity to steal a spot with his youthful (read: cheap) outlook. He will probably need to beat out Nijman — who took a pay cut earlier this offseason — to earn a gig on the 53-man roster as a rookie.
Coming Thursday: The Observer will break down the undrafted defensive and special teams groups on Thursday.
The Charlotte Observer
Mike Kaye covers the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. He is a graduate of the University of North Florida.