Carolina Panthers select Nic Scourton in second round of 2025 NFL Draft

Texas A&M defensive lineman Nic Scourton has been selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was taken with the No. 51 overall pick in the draft. The Panthers traded with the Denver Broncos to acquire the pick.

Scourton headed to the NFL Draft after spending three seasons in college. His first two years were spent at Purdue, followed by a final year at Texas A&M.

He was highly productive at both stops, though his best work came in 2023 at Purdue, his sophomore season. During that campaign he tallied 50 tackles, 15.0 tackles for a loss, 10.0 sacks, a forced fumble and three passes defended. Each of those statistics was a career high for him.

In total across three seasons, Nic Scourton logged 109 tackles, 31.0 tackles for a loss, 17.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and five passes defended. He had a sizeable impact in the front seven defensively.

Those skills and the ability to rush the passer will be highly coveted at the NFL level. Thus his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Prior to enrolling at Purdue, Nic Scourton was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 291 overall player in the country in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 35 defensive lineman in the class and the No. 46 overall player from the state of Texas, hailing from Bryan (TX) Bryan.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Nic Scourton

Though Shemar Stewart often stole the headlines on the Texas A&M defense, it was Nic Scourton who quietly hogged most of the production. He knew how to convert his athleticism into production.

There are some questions about his ability to play the run, but he’s widely considered a plug-and-play type off the edge. The NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein wrote the following in evaluating Scourton as a prospect:

“Physical edge presence with the potential for creating havoc on all three downs. Scourton can power across the blocker’s face and into gaps but is an average “set-and-contain” run defender. He plays with adequate hustle and range in pursuit and hits runners with heavy pads.

“He’s an eclectic rusher with a mature rush plan and rarely shows opponents the same look on consecutive plays. He won’t outrace or bulldoze tackles, but he utilizes tempo alterations and a bag full of moves and counters. Teams threw chips and double-teams his way out of concern and respect. Scourton’s size, demeanor and rush talent give him a chance to become a productive three-down starter off the edge.”