CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Had the NFL world known about Bryce Young’s pre-draft throwing session with Tetairoa McMillan last year, it’s reasonable to suggest the Arizona receiver would have been a more popular pick for the Carolina Panthers in mock drafts.

But the two kept the workout quiet until draft night, when McMillan disclosed it after the Panthers took him with the eighth pick. Young and McMillan returned to Golden West College in California this offseason and were joined by several other Panthers receivers and at least one tight end.

Several private coaches — including those for Young and McMillan — have their training sessions at the two-year school in Huntington Beach. So it seemed worthwhile to ask Young during a Zoom on Tuesday morning if he connected with any college receivers again this year.

“Not really as much this year with the receivers (in the draft). There are guys out there,” he said. “But for me it was great to be able to get our guys out there. I’m super confident in this receiver group, tight end group, running back group, all the weapons that we have.”

So while Young was of little help in tipping the pick at 19, general manager Dan Morgan, coach Dave Canales and the team’s scouting staff have worked through all the scenarios that could unfold ahead of the Panthers’ selection about two-thirds of the way through Thursday’s first round.

The Athletic takes a shot at making sense of some of those scenarios, as well.

The great Oregon debate

A pair of Oregon teammates — safety Dillon Thieneman and tight end Kenyon Sadiq — have been increasingly linked to the Panthers in mock drafts. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Thieneman going to Carolina in his seven-round, 257-player behemoth that dropped last week.

Many experts aren’t sure Thieneman, a ball hawk who blazed to a 4.35-second 40 at the combine, will make it past 18, where the Minnesota Vikings could be looking for a Harrison Smith successor. Sadiq, a freakish athlete who nearly matched Thieneman with a 4.39-second 40, has gone in the top 15 of a couple of recent mocks by The Athletic, including the beat writers’ last iteration.

So there’s a chance neither is available when the Panthers are on the clock. But what if they both are? Some in the Panthers’ organization don’t think tight end is as big a need as some outsiders do, especially with how Canales has employed tight ends in his first two seasons in Charlotte. Could that change with Brad Idzik taking over the play calling and the addition of offensive specialist Darrell Bevell, who was in Seattle with Canales when the Seahawks traded for All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham? Possibly.

There’s also the question of whether the Panthers need another safety after signing Tre’von Moehrig and drafting Lathan Ransom (in the fourth round) last year. Thieneman would be more of a center-field patrolman if he winds up with Carolina, with Moehrig remaining in his hybrid role and Ransom again handling the big nickel duties.

After checking a lot of boxes in free agency, Morgan has said he’ll stick with a best-player-available approach, with an emphasis on finding playmakers. Deciding whether Thieneman or Sadiq is the better playmaker is a tough call, and might be one the Panthers ultimately don’t have to make.

So is it a Duck or bust for Morgan?

Not necessarily. As mentioned, there’s a decent chance both Thieneman and Sadiq are gone when the Panthers are on the clock. And if they are available, Morgan might have other players ranked higher on Carolina’s board.

As Morgan said during his pre-draft news conference last week, teams don’t always know “what guy’s gonna fall,” despite the months of prep work. An injury, an off-the-field situation or another extenuating circumstance could send a prospect tumbling down boards.

Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, who had ACL surgery in the fall, went 22nd in the beat writers’ mock, four spots lower than his positioning in Brugler’s mock. And the writers made their picks before the Monday night report by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that McCoy could need additional surgery to repair a bone plug in his knee.

Would Morgan really take another first-round receiver?

Don’t rule it out; Morgan hasn’t.

Morgan’s best sound bite during an otherwise uneventful pre-draft presser came when he was asked about the possibility of going with a wide receiver for the third consecutive year.

“We’re gonna take the best player. So if the best player we feel is (a receiver) at 19, I wouldn’t hesitate to draft another wideout,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a rule that says you can’t draft a wide receiver three years in a row. So, I’m not gonna box us in and say we’re not gonna draft one.”

Morgan is 1-for-2 when drafting receivers. After two seasons, you’d have to say Morgan missed on Xavier Legette, who’s struggled with drops and a lack of field awareness since the Panthers traded up one spot with Buffalo to take Legette with the final pick of the first round in 2024.

But Morgan made up for it last year with the choice of McMillan, with assists to Canales and Young, who lobbied for T-Mac after their throwing workout. While many (raising hand here) were calling for the Panthers to take Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker or another defensive player, Morgan was convicted on McMillan, who joined Cam Newton as the only Panther players to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Morgan also deserves credit for bringing in Jalen Coker, an undrafted free agent from Holy Cross who has leapfrogged Legette as WR2. But with Legette slow to develop, the WR room is a little lean behind those two. Specifically, the Panthers would like to add a speed receiver who could catch a bubble screen near the line of scrimmage and take it 60 yards.

The need for speed

The Panthers hosted several fleet wideouts on 30 visits: Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Oklahoma’s Deion Burks and Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II. Burks and Brazzell are not rated as Day 1 prospects.

Carolina also hosted Washington’s Denzel Boston, who is a bit of an outlier at 6 feet 4 and lacking top-end speed. The Panthers reportedly attended Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson’s private workout last week, although he and USC’s Makai Lemon are expected to be gone before the Panthers pick.

That would seem to leave Concepcion and Cooper as the players who fit the Panthers’ profile and also should be available at 19. Concepcion was my choice in the beat writers’ mock, with his experience as a ball carrier and return specialist giving him the edge over Cooper, who caught 13 touchdown passes during the Hoosiers’ national championship season — 12 from Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza.

Concepcion has struggled with drops but is a dynamic playmaker who grew up in Charlotte, if that means anything. It might: The Panthers on Tuesday agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Will Grier, a high school legend in the Charlotte area who was drafted by his hometown team in the third round in 2019.

Who are the wild cards?

Don’t sleep on Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling, who needs some seasoning but has the size (6-7, 318 pounds) and athleticism to become a longtime starter at tackle for the Panthers or some other team. Freeling was available at 19 in The Athletic’s writers’ mock, and I experienced some buyer’s remorse after not taking him, especially when the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to get Freeling at 20.

The Panthers protected themselves in free agency by signing Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal while Ikem Ekwonu recovers from patellar tendon surgery. And Canales said at the owners’ meetings he’s not a fan of drafting for depth. But with Ekwonu in a contract year and Taylor Moton entering his age-32 season, snagging a tackle — whether it’s Freeling or Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor — makes some sense.