Panthers NFL Draft: Ranking Carolina's worst draft picks over the past 10 years feat. Terrace Marshall Jr

The 1995 season marked the Carolina Panthers' NFL debut campaign; therefore their tenure in the league hasn't been particularly lengthy. That's not to argue that the group hasn't committed a proportionate amount of draft-day errors, some of which have hurt the team.

Some drafted players did not live up to the expected level of performance, or perhaps their career was wrecked by a complete lack of discernment.

Let's look at the Panthers' top five worst draft selections over the last ten years.

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Listing Panthers' worst draft picks in the last decade

5) OLB Yetur Gross-Matos - Second round pick (2020)

Yetur Gross-Matos was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft after playing collegiate football at Penn State. In general, the player found it difficult to mature into a competent pass rusher. Gross-Matos was essentially utilized in supporting roles during his final two years at Carolina.

Gross-Matos played in 55 games for the Panthers over the course of four years, totaling 142 tackles, 13.0 sacks, and four fumble recoveries.

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4) WR Terrace Marshall Jr. - Second round pick (2021)

The Carolina Panthers selected Terrace Marshall in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft with the intention of using him as a physical component of the passing game, but after three seasons with the club, he hasn't yet settled in.

Although, he has had to battle multiple injuries, the wide receiver has only shown promise when given the chance. Marshall's three years in the league have been mostly lackluster.

Marshall has caught 64 passes out of 110 targets for 767 receiving yards and one touchdown with the Panthers. Everything still hasn't come together for the wideout, and his request to look for a move away prior to the 2023 trade deadline only served to highlight his dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, he did not receive any offers that were worth considering.

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3) WR Kelvin Benjamin - First round pick (2014)

Kelvin Benjamin emerged as one of the top receivers available in the 2014 draft after assisting Florida State in defeating Auburn to win the 2014 BCS National Championship. Unfortunately, he never accomplished anything nearly as significant at the next level.

Benjamin had a good first season after the Panthers selected him with the 28th pick in the NFL draft, but his whole 2015 season was lost due to an ACL tear.

Benjamin led Carolina in touchdown receptions and amassed a solid 941 receiving yards following his return to fitness in 2016. However, he was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 2017. Benjamin was prone to injuries and was mainly ineffectual throughout the following two NFL seasons and decided to retire in 2019.

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2) DT Vernon Butler - First round pick (2016)

The Panthers selected Vernon Butler with the 30th overall selection of the 2016 NFL draft because he appeared to be a promising defensive tackle while playing collegiate football at Louisiana Tech.

Butler was unable to leave a lasting impression despite playing in 38 games over his first three years in the league. The organization declined to pick up his fifth-year option because of his considerably low production of 44 total tackles and two sacks.

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1) QB Will Grier - Third round pick (2019)

Will Grier, a quarterback from West Virginia, was coming off of a collegiate career in which he had thrown for more than 7,300 yards and 71 touchdowns over the previous two seasons when the Carolina Panthers selected him with a third-round pick in 2019.

Grier was selected with the intention of replacing Cam Newton as the team's quarterback, but his time in Carolina never materialized as planned.

Grier's rookie 2019 season saw him start in the final two games, completing 28 of his 52 passes for 228 yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions. He was cut in the summer of 2021 after losing to P.J. Walker for the backup quarterback position.