The NFL Draft has gone from afterthought to a year-round obsession. In the first draft, in 1936, prospects’ names — often found via magazines, newspapers, college visits or coach recommendations since there were no scouting departments — were written on a blackboard in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia. It took until 1980 for the draft to be televised (by a then-fledgling network called ESPN) and until 1988 for it to catch on as the ratings boom it is today.
One of the biggest recent developments has been the inside look at teams’ “war rooms” before, during and after the draft as executives and coaches hash through their decisions. For the Carolina Panthers, that meant weighing a major trade in the 2025 Draft: The Los Angeles Rams put in a serious offer to move up from No. 26 to No. 8, and Carolina released the video footage of that interaction.
That’s Brandt Tilis, the Panthers’ executive vice president of football operations, working the phones with Los Angeles while president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan, coach Dave Canales and chairman David Tepper look on.
Ultimately, as the video shows, the Rams and Panthers couldn’t quite come to an agreement. Immediately thereafter, with time ticking down on the Panthers’ allotted time to pick, Carolina selected University of Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and the room broke into applause. The full video shows Morgan’s conversation with McMillan and much, much more.
In a perfect display of the fast pace and unpredictability of the draft, the Rams did end up dealing the No. 26 pick, though in a very different manner: Los Angeles sent the selection to the Falcons in a blockbuster deal that included a 2026 first-round pick heading to Los Angeles. Atlanta used the No. 26 pick to select edge rusher James Pearce Jr.
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