100 NFL Mock Draft Sims Paint Clearer Picture of Who Panthers Could Draft

There's a whole lot we don't know about the Carolina Panthers' draft plans. We know the positions of need, but we don't even know how the Panthers feel internally about it.

For example, we know tight end is a weak spot, but do the Panthers feel that way? Do they think the three-headed monster they have is passable enough to ignore the position?

We also don't know who's going to be available when they pick. It was a lot easier to speculate about the eighth pick last year because the vast majority of prospects were going to be available.

Speculating about the 19th pick is harder because more than half the first-round prospects will be gone. There's really no telling who will even be available at 19, let alone who the Panthers like.

Another thing we can't know is how the team values prospects. Do they, like The Athletic, view Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman as a first-round prospect or not?

In an effort to get a clearer picture of one of the hardest things to predict, we ran 100 mock draft simulations to see not only who the Panthers would pick but who would even be available. Here are the results.

100 mock draft simulations later, the Panthers have some clear targets

Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Peter Woods (11) celebrates after sacking Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mock draft simulations mean very little, but they can at least give a glimpse into who might be available when the Panthers pick. Running 100 of them helps create a bigger, more accurate data field.

The results

Mock draft data — All Panthers' draft choices | Zachary Roberts

There are some standouts, but it's important to note the random stragglers. If these players fell to 19, the Panthers would do a backflip on the way to handing in the card.

Those include safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, and Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell. If Downs or Tyson somehow fell, which improbably happened once each, the Panthers would be ecstatic.

The possibilities

The Panthers could draft any number of players, but some just weren't on the board as often. They only landed CJ Allen, for example, four times. Dillon Thieneman became a Panthers five times.

Sonny Styles was available three times, as was Spencer Fano. Mansoor Delane was on the board four times, and Cashius Howell was the pick four times. Carnell Tate somehow fell to 19 twice.

Put simply, based on the data, these selections are possible but not likely.

The top candidates

iami Hurricanes defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor (3) against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There are six others that routinely showed up, all of whom landed with the Panthers eight times or more. Keldric Faulk showed up the least (eight times), but he's still a popular target for the Panthers.

10 times, Akheem Mesidor was the selection. Fittingly, he feels like a much more likely selection than Faulk, and much of that comes down to availability at 19.

11 times, wide receiver Makai Lemon fell to the Panthers. They don't need a first-round wide receiver, but when this talented of a player falls and other defenders would be a reach, it's a smart pick.

Also 11 times, the Panthers landed T.J. Parker. Among edge rushers, he certainly feels like the most likely option with the 19th pick.

14 times, the Panthers ended up with Peter Woods. They really don't need to take an IDL over an edge or linebacker, but plenty of mock drafts view this as their selection, and it happened quite often in our simulations.

But the most prominent name here, which could be the most likely pick for Carolina, was Kenyon Sadiq. Tight end is a big hole and has been for years, and for once, there's a legitimate first-round option in range of the Panthers who was routinely available (18 times) to be picked.

What does this mean? Probably not much, but it does give us a pretty good idea of who might be available. This is a lot of names, but it's highly likely that one of the more common names on this list is the Panthers' eventual selection.

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