Carolina Panthers 2026 NFL Draft Primer: All Picks, Team Needs, Top Prospects & More

While free agency is up first, the Carolina Panthers are much more likely to do damage in the NFL draft. They have a bit of money to spend, but not a ton, and they just aren't poised to make splashy signings.

The real improvement for this team is going to come in late April when the draft rolls around. Here's everything you need to know about the draft for the Panthers.

Panthers' Draft Picks

The Carolina Panthers logo is projected on the video board during the NFL Draft | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Panthers have seven picks this year. They don't have a seventh-round pick, but they picked up an extra fifth-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings in the Adam Thielen trade. Here's what they're looking at now:

First round, 19th overall
Second round, 51st overall
Third round, 83rd overall
Fourth round, 119th overall
Fifth round, 157th overall
Fifth round, 161st overall
Sixth round, 198th overall

You can absolutely expect that those will not be the picks the Panthers make. The Panthers moved up and down the draft board plenty last year, and the same is likely to happen again as GM Dan Morgan tries to land prospects he likes and find the best value.

Team Needs

Despite making the playoffs and winning the division, the Panthers have a ton of team needs. Here they are, ranked from most important to least:

Edge rusher
Linebacker
Center
Tight end
Offensive tackle
Safety
Wide receiver
Cornerback

And to be totally honest about this team, the rest of the positions could probably use depth. Really, the only thing the Panthers shouldn't be drafting is a quarterback. They could also skip out on a running back and probably a guard, but depth up front is never a bad idea.

Top Prospects

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Max Johnson (14) looks to pass as Clemson Tigers defensive end T.J. Parker (3) pressures | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Given the plethora of team needs, the Panthers will have their eye on a ton of prospects. For edge rusher, they're probably looking at:

Akheem Mesidor
T.J. Parker
Cashius Howell
Zion Young

At linebacker:

Sonny Styles
CJ Allen
Anthony Hill Jr.
Kyle Louis
Jacob Rodriguez

Center:

Logan Jones
Brian Parker II

Tight end:

Kenyon Sadiq
Max Klare
Eli Stowers

Offensive tackle:

Gennings Dunker
Blake Miller
Isaiah World

Safety:

Dillon Thieneman
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Zakee Wheatley

Wide receiver:

Chris Brazzell II
Germie Bernard
Omar Cooper Jr.
Elijah Sarratt

Cornerback:

Avieon Terrell
Brandon Cisse
D'Angelo Ponds
Malik Muhammad

Predictions

The Panthers will take an edge rusher first. The Panthers need an edge rusher so badly. It is not as thin as linebacker, but the positional value makes it far and away the biggest need.

To find a true stud, they have to spend premium draft capital, so they're almost assuredly just going to take the best edge at 19.

The Panthers will draft a linebacker within the first three rounds. This is a very deep linebacker class, so the Panthers can afford to skip on CJ Hall or Sonny Styles in round one and still end up with a good player in the middle.

The Panthers won't draft a wide receiver. Carolina needs a WR3 behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, but they probably still somewhat believe in Xavier Legette. Either way, a mid-level veteran to fill that spot or improve the depth is far more likely than a draft pick.

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