How the Panthers Can Land A Star Edge Rusher Without Using the 19th Pick

You can never have too many edge rushers. At least, that's how Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan, as well as others across the NFL, feels about it. This implies that, despite signing Jaelan Phillips, another edge will join the roster in the draft.

It is unlikely that the Panthers will spend the 19th pick on one since they signed Phillips, but they could invest early on. That means they won't get one of the top prospects at the position, though, right?

What if they could land one of the best edge rushers in the class without spending that first-round pick? There's a way to accomplish that with one prospect the Panthers already met with.

Panthers must draft Keyron Crawford at some point

Marcel Reed (10) looks for an open receiver as Auburn Tigers defensive end Keyron Crawford (24) applies defensive pressure | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Panthers spent a top-30 visit on Keyron Crawford, edge rusher out of Auburn. Keldric Faulk gets all the attention, but in some ways, Crawford may be a better prospect off the edge.

Career pressure rate and last season pressure rate for edge rushers in college tend to paint a clear picture of who will and won't be elite at the next level. With that in mind, one X user charted the 2026 prospects.

Checks out https://t.co/ukvDZJN1cQ pic.twitter.com/NQZeUHXaVn
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) April 14, 2026

Obviously, the Panthers are not getting David Bailey. But they might not need to. Look in the middle of the chart and you'll see near the top of that cluster is Keyron Crawford. Based on this, he's a better prospect than Rueben Bain, T.J. Parker, and Akheem Mesidor, but Crawford likely won't cost a first-round pick.

Here's where Crawford ranks on big boards:

Tankathon: 99
ESPN: 74
PFF: 92
CBS Sports: 54
Bleacher Report: 208
The Athletic: 54
FOX Sports: 64

There's a lot of variety, but it certainly looks like he could be a late second-round or early third-round pick. Carolina could either trade up from 83 or down from 51. They may also be able to get him outright at 83.

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) is tackled by Auburn Tigers buck Keyron Crawford ( | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Regardless, this would be incredible value if the chart above rings true. If Crawford does have success at the next level, he'd give the Panthers an elite edge room with young talent: Jaelan Phillips, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, and Crawford.

This would likely be a repeat of last year, where the Panthers took an elite pass-catcher in round one and still landed a solid edge after that. Doing it twice in a row would bolster the offense and defense, making it a very smart option.

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