Jaguars, Giants Could Hold Key to Transforming Panthers Defense After NFL Draft

If the Panthers don't address an issue in the draft, they can find tangible upgrades by trade or released players.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead (91) against the Arizona Cardinals | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Long ago, NFL mock drafts started by projecting Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods to the Carolina Panthers. Those mocks have shifted to offense, primarily predicting a Kenyon Sadiq selection, which Dan Morgan seems uninterested in and we're not totally convinced of, either.

Regardless, Woods is not a no-brainer first-round prospect at this point. He's also probably not going to be picked by the Panthers. They addressed a ton of needs in free agency, but they still left plenty of work to be done in the draft.

That may or may not include an interior defender. Lee Hunter's been featured in mock drafts, and the team has met with Chris McClellan (Missouri) and Tyler Onyedim (Texas A&M).

But if they end up missing out or getting someone that isn't exactly an upgrade, two other teams may have solutions after the draft. By cut or trade, there could be a nice partner for Derrick Brown just waiting to be had.

Panthers could juice up defensive front with Arik Armstead or Dexter Lawrence

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) against the Philadelphia Eagles | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Not too long ago, Dexter Lawrence officially requested a trade. The Panthers were named a landing spot by a couple of analysts. Having him next to Derrick Brown on the interior would be, quite frankly, a dream come true for Ejiro Evero.

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton listed him as a plausible post-draft trade or cut candidate. A cut would be surprising, but the Giants may be in the market to draft an IDL to replace Lawrence, thereby making a trade more likely.

Moton said the Giants should be satisfied with a second-round pick. That's a fair price to pay to form what would be the best defensive interior in the NFL and a far cry from the porous unit the Panthers had just two seasons ago.

If that's too expensive, which it might be for a team that really prioritizes having draft capital (and can you blame this front office after the package they had to watch go out the door in the Bryce Young deal?), then another veteran IDL is an option.

The Jacksonville Jaguars could be moving on from Arik Armstead, too. He's in the final year of a non-guaranteed contract and wants to rectify that. At his age, an extension's unlikely, and he doesn't have much trade value.

Again, look for the Jags to draft a replacement. If and when they do, Armstead becomes an extremely probable cut candidate. And when that happens, the Panthers could sign him for very little and pair him with Brown.

The Panthers moved on from A'Shawn Robinson, who was a decent if unspectacular Robin to Brown's Batman. But Armstead or Lawrence would be a fantastic partner. In 2024, the Panthers gave up over 3,000 rushing yards. In 2026, with one of these linemen and Brown, they could have the best run defense in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown (95) during pregame warm ups | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Combining those two run-stoppers with Tre'von Moehrig and Devin Lloyd behind them, and suddenly, this Panthers' run defense becomes pretty formidable. With Jaelan Phillips opening up rushing lanes for Brown, Nic Scourton, and the IDLs (along with Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson in coverage), the pass defense looks formidable, too.

Just one simple move could transform this defense, and doing it this way might be wiser than spending premium capital on a prospect that plenty of scouts aren't even sold on.