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NFL draft expert predicts Panthers go for familiar, uninspiring position

The Panthers addressed their defensive tackle spot in various ways a year ago. Will GM Dan Morgan use his 2026 first-round pick on another interior defender?
Russell Baxter|
Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) sacks South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) after the Tigers’ 28-14 win at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, November 29, 2025.
Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) sacks South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) after the Tigers’ 28-14 win at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, November 29, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are one week removed from their first playoff appearance since 2017. It proved to be a heartbreaking Saturday in Charlotte vs. the Los Angeles Rams as Dave Canales’s team was on the wrong end of a 34-31 score.

That means it’s the offseason for the team. And there’s already a few 2026 mock drafts out there forecasting who the Panthers could target with the 19th overall pick in April.

Last offseason, general manager Dan Morgan addressed the worst defense in the league in 2024, via free agency and the draft. According to one NFL draft analyst, he may be getting ready to do that again and this time around, use a first-round pick on a defensive lineman for the first time since 2020.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Morgan and the Panthers taking Clemson University defensive tackle Peter Woods on April 23 in Pittsburgh. It’s not the first mock draft out there to have Morgan opting for this Tiger to become a Panther.

“To be serious contenders in the NFC, explained Brugler, “the Panthers need more impact players on the defensive line. Woods didn’t have the 2025 season that evaluators expected, but he is a nimble big man with the agility to threaten gaps and chase the football. One would like to see more proof of concept on his tape, but the flashes show an ascending player.”

Carolina’s defense was certainly improved this past season, although it couldn’t get much worse than it was a year ago. The season started with the club giving up exactly 200 yards rushing in a 26-10 loss at Jacksonville. Even if you include that game, the Panthers went from allowing 179.8 yards per game on the ground in 2024 to 123.3 yards per game rushing this past season (20th in the NFL).

Derrick Brow
Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown (95) during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Still, with Derrick Brown looking like a Pro Bowler again, veteran A’Shawn Robinson having a bounce back season, and last year’s additions of free agents Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III, as well as fifth-round draft choice Cam Jackson, is defensive tackle a screaming need for the NFC South champions?

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.