Panthers Address 2 Issues In One Fell Swoop In Latest Mock

It’s prime mock season right now, and with different mock drafts releasing left and right, it creates more debate on which position the Carolina Panthers should target the most aggressively.

One of the latest mock drafts comes from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who released his mock 2.0 on March 2nd. One thing this mock gets right over the rest is that it does not ignore the Panthers’ more crucial need, and with this projection specifically, it addresses two issues.

The Panthers drafted Zion Young with the 19th overall pick in Zierlein’s mock 2.0, an edge rusher out of Missouri who had been flying under the radar for most of the offseason. After a really solid combine and some movement in edge rusher rankings, it’d make perfect sense for Carolina since Young addresses more than just the pass rush.

Zion Young wave drill pic.twitter.com/DSEYWzyXee
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 26, 2026

As mentioned in Zierlein’s description of Zion Young, he’s better in run defense than he is in pass rush at the moment, but Young has shown flashes with his pass rush, and coming into the NFL, there’s no reason he can’t improve on the pass rush and become an elite threat in both run and pass defense.

Zion Young: Career High 56 QB Pressures Last Season

2nd Most Among ALL Players in the SEC in 2025🔥 https://t.co/C7fZxGErQi pic.twitter.com/2bwr0tvBYu
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 28, 2026

Zion Young Brings Similar Traits to Nic Scourton

Zion Young’s prospect grade at the combine was a 6.40, projecting that within two years of his career, he’ll be a good starter. Young ranked fifth amongst edge rushers in production score with an 80 at the combine as well.

A prospect with this type of grade and profile isn’t anything new for the Carolina Panthers. Nic Scourton also graded with a 6.40 and an assessment that he’ll be a good starter within two years. Scourton proved to be a good starter less than two years and was really the only bright spot for the Panthers defensive line last season, helping both the run and pass defense.

Why Its The Right Pick

Young would be a home run pick for the Panthers at 19th overall. He's got all the measurements that make a good edge rusher, and his tape in college is awesome. He recorded 20 solo tackles and 6.5 sacks on the year, along with two forced fumbles. Young has a great motor as well, which will bode well for him as he continues to improve his skills in the NFL.

I’m on a plane, so apologies for noise/rattling. But had to share... MIZZ Edge 9 Zion Young is a top-50 pick but elects to play in non-CFP bowl game vs UVA. Fellas from UVA are trying to rattle his chain in 4Q. Zion keeps his cool. But a few minutes later he gets his message… pic.twitter.com/s4Z8EHuTlj
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) February 21, 2026

A lot of other mock drafts get experimental or flashy with what position the Panthers should target, whether they ignore the defense and go with the offensive line, or go get a freakishly good tight end.

All of that is fun, and there are legit arguments to be made for those positions, but it's just not as good an argument as the one edge rusher has, since Carolina was literally dead last place in quarterback hits.

Bringing in another edge rusher, who's versatile and can help both the run defense and has such a high ceiling in the pass rush can help transform this Panthers defense back to elite status