Who Should the Carolina Panthers Take with the 19th Pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The Panthers are coming off their most successful season in recent history. That said, the team is still a few pieces short of being a powerhouse in the NFC South. General manager Dan Morgan made a statement in 2025 with a stellar draft class. Headlined by Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, the draft class featured multiple year-one contributors. Morgan will look to replicate his draft success starting at the 19th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
What Do the Panthers Need Most?
Two of the biggest needs from the season were linebacker and pass rusher. The Panthers dedicated their second and third-round picks to pass rushers in the 2025 draft. Nic Scourton, selected in the second round, has shown flashes and worked his way into the starting role. Princely Umanmielen, selected in the third round, is still developing. He got plenty of reps in his rookie season, but is still raw, with the hope that he will develop into a starter. Despite the resources allocated to the position, there is still much to be desired. As the Panthers' window begins to open, a solid pass rush is almost mandatory to compete in the playoffs.
The middle of the field was the Panthers' weak spot. Operating almost exclusively from a soft-zone scheme in the nickel formation, it is crucial to lock up the middle. Good offensive teams abused this fact, particularly the Rams in the Panthers' playoff loss. Tight ends were able to feast as well as we saw with Trey McBride. For the Panthers' defense to take the next step, a linebacker will be crucial.
The loss of starting right tackle Ikem Ekwonu is massive. Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in Week 15. The injury will require surgery and will potentially sideline him for all of 2026. Starting center Cade Mays is also due a new deal. Starting centers are hard to come by, and they are already beginning to dry up in the potential free agent market.
While not as necessary, the Panthers could definitely use another explosive option on offense. The offense was moving in 2025, but outside of TMac and Jalen Coker, no one else could really make a play. Former first-round pick Xavier Legette has failed to take the next step that the Panthers need. The Panthers drafted Legette to develop alongside starting quarterback Bryce Young, but Legette has failed to make any meaningful development. On the running back side, the most recent 1,000-yard rusher, Rico Dowdle, is likely to walk in search of a long-term deal. Dowdle was great for the Panthers, but he doesn’t fit into their long-term plans and current financial situation.
The Free Agency Market
The Panthers are limited in their free agent options. The Panthers haven’t made any significant contract moves yet. There are some great names in free agency, many of which would have an immediate impact in Carolina. The issue currently marring the Panthers is cap space. While below the cap limit, they only have seven million to work with. The Panthers gave defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson permission to seek a trade, likely to be cut if a trade doesn’t materialize. Robinson off the books would free around $10 million in cap space. With money tight, the draft will be crucial to the 2026 season.
Now the Fun Part
Now that everything is cleared up and we understand where the Panthers are, we can look at draft prospects. Morgan has publicly stated that he will draft the best player available regardless of position. A solid philosophy that ensures you always have good football players on your team. The biggest names in the draft will be gone by the time the 19th pick rolls around, which includes the premier pass rushers and tackles. To complicate things a little bit more, two linebackers won’t make it out of the top 10. Taking a linebacker has been considered a bit taboo in the past, as highlighted by the Lions' move in 2023. Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles have both blown everyone out of the water with their performances at the combine. Before the combine, they were already slated not to make it to the 19th pick, but now it’s a forgone conclusion.
Peter Woods has been mocked to the Panthers by draft analysts in multiple mock drafts. Woods is a big, body-defensive lineman coming out of Clemson, standing at six-foot-three and 310 pounds. He would serve to complete the defensive line alongside Derrick Brown and Tershawn Wharton. The addition of Woods would make the Panthers one of the league's best run defenses. It may take some time as he adjusts to the NFL, but with two veterans next time, it shouldn’t take long. Aside from Woods, Keldric Faulk will likely be around as well. Faulk is a defensive end out of Auburn, standing at six-foot-six and 285 pounds. He would add more security and depth on the edge, but the Panthers will be looking to give Scrouton and Umanmielen more reps instead of adding another player that may require development. Cashius Howell will be another name to look out for. He is on the lighter side, weight-wise, at 248 pounds, but standing at six-foot-four. Howell ended his senior season with 12 sacks. He might feed into the same issue with Faulk, and his weight might make it harder for him to be productive at the NFL level.
The most interesting name to me is Oregon tight end, Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq wowed scouts at the combine, where he posted one of the best tight-end showings in history. Highlighted by his record-breaking 40 time of 4.39 seconds. Insane speed for someone at six-foot-three and 245 pounds. The combine shot the former Duck up everyone’s draft boards. If he makes it to the 19th pick, I have a hard time not taking him there. Young has shown that he excels with big-bodied receivers, and Sadiq’s speed stands to make him an elite playmaker. Speed isn’t everything, and tight ends still need to block, but the current stable of tight ends could definitely make up for a lack of blocking. Overall, Sadiq would fill some massive holes in the receiving game, allowing for more explosive plays.
Conclusion
The NFL Draft is always a madhouse except for when it isn’t. This year seems prime to be a powder keg, with a quarter of NFL teams bringing in new coaching staffs and general managers. Some of the teams welcoming in their new staff will be eager to make a big splash by securing a franchise player on draft night. We saw this in 2025, when the Jaguars traded up to select Travis Hunter with the second pick, exchanging two first-round picks in the process. Whoever the Panthers pick, Dan Morgan has shown that he can be trusted.
