B-
Carolina Panthers
No fireworks, just a tidy B- for the Panthers.
by aideee ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Panthers reached some 100 spots for Jalen Catalon, and value like that does not grow back. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
The Lance pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
Sonny Styles in the 19th pick is fair value, right on his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Keith Abney II at No. 51. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Skyler Bell at Round 3, Pick 19 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Bryce Lance at slot 119 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Patrick Payton at the Round 5 slot, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Matt Gulbin at the 159th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jalen Catalon in slot 200 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.