B-
Carolina Panthers
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Panthers: B-.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
The tape said wait; the Panthers did not. Quintayvious Hutchins went at the 158th overall pick, a good 49 picks before the board was ready.
They will regret leaving linebacker for another day if the season turns on it. The Gulbin pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
On the needs board they went 4 of 9, with wide receiver the one that mattered most. The weekend tilted hard toward the defense.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
Jermod McCoy at slot 19 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reach for Derrick Moore in the 51st overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They jumped the gun on Deion Burks, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Max Llewellyn at No. 119 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A real head-scratcher, Quintayvious Hutchins in the 158th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Wesley Williams this early at the Round 5 slot. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value with a capital V on Matt Gulbin in pick No. 200, a genuine coup. A need, and now a little less of one.