B-
Carolina Panthers
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Panthers a B-.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 0 steals
· 3 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Panthers took Logan Fano a full 66 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes. Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
Good work on the whole, with safety the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 19 they get a lockdown presence outside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A real head-scratcher, Dani Dennis-Sutton in the 51st overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They did well to land Elijah Sarratt in pick No. 83, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Keyshaun Elliott in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Nyjalik Kelly. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Logan Fano at Round 5, Pick 19, and the board did not agree. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Pat Coogan. The roster fit checks out.