D-
Carolina Panthers
Hunter should have been long gone. The Panthers pounced, and earned a D-.
by aaaaa22222 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 22 steals
· 0 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Lee Hunter got past him. The Panthers do not have to explain a thing at slot 228.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
Francis Mauigoa in pick 33 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steal is underselling it; Arvell Reese at pick No. 37 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jeremiyah Love at Round 2, Pick 11 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Circle this one: David Bailey at slot 44 is a fall that decides a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Mansoor Delane all the way to the 49th overall pick, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Spencer Fano in the 51st pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Sonny Styles in the Round 3 slot, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Carnell Tate at No. 83 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Kenyon Sadiq in slot 87 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jordyn Tyson in the 90th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Somehow Dillon Thieneman was still sitting there in the 94th pick, and they pounced on premier safety value. A need, and now a little less of one.
You do not let a cornerback like Jermod McCoy reach pick No. 103 and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A edge rusher of that caliber at pick 117 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at Round 4, Pick 19 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They will replay Eli Stowers at No. 130 for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They robbed the room for Kayden McDonald here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They barely believed it either: Colton Hood still on the board at No. 140. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Chase Bisontis in pick No. 159 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Antonio Williams at Round 5, Pick 39 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A top-tier edge rusher at a bargain, Gabe Jacas in slot 227, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Circle this one: Lee Hunter at pick 228 is a fall that decides a draft. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Somehow Garrett Nussmeier was still sitting there in the 242nd pick, and they pounced on premier quarterback value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.