C+
Carolina Panthers
The jury is out on the Panthers. For now, C+.
by Kev05555 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
The Panthers put a flag in the ground for Dijon Johnson, 239 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Slaughter. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through safety.
They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Bottom line, the swing picks will decide whether this ages well.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 19 they get a No. 1 receiver, even if it was a touch early. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Dijon Johnson at pick 51 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Bryce Boettcher this early at slot 83. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled LT Overton all the way to pick No. 119, and they scooped it up. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Quintayvious Hutchins well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Jake Slaughter was still sitting there in the 159th overall pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Markis Deal in the 200th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.