B
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers won the night they stopped Miller from sliding. Grade: B.
by Mo ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Christen Miller got past him. The Panthers do not have to explain a thing at slot 83.
The Davis pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The wide receiver spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but wide receiver.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a better player than pick 51 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
Steal is underselling it; Christen Miller at the 83rd overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They left a pile of value on the table to take J.C. Davis this early at Round 4, Pick 19. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Aamil Wagner in pick No. 158, miles early. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Hezekiah Masses in the 159th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They did well to land Taylen Green in No. 200, just ahead of his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.