C
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers let Coleman Jr. fall and pounced. Final grade: C.
by PATRICK305 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 5 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Kevin Coleman Jr. slide, and the Panthers were the ones holding the card at pick No. 200. Highway robbery.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. A whole weekend of picks and linebacker is somehow still a want.
They will need Capehart to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
Hit on Avieon Terrell and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 19th pick they get a lockdown presence outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
Taking Peter Woods in pick 51 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Connor Lew still on the board at the 83rd overall pick. It fills a real need, too.
They jumped the gun on DeMonte Capehart, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They will replay Kevin Coleman Jr. at Round 6, Pick 19 for years; that is how good the value is. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.