2026 Carolina Panthers Mock Draft: Another Playmaker On Offense, Then Loading Up On Defensive Talent

The 2025 NFL season has come to a close, leaving us ready to start the NFL draft process.

Despite being a playoff team, the Carolina Panthers have a lot of holes to fill. The offense punched above their weight last season, and outside of Tet McMillan and maybe Jalen Coker, the passing game is very lackluster. Adding some help for Bryce Young needs to be a priority.

The defense could use an infusion of talent as well after ending up as basically a middle-of-the-road unit against both the run and pass.

In this mock draft, we take a look at a full seven round Carolina Panthers mock draft based on their current pick selections, with no trades and no information on how free agency shakes out.

Let's get to it!

Carolina Panthers Mock Draft Picks

• Round 1, Pick 19: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

• Round 2, Pick 51: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

• Round 3, Pick 83: Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee

• Round 4, Pick 119: Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona

• Round 5, Pick 157: Eric Rivers, WR, Georgia Tech

• Round 5, Pick 161: Alex Harkey, OT, Oregon

• Round 6, Pick 198: Red Murdock, LB, Buffalo

Draft Analysis

I'm officially renaming the Carolina Panthers to the Carolina Ducks after taking three Oregon players in their 2026 draft, including back-to-back in the first two rounds.

Kenyon Sadiq is the elite TE prospect in this year's class, and while he's not nearly a Brock Bowers level prospect, he has all the tools to be a high impact pass catcher immediately.

The defensive help will keep them in games to allow the offense to remain run-centric, which generally has been their preferred style of play over the past couple of seasons.

Fantasy Impacts

The landing spot is fine for Kenyon Sadiq; it's just tough to project a ton of overall pass game volume on this offense, but he's stepping into an immediate role as the number two target on the offense. He's likely a back-end TE1 for redraft and a mid-round best ball target, and the TE1 for dynasty purposes.

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