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Momentum has built for the Carolina Panthers, but the margin for error is gone. They enter the 2026 NFL Draft at an interesting position. They are close enough to believe but flawed enough to fall short. The 2025 season proved that the offense can win games and that the foundation around Bryce Young is real. It also painfully exposed that the defense remains a step behind serious contenders. With a brief postseason appearance ending in heartbreak, Carolina now faces a draft that feels less like a rebuild and more like a reckoning. This is where ‘promising’ must finally turn into ‘dangerous.’
The Panthers finished the 2025 regular season with an 8-9 record. They narrowly missed a winning season in a chaotic NFC South where all four teams finished within one game of each other. Carolina’s year was driven by a productive offense led by Young. He took a noticeable step forward. Running back Rico Dowdle and rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan also showed out.
Week to week, the Panthers showed they could trade punches with playoff-caliber teams. Key wins kept them alive deep into December. Tiebreaker chaos ultimately pushed Carolina into the final NFC Wild Card spot. That berth ended in a crushing 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, though. Carolina had enough offense to compete but not enough defense to close.
Too often, the Panthers needed 27 or 30 points just to have a chance. Defensive breakdowns, late-game lapses, and a lack of pass rush repeatedly turned winnable games into coin flips. The record says 8-9. The tape, though, says the margin is thinner than that.
The Panthers’ draft needs are clear, and they skew heavily toward the defensive side of the ball.
Carolina finished near the bottom of the league in sacks in 2025. That simply isn’t sustainable in today’s NFL, particularly in Ejiro Evero’s pressure-based scheme. They rely on edge players winning one-on-one matchups. Derrick Brown continues to anchor the interior. However, without a credible edge threat, offenses were free to slide protection and attack the second level.
As such, edge rusher is the top priority, followed closely by defensive line depth and linebacker help. Free agency attrition and inconsistent play left the middle of the defense exposed far too often.
Wide receiver depth also remains on the radar. Yes, Young has promising young options. That said, Carolina lacks a consistent second option who can punish defenses when coverage tilts. With the No. 19 overall pick, the Panthers are positioned to add impact. However, they must be precise.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Panthers’ 3-round mock draft based on the PFF 2026 NFL mock draft simulator.
Cashius Howell isn’t the prototype edge rusher scouts drool over. Still, he fits what Carolina actually needs.
He’s slightly undersized when measured against traditional defensive ends. And yet, his profile aligns well with outside linebackers in a 3-4 front. That’s exactly...
