The Carolina Panthers prioritized value over need in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is going to make for some interesting decisions at certain spots around the roster. Let’s jump into what the roster might look like come Week 1 knowing that a lot of the rookies are going to have to earn their way up the depth chart over the summer.
Offense
Quarterback (2)
Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett
The Panthers brought back Will Grier, who hasn’t played since his rookie year in Carolina in 2019 but has stayed consistently employed in the NFL the whole
time. They also signed Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King as an undrafted free agent. I expect one of those two to land on the practice squad as a third quarterback, but I don’t think the Panthers are going to use up an active roster spot on either one.
Running back (4)
Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, AJ Dillon, Trevor Etienne
AJ Dillon is this year’s mercenary mediocre running back, but he’ll probably fall behind former second round pick Brooks if the latter is able to bounce back from his ACL tears. Brooks is apparently healthy for the start of the offseason program, which hopefully gives him plenty of time to ramp up to live action by the preseason. But this is still Chuba’s backfield to own for now.
Wide Receiver (7)
Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Chris Brazzell, Xavier Legette, Jimmy Horn Jr., Brycen Tremayne, John Metchie
I didn’t know what to do with David Moore. The team seems to really like his veteran presence and special teams value, but there isn’t much room for him. Tremayne seems like a younger version of the same kind of player. Metchie is intriguing given his pedigree and feel good story, but he hasn’t produced much at the NFL level yet. He might be a roster casualty to make sure Moore sticks around.
Tight End (4)
Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Ja’Tavion Sanders, James Mitchell
The team brought back special teams and trash talking ace Feleipe Franks, and he may find his way onto the roster as the fourth tight end. One of he or Mitchell, who seems like a nice guy to have around, will probably be on the roster. The starting spot is up for grabs between Tremble, Evans, and Sanders. Tremble, for better or worse, has been the most consistently productive of the group. Evans showed promise as a rookie, and as long as he doesn’t have a precipitous dropoff in effectiveness in year two like Sanders did, he could work his way into a starting role. I don’t know what happened to Sanders after he had some nice moments as a rookie, but maybe he can work his way back into the conversation as well.
Offensive Line (9)
Monroe Freeling, Damien Lewis, Sam Hecht, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Rasheed Walker, Luke Fortner, Stone Forsythe, Saahdiq Charles
I’ve got two rookies starting. It might not happen by Week 1, but I don’t think it’ll take too long. Freeling is a little bit raw, but you don’t use first round picks on players you don’t expect to start before too long. Walker is a passable stop gap if he does need more time, but I think the team would prefer it if Freeling is ready to start out of the gate while Walker provides valuable depth as a swing tackle. Fourth round pick Sam Hecht was thought by many to be one of the better value picks on Day 3 of the draft, and he only has to overcome veteran okay-ish center Luke Fortner for the starting spot. Given how absurdly good Hecht was in college, I think he can do it. He committed no penalties and didn’t allow a single quarterback or hit in his final year at Kansas State.
Ikem Ekwonu will probably start the season on the PUP as he works his way back from a torn patellar tendon. The team is situated in such a way that there’s no pressure to rush him back. He may ultimately end up missing the whole season, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find room for him if and when he does end up getting ready midseason.
Defense
Defensive Line (6)
Derrick Brown, Lee Hunter, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, LeBryan Ray, Cam Jackson
Hunter was a somewhat surprising selection in the second round, especially considering the Panthers traded up two spots to get him with players available at more pressing positions of need. I debated on putting him or Brown as the starter, but let’s have some optimism and put the rookie there. Nominal starters on the defensive line don’t mean much anyway given how much the players rotate. The snap counts between the two will very based on who’s more effective at any given moment. The rest of the group is pretty much the same as it was last year.
Edge (5)
Jaelan Phillips, Nic Scourton, Patrick Jones II, Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson
The acquisition of Phillips in free agency should make this group at least a little bit formidable, especially if rising sophomores Scourton and Umanmielen can take sizable leaps in year two. Patrick Jones should add some juice in the rotation if he gets back to full health. The group looks a lot better on paper than it has in a while.
Linebacker (4)
Devin Lloyd, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott
I really have no idea how to project the linebacking corps. Lloyd is going to be the leader of the group and Wallace is going to get one more shot to prove that he can be a capable starter. The rest of the depth chart is almost entirely based on who the team likes on special teams. I feel good about Cherelus given that he was the first guy to step into the defensive rotation when injuries hit last season. After that, everything is up for grabs. Isaiah Simmons is appealing given his first round pedigree and the punt he blocked in the playoffs. The team also used a seventh round pick on Jackson Kuwatch seemingly for his special teams ability. There’s a lot of fluidity to this group.
Cornerback (5)
Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Will Lee III, Corey Thornton
Horn and Jackson will try to reprise their standing as one of the best corner duos in the league. It’s a little shaky after that, but I think just about every team is concerned with their corner depth. The Panthers added Will Lee in the draft, and he’ll hopefully have time to work his way up to speed as a depth piece in his rookie year.
Safety (4)
Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom, Zakee Wheatley
The Panthers used a Day 3 pick on a safety for the second straight season. Lathan Ransom showed promise in a rotational role last season, and now Zakee Wheatley will try to do the same. Moehrig is entrenched as the lead guy, but Nick Scott’s job as the second safety is certainly gettable by either of the other two.
Specialists
Kicker: Ryan Fitzgerald
Punter: Sam Martin
Longsnapper: JJ Jansen
Fitzgerald was a little up and down as a rookie, but he was clutch when it counted. Hopefully he can build off that. Otherwise, we know what we’re getting in this grou.
