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https://www.youtube.com/live/eHyGRrLV62w?si=I-B_U6afi4lbqL9q Underdog final mock. Panthers start at 38:15.

I predict lots of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Me? I will be laughing...because it will be entertaining. The only thing that may save us is a trade back for more pics. FYI: For those that don't know, the time limit for round 1 decisions has been shortened to 8 minutes. I figure we'll be able to hit the sack at least an hour earlier this year, or maybe pontificate, opine or even commiserate for that extra hour, depending upon your style and mood. I should be sleeping now, but I'm excited.

Damn. Turk is bad, massive panic buy after losing our FA target last year. If we don’t get a shot at a blue chip IDL we should kick the tires on DJ Reader, it’s a vets position and adding a 22 year old rookie 6th rounder doesn’t do anything for us this year.

They just hate doing things the easy way. I guess.

If Tepper wasn’t a huge Bryce Young fan, would Morgan be? Canales? They are doing what they have to do.

Kayden should be in play, lb too, but this team and franchise has been long overdue for a true fs. Being able to grab two of the 3 in the first two rounds would be huge for the defense

A lot of the good mockers have moved their pick to the Oregon safety. We sure do know how to telegraph. Last year we didn't telegraph, but the previous 6 years we did.

Give me the cliff notes when you get to it

Kenyon Sadiq

Although BY isn't your traditional dual threat obviously, he's been scrambling a lot more since college on busted plays, but if you have to put in the backup or a rb for a qb sneak it just makes that aspect of the game too obvious to the opposing defense. Will never understand why they wanted to trade up for a guy that instantly limits the playbook.

I would say, 100%. It always comes around to the fundamental stuff. We basically need to be able to run the ball and stop the run. Fielding a capable run heavy offense prevents a lot of potential fugups when throwing the ball over the course of 17 games. We can dink and dunk and play like it’s red zone everywhere on the field and be ultra safe as long as we can block up some running lanes. PS should have said the obvious, that a good defense lets you play like that.

OL & DL are the foundation of success

It is a hypothetical that follows a very unique series of events surrounding Bryce from the hiring and firing of Frank to bringing in yet another QB who offers nothing to a team with a bottom tier QB as an entrenched starter. Reject my premise if you want to, it doesn't matter to me. Tepper has always been long to admit his mistakes when they have been glaringly obvious to everyone else. We've seen it over and over. What I've suggested is perfectly plausible for our narcissistic owner.

Might have to because he won't last until our second pick.

Do it! Several of the guys we are targeting will be gone. I don't buy for one second that Thienemen makes is past the Vikings. Acquire more picks and still get a solid player.

WR is not the answer. There is no reason to try and elevate BY. His ceiling is a 20ppg QB. Figure out how to keep other teams below 20 ppg. That’s the answer. Unfortunately, injury has pushed LT up the list of needs but the overarching goal needs to be building at top 5 defense.

Still feel like the massive Ohio State DT is a real sleeper for us that not a lot of folks are taking seriously. Especially if we can manage to trade back and still pull the trigger. All he needs to do for us is eat blocks in the run game and that’s what he does best. Brown and Co. and the FA additions can clean up the rest.

Lordy we need more legit DE/DT help badly. That really should be used in the 1st this draft if someone falls in our lap

The point of mine was to present a normal, reasonable, and very likely scenario as an alternative to the extremely unlikely scenario that has been presented by some as a reason for signing a 4th string QB. You’re just presenting hypotheticals that have nothing to do with signing Will Grier, neither of which are likely, and I reject your premise entirely.

I’m not mad about kc but he doesn’t do anything specifically to put himself ahead of the others in his class like cooper jr and lemon, let alone a shot at the 1 rated dt or other positions.

I can't wait to go through this analysis

What's more likely? An entire competant NFL front office (as many here suggest Morgan runs) has watched Bryce struggle week in and week out to perform at the bare minimum of NFL QBs for 3 years and has decided that's the future of this organization, OR our owner who has proven repeatedly he can't keep his nose out of team decision making has declared Bryce is our QB until he decides otherwise, especially given he's the one that drafted him in the first place?

It is time to take a look at the defense. Without further ado do.... Edge (OLB): I think we overpaid for Jaelan Phillips, but he is constant pressure with 73 pressures in 2025, ranking 9th in the NFL. In all, he was the 20th (of 111) rated pass rushing edge in 2025 according to PFF, putting him in the top 20% in the nfl. With a pair of solid ILBs beside him and if we can get Wharton going, I think the sum of the parts will make him better than he was in Philly. Furthermore, with second-year pro Princely Umanmielen behind him, I expect him to grow with the tutoring and competition. On the other side, the duo of Nick Scourton and Patrick Jones II is strong, in my view. Scourton generated 34 total pressures as a pass rusher. That total included 8 sacks, 23 hurries, 3 hits. Against the run, he recorded 28 solo tackles. For a rookie, second round, edge, that is great. He also forced 1 fumble on the season. Jones was decent in 2025 in just 131 snaps, but he is solid veteran depth. We seem to lack the elite pass rusher, but this rotational unit will be a big upgrade over last season. Expect Scourton and Princely to show improvement. While it is unlikely that we add more to edge this draft, you can never have too many pass rushers (well, you can--two sophomores and two veterans is a good mix). Would the Panthers take an edge if one was sitting there? Absolutely. Defensive End: Derrick Brown is a stud. I did not notice how dominant he became as a pass rusher. His PFF pass-rush grade of 72.0 ranked 23rd among 134 qualified interior defensive linemans. His run-defense grade of 66.3 ranked 22nd at the position. He generated 35 total pressures as a pass rusher. That total included 6 sacks, 23 hurries, 6 hits. On the other side: What the hell? Tershawn Wharton earned a 40.8 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 127th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemans. His PFF pass-rush grade of 57.0 ranked 95th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen. His run-defense grade of 34.8 ranked 125th at the position. However, Wharton needs to be situational and we really need a few DEs who can plug and pressure. LaBryan Ray is an interior defensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers who earned a 45.7 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season. You cannot tell me that we are not going to add a DE. In my view, this is a HUGE need that we have not adequately addressed. There were only 3 DEs in the NFL who played more snaps that Derrick Brown. We have to give him more blows during the game. So After Brown, we have 2 other players who need to improve a lot to reach mediocre. Nose Tackle: Of course, a NT might move out some to help stuff the run at DE opposite Brown, and stats do not always reflect on a NT's actual value. Bobby Brown III earned a 54.1 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 80th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen. His PFF pass-rush grade of 51.1 ranked 126th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemans. His run-defense grade of 57.8 ranked 51st at the position. Behind him, Cam'Ron Jackson is an earned a 45.5 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season. The defensive line is weak, based on 2025 performance rankings in PFF. After DBrown, they pretty much suck. These are the guys our ILBs will be counting on. Inside Linebacker: Devin Lloyd earned a 89.1 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 3rd among 88 qualified linebackers. His PFF coverage grade of 81.1 ranked 3rd among 88 qualified linebackers. His run-defense grade of 83.2 ranked 11th at the position. His pass-rush grade of 82.2 ranked 5th among qualified linebackers. He's good. At the moment, beside him is Trevin Wallace who earned a 55.9 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 57th among 88 qualified linebackers. His PFF coverage grade of 64.5 ranked 25th among 88 qualified linebackers. His run-defense grade of 42.3 ranked 85th at the position. His pass-rush grade of 64.2 ranked 45th among qualified linebackers. Wallace was best as a coverage LB, and based on my memory, I am not sure he was in the top third, but if PFF says so...however, he was nearly last vs. the run. We need better to play beside Lloyd. Bam Morris-Scott earned a 37.6 overall PFF defensive grade. To put that in perspective, I was rated by PFF at 32.3 on my couch. Cherilus Claudin is the third best ILB on the roster right now. He earned a 59.2 overall PFF defensive grade in just over 200 snaps. Having lost Rozeboom, the Panthers are very thin behind Lloyd. Look for a starting-caliber ILB in the draft. Wallace is not the guy, but he is decent depth. Nickel CB: Chau Smith-Wade earned a 57.0 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 79th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His PFF coverage grade of 57.2 ranked 79th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His run-defense grade of 55.4 ranked 77th at the position. For a nickel, he played a lot--garnering over 600 snaps. Corey Thornton was a pleasant surprise, until he was injured. However, in just 127 snaps, he was very good, earning a 68.5 overall PFF defensive grade. I think he can play outside in a pinch, but nickel might be his gig. I am not sold that Nickel is in good hands, but Thornton is promising. Smith-Wade is average, and with the experience he has accumulated, we are probably not prioritizing Nickel, but there are some good nickels in the draft. Cornerback: Michael Jackson should have been in the pro bowl. He earned a 79.1 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 4th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His PFF coverage grade of 80.9 ranked 3rd among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His run-defense grade of 67.2 ranked 36th at the position. He recorded 4 interceptions on the season. Jackson broke up 9 passes in coverage. He allowed a 72.9 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks --SOLID!! Our second-best CB, Jaycee Horn, was in the pro bowl. He earned a 57.8 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 76th among 114 qualified corner.backs. His PFF coverage grade of 61.6 ranked 61st among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His run-defense grade of 50.5 ranked 87th at the position. He recorded 5 interceptions on the season. Our CBs had NINE interceptions in 2025. It is doubtful they duplicate that figure, but Jackson was our best CB. We are thin at CB, but the two we put out there are solid. Nickel, at this time, is "meh," but both are developing and should improve. A great draft for Nickel. The Panthers will add a CB somehow. Safety: For now, Trevon Moehrig is as advertised--above average vs. the run, below average in coverage, making him average. He earned a 64.3 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 50th among 98 qualified safeties. His PFF coverage grade of 55.3 ranked 64th among 98 qualified safeties. His run-defense grade of 73.5 ranked 37th at the position. Lathan Ransom got some valuable experience in 2025, getting in on 330 plays or so. He earned a 62.9 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 56th among 98 qualified safeties. (Average, not bad for a day 3 rookie) His PFF coverage grade of 55.8 ranked 63rd among 98 qualified safeties. His run-defense grade of 85.1 ranked 4th at the position. A pure strong safety, if you ask me. Nick Scott earned a 67.8 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 36th among 98 qualified safeties. His PFF coverage grade of 67.3 ranked 31st among 98 qualified safeties. His run-defense grade of 69.3 ranked 56th at the position. Expect a draft pick at FS. Demani Richardson is a safety for the Carolina Panthers who earned a 71.5 overall PFF defensive grade n 29 plays. Nothing to see here. Isaiah Simmons is probably more special teams than defensive player. Overall: We are thin on defense. No real depth at CB, S, and DE/NT. However, we have 5 starters who are pro bowl level players (D. Brown, Lloyd, Jackson, Horn, and Phillips--and I might throw Scourton in on that pile for the sixth potential pro bowler). We are weak at NT, and if Wharton does not step up, DE. Funny, I see Edge as our strength (and we really don't have a sack artist) and I love our starting CBs. Moehrig is making too much to be average. Expect: In the draft, I think we have to draft a DT. Having done this, I am not sure that we go after a S when we have such glaring needs at other positions. We could upgrade at nickel and give the CB room more depth. OLB? Wallace is decent depth, and he could start in a pinch. DE is our biggest need. The answer could be on the roster?