TheSpecialJuan

One thing is for certain, Rodriguez is going in the 1st round

This would be ideal but you just never know on draft night if you can find a trade partner

It’s definitely a bit of a crapshoot, but Joe covers the team for a living—there’s a baseline expectation that he should have a deep, working knowledge of the roster, positional groups, and overall team needs. That kind of familiarity should come through in the analysis. At times, though, it feels more like he approaches covering the Panthers as an assignment rather than something he’s genuinely invested in. When you read some of the other beat writers at The Athletic, the contrast stands out. There’s a noticeable difference in how deeply they dive into roster construction, scheme fits, player development, and front office philosophy. Their work often feels more detailed, more nuanced, and more connected to the day-to-day reality of the team. That’s not to say Joe doesn’t provide value, but compared to some of his peers, the level of insight and depth just doesn’t always feel as sharp or as thorough as it could be

Per Tony Pauline: https://www.essentiallysports.com/nfl-active-news-sources-giants-heavily-weighing-wr-with-ten-pick-amid-malik-nabers-injury-concerns-david-bailey-a-game-changer-for-robert-saleh/ Surprise Picks In The First Round As we get closer to the draft, the chatter is getting louder about surprise picks in the bottom half of Round 1. So which teams are talked about as pulling shockers right now, just a few days out from the start of the draft? Most I’ve spoken with say keep an eye on picks 20, 21, and 22, presently owned by the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Chargers. I’m told cornerback Chris Johnson and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez are in play for the Cowboys with the 20th pick, their second selection in the initial round. Rodriguez is also being spoken about as a possibility for the Buffalo Bills at the 26th pick.

Franchise legend Luke Kuechly and longtime snapper JJ Jansen chatted about the outlook of the 2026 NFL Draft on the latest episode of their podcast, JJ and Luke. When the conversation ventured into Kuechly's expertise, the soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer gave a pretty strong endorsement of a potential target for Carolina—Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez . . . Jacob Rodriguez is Luke’s favorite LB https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/panthers/2026/04/09/nfl-draft-panthers-luke-kuechly-jacob-rodriguez/89527881007/

John from One Carolina Show is one of the top Panthers YouTubers—his takes are consistently thoughtful, insightful, and on point. Not saying he's right but it makes a lot of sense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6294665/2025/04/21/panthers-final-7-round-mock-draft/ Not even close to what we did last year. At least Mike Kaye got TE Mitchell Evans right in his final mock

Joe's 2025 final mock draft: Round 1, No. 8 Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia The Bulldogs’ Mr. Versatility was in this spot in my first mock, with Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham falling to the Panthers at 8 in the second iteration. That scenario could play out if someone snags Walker — Jacksonville and Las Vegas could be possibilities — ahead of the Panthers Round 2, No. 52 Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame Round 3, No. 74 Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College Round 4, No. 114 Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State Round 4, No. 120 Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech Round 5, No. 140 Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn Round 5, No. 163 Jared Ivey, edge, Ole Miss Round 6, No. 178 Malachi Moore, S, Alabama Round 7, No. 230 LB Eugene Asante, LB, Auburn

Panthers WRs Jalen Coker, Brycen Tremayne sign their exclusive rights tenders https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/panthers-wrs-jalen-coker-brycen-tremayne-sign-their-exclusive-rights-tenders

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7210479/2026/04/20/panthers-nfl-mock-draft-2026-dillon-thieneman/

Round 5, No. 159 Jack Kelly, LB, BYU Brugler called the 6-2, 240-pound Kelly a “culture-setter” at BYU, where he combined for 23.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in two seasons after transferring from Weber State. Kelly was a team captain both years, and finished his career in 2025 by leading the Cougars in sacks (10), tackles for loss (13.5) and forced fumbles (two). He also scored a 54-yard touchdown on a blocked field goal on his way to a first-team, All-Big 12 selection. Round 6, No. 200 Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech The 25-year-old King played six college seasons — three each at Texas A&M and Georgia Tech — and is six months older than Bryce Young. But Tyler Shough showed last year that a long college resume isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to quarterbacking in the NFL. King, whose position coach at Tech was former Panther Chris Weinke, would give the Panthers a different look as a developmental QB behind Young and Kenny Pickett. The dual-threat athlete led Georgia Tech in both passing (2,951) and rushing yards (953) in 2025 and was the ACC Player of the Year. King’s rough-and-tumble style invites questions about his durability. But it also could get him on the field as a rookie in a Taysom Hill-like, short-yardage package.

Round 5, No. 158 Febechi Nwaiwu, G/C, Oklahoma

Round 4, No. 119 Chris McClellan, DT, Missouri

Round 3, No. 83 Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

Round 2, No. 51 Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona

Round 1, No. 19 Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling was the pick here in our second mock. But that was before Morgan signed former Green Bay Packers tackle Rasheed Walker to a team-friendly deal in free agency. The Panthers only gave Walker one year, so they could draft a developmental tackle to take over eventually for Ikem Ekwonu or Taylor Moton. But that would run counter to Dave Canales’ comments from the annual league meetings about not being a fan of “drafting for depth.” With his 4.35 speed and natural ball skills, Thieneman would vault to the top of the depth chart at free safety ahead of Nick Scott. The question is whether Thieneman will make it past the Minnesota Vikings at 18. If he’s gone, Morgan could go with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq or one of the receivers the Panthers hosted, such as Charlotte native KC Concepcion.

The Panthers are interested in receiver at 19, but I’ve been told Lemon, if available, isn’t as high on our board as the others. #Panthers https://x.com/bthatespanthers/status/2046307623327379559?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

https://x.com/panthers/status/2046255043171512498?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

Post updates here https://www.panthers.com/news/nfl-announces-2026-offseason-dates-panthers-to-begin-april-20-otas-minicamp

The offense needs playmakers, we were last in the league the past two years in YAC. The Saints are trading up with Cardinals in order to draft Carnell Tate. Teams with promising young QB’s (Bears last year) are making sure they make it easier on them by acquiring playmaking offensive weapons. The coaching staff cannot hope that Xavier figures it out, they will draft his replacement if need be.

Joe Person could only dream of writing in-depth analysis like this

apparently this dude knows someone who works for the Panthers organization

KC Concepcion is a favorite for pick 19. I expect it to be him unless something wacky happens. We’ll see!! https://x.com/bthatespanthers/status/2045936341620314145?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA