CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dave Canales’ words spoke volumes about the Carolina Panthers’ plans for the 19th pick of the 2026 NFL draft.
“I don’t believe in drafting for depth,’’ the head coach said on Monday at the annual NFL meeting in Phoenix.
Canales wants somebody who can help now, just as wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan did as a rookie last season after Carolina selected him eighth overall.
A wideout didn’t seem like the obvious choice in 2025 with so many other needs coming off a 5-12 season. Plus Carolina had moved into the first round the year before to select receiver Xavier Legette at 32.
But drafting McMillan turned out to be the right decision. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he was impactful on offense (70 catches, 1,014 yards, 7 TDs) and in the development of quarterback Bryce Young.
Based on what Canales and general manager Dan Morgan did during free agency, they have narrowed down the list of positions Carolina will consider at No. 19 this year.
“It’s like, who can impact our team at that level?’’ Canales said. “It could be a wideout. It could be a tight end. Could be a safety. There’s a couple of dynamic safeties that could free us up. The pass-rush class, we’ve got to still kind of see where they are at the top. Where do we think the top guys are going? Look at the mocks and all that, and see where there might be a little bit of a dropoff there.
“But I think it’s an opportunity for us to really add a value player at 19.’’
Looking at the roster since free agency opened, safety and tight end appear to be the areas where a first-round player could make the biggest impact immediately. That doesn’t mean Carolina won’t consider other positions, such as offensive tackle and edge rusher, if the right player falls.
Let’s take a look at where the roster stands today:
Quarterbacks (2)
Newcomer: Pickett
Gone: Andy Dalton
Draft need: Low. The Panthers could take a flier on a quarterback in the lower rounds, but signing an undrafted player makes more sense. They traded 38-year-old Dalton to the Eagles, so they could turn to younger player to develop behind Young. Pickett, 27, was their choice. “Yeah, we feel good about our quarterback room,’’ Morgan recently said.
Running backs (4)
Chuba Hubbard, AJ Dillon, Jonathon Brooks, Trevor Etienne
Newcomer: Dillon
Gone: Rico Dowdle
Draft need: Minimal. The Panthers used a fourth-round pick last year on Etienne and added Dillon last month in free agency to be a veteran backup to Hubbard. But the key here is Brooks, their 2024 second-round pick out of Texas. Brooks is coming off his second right ACL surgery since 2023, but Canales believes he’ll be ready for offseason workouts and June minicamp. In 2024, Canales called Brooks “explosive” and the “best back in the draft.’’ If he can return to that form, his ability as a runner and receiver could be huge for Young and the offense.
Wide receivers (8)
Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, Jimmy Horn Jr., David Moore, Brycen Tremayne, Dan Chisena, John Metchie III
Newcomer: Metchie
Gone: None
Draft need: Moderate. McMillan is the real deal and Coker finished last season on a strong note. After them, there is uncertainty, since Legette has been a disappointment in his first two seasons. Metchie, a free agent addition, played a big role in Young becoming the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, so it will be interesting to see how they pair up with the Panthers. He was a second-round pick by Houston in 2022. If one of the top two or three receiver prospects falls to Carolina at No. 19, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think they’d add another weapon to help first-time playcaller Brad Idzik and Young be successful.
Tight ends (5)
Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans, James Mitchell, Feleipe Franks
Newcomer: Franks
Gone: None
Draft need: High. The hope two years ago was that Sanders, a fourth-round pick, would be the dynamic answer at tight end that Carolina hasn’t had since Greg Olsen was in his prime (2014-16). Injuries have impacted that. So if Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq (4.39 40-yard dash) were to fall to No. 19, he could have the kind of impact McMillan did as a rookie. Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers also could be an option, but Sadiq is the one who would be hard to pass up.
Offensive linemen (9)
Ikem Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, Rasheed Walker, Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, Chandler Zavala, Nick Samac, Stone Forsythe, Luke Fortner
Newcomers: Walker, Forsythe, Fortner
Gone: Cade Mays, Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett, Yosh Nijman, Jake Curhan
Draft need: Moderate to strong. Mainly because Carolina added Walker in free agency. Walker is a solid replacement at left tackle, since Ekwonu could miss the entire season recovering from a torn patellar tendon.
Walker is on a one-year deal, so if the team believes Ekwonu remains the future, taking a tackle here wouldn’t make sense. But if there is any doubt in Ekwonu’s long-term future, and with the high cost of re-signing the sixth pick of the 2022 draft after this season, taking a tackle at No. 19 makes perfect sense even if he might begin as a backup. Center also is a need, but it’s rare for a center to be taken in the first round.
Defensive linemen (5)
Derrick Brown, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson, LaBryan Ray
Newcomer: None
Gone: A’Shawn Robinson
Draft need: Moderate. You rarely turn down a potential plug-in starter on the defensive front, but that type of player may not be available at 19. Adding a big man in Rounds 2-4 makes more sense because the Panthers’ starters seem set with DE Derrick Brown, DT Wharton and DT Bobby Brown III. That Wharton and Bobby Brown give Carolina the flexibility to play more two-gap scheme is important, but Carolina still needs depth after moving on from Robinson.
Outside linebackers (7)
Patrick Jones II, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Jaelan Phillips, Nick Hampton, Trevis Gipson, Thomas Incoom
Newcomers: Phillips, Hampton
Gone: D.J. Wonnum
Draft need: Moderate. Morgan likes to say you can’t have too many pass rushers, but getting Phillips in free agency lessened the urgency here. The Panthers gave Phillips a four-year, $120 million deal to wreak havoc on quarterbacks, something that has been sorely missing. After signing Jones and spending a second- and third-round pick on Scourton and Umanmielen last year, it’s time to let them develop.
Inside linebackers (6)
Trevin Wallace, Devin Lloyd, Bam Martin-Scott, Claudin Cherelus, Jacoby Windmon, Maema Njongmeta
Newcomer: Lloyd
Gone: Christian Rozeboom, Krys Barnes
Draft need: Moderate to low. Signing Lloyd to replace Rozeboom as an off-ball linebacker was big. Lloyd’s ability to stop the run and drop into coverage gives defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero a weapon he’s been missing the past few seasons. Morgan, who played the position at a high level for Carolina from 2001 to 2007, called the signing a “complete, huge’’ addition. So drafting another impact player here seems unlikely.
Cornerbacks (6)
Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Corey Thornton, Robert Rochell, Akayleb Evans
Newcomer: None
Gone: Damarri Mathis
Draft need: Moderate to low. Horn is a Pro Bowler and Jackson has been solid, but if Carolina gets a chance to draft another impact corner, it would make this defense even stronger. Plus, Jackson is in the last year of his current deal. This year’s draft offers a deep group at corner, led by Mansoor Delane out of LSU, Jermod McCoy from Tennessee and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell. So there could be a good option here.
Safeties (5)
Lathan Ransom, Tre’Von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Demani Richardson, Isaiah Simmons
Newcomer: None
Gone: None
Draft need: High. Scott was re-signed after having a career-high 111 tackles, but he was somewhat of a detriment in coverage and is entering his eighth season. There is no way Ohio State’s Caleb Downs falls to 19, but Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could be impactful options. Carolina spent a lot strengthening the front half of the defense. It may be time to strengthen the back half.
Specialists (3)
P Sam Martin, K Ryan Fitzgerald, LS JJ Jansen
Newcomer: None
Gone: None
Draft need: None
No changes here, as Carolina brings back its veteran punter Martin and long-snapper Jansen, as well as Fitzgerald, the second-year kicker.