April 2, 2026, 12:01 p.m. ET

Going into the 2025 season, the Carolina Panthers’ offensive line was supposed to be one of the team’s biggest roster strengths. It didn’t turn out that way, though.

Aside from a stalwart year from left guard Damien Lewis, the rest of the unit left much to be desired. To be fair, injuries played a big role in the drop-off—especially for star right guard Robert Hunt. However, it’s clear that the team was not satisfied with the results based on what they have done so far this offseason.

In free agency, the Panthers went out and signed Rasheed Walker, who may have to replace Ickey Ekwonu at left tackle due to his injury status. They also signed Luke Fortner to play center and Stone Forsythe as depth.

General manager Dan Morgan is probably not done trying to upgrade this group, either.

In a new three-round mock draft from ESPN, Carolina hits this unit hard—starting at the No. 19 overall pick with Utah’s Spencer Fano. Analyst Jordan Reid writes:

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

Fano can play all five spots up front, and he could even fill in at center as a rookie prior to moving to another spot after his first season. He’s light on his feet and plays with urgency.

It’s not exactly clear where Fano (6-foot-6, 308 pounds) would line up as a rookie, but that’s a good problem for head coach Dave Canales to have. Fano could fill in at all five spots, in theory.

The next time the Panthers are on the clock is in Round 2 at No. 51 overall. Reid has Carolina taking Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez:

Devin Lloyd was a huge signing, but the Panthers still need significant linebacker upgrades. Rodriguez would be another instinctive second-level playmaker.

Rodriguez (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) put in one season at Virginia, but didn’t see the field much. That changed after he transferred to Texas Tech, where he appeared in 44 games over the last four years.

All together, he totaled 178 combined tackles, six sacks, 25.5 tackles for a loss, 12 pass breakups and 13 forced fumbles.

Rodriguez could wind up starting next to Devin Lloyd in his first year. All he’d have to do is beat out 2024 third-round pick Trevin Wallace, who has struggled on the field since he was drafted.

In Round 3, the Panthers go back to the offensive line—taking Iowa center Logan Jones at No. 83:

Jones is more of an insurance pick at center in the short term but could give the Panthers a potential long-term answer in the middle of the front.

After signing Fortner, this might be a head-scratching pick. But keep in mind, he’s only under contract for a cheap, one-year deal—so we can’t consider him a long-term solution for that spot just yet.

Adding Jones gives Carolina more ammunition to fix a spot that’s been problematic more often than not since franchise great Ryan Kalil departed in 2019.

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