There’s a possibility that the Carolina Panthers do something in this year’s NFL Draft that they’ve never done before as a franchise.
It’s a very real possibility, too.
The Panthers, according to many mock drafts, might spend their first-round pick in the draft later this month on a wide receiver. If that were to happen, it would mark the first time in franchise history the Panthers would spend three consecutive first-round picks on the same position — wide receiver or otherwise. The Panthers, after all, drafted Xavier Legette in the first round of 2024 and then Tetairoa McMillan in the first round of 2025.
Ask ESPN NFL Draft expert Matt Miller if there’s a way the Panthers can make such history, he’ll say it is “certainly possible.”
He also thinks it might be smart to do so — if the board falls the way he thinks it might come pick No. 19.
“We got a team that is making a decision on Bryce Young’s future real soon,” Miller said. “So it goes back to the idea of, ‘Let’s give him as many answers as possible so that we can know if he’s the guy.’”
Dan Morgan, president of football operations and general manager for the Carolina Panthers, embraces Bryce Young prior to the team’s NFC wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 10, 2026. Jared C. Tilton Getty Images
Such a frame of thinking isn’t new. It’s also not unfounded. The Panthers will have a lot of questions to answer when it comes to who will fill out the wide receiver room on the 53-man roster come Week 1 in September. There are eight players on the WR roster who were on an active NFL roster for multiple games last season in Carolina or elsewhere. That’s great for depth.
But when it comes to playmakers, the Panthers have more unproven producers than proven ones.
McMillan, drafted No. 8 overall last year, was last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and was the player the team ran its passing offense through. Legette, drafted No. 32 overall in 2024, regressed in 2025 but still has undeniable traits and maintains the team’s belief. Jalen Coker had a standout season last year.
Carolina Panthers receiver Jalen Coker rushes for yardage during the team’s wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 10, 2026. TRACY KIMBALL tkimball@charlotteobserver.com
Outside of them, though, there are special teams aces like Dan Chisena and Brycen Tremayne. There is Dave Canales disciple David Moore. Then there’s young draft pick Jimmy Horn Jr. and free-agent acquisition and yards-after-catch standout John Metchie III.
Take all this into consideration, and there’s a lot of potential.
There’s also a lot of room for improvement, ESPN’s Miller said.
John Metchie III, pictured here as a member of the New York Jets, scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of a 2025 game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Jaiden Tripi Getty Images
“I go back to the idea of: ‘How do you build the ideal wide receiver room?’” Miller said. “The way I was taught was: You think of your receiver room like a basketball team. You need your center, but you also need your point guard.
“Someone like Makai Lemon, from USC, if he’s there, that’s your point guard. That’s your yards-after-catch guy. He’s tough. He’s going to do the dirty work over the middle. Doesn’t drop passes. Creates missed tackles. There’s this play against Iowa where he catches an intermediate pass, and he runs through the tackle and speeds into the open field and carries two guys into the end zone. And he’s 5-11, 200 pounds.
“So to have that type of mentality, that kind of playmaking, I think that would be smart for Carolina — if the board’s not wiped out.”
Southern Cal’s Makai Lemon runs a reverse during a 29-10 USC win over the UCLA Bruins on Nov. 29, 2025, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Harry How Getty Images
What exactly does it mean for the board to not be “wiped out”?
For Miller, that means if Lemon is still on the board. Or if Carnell Tate out of Ohio State is still on the board. Or if Jordyn Tyson out of Arizona State or Omar Cooper Jr. out of Indiana are still available. According to Miller’s latest mock draft, those are the only five receivers he expects to be drafted in the first round.
If somehow those five receivers are gone, Miller said, “I think this is where you don’t reach for KC Concepcion (from Charlotte), or Denzel Boston. That’s where you pivot to, ‘OK, do you like one of these linemen?’ … Because that’s a huge hole for this team. Do you look at maybe going defense to just keep building that side of the ball?”
KC Concepcion of the Texas A&M Aggies warms up prior to a 2025 College Football Playoff first-round game against the Miami Hurricanes at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. Alex Slitz Getty Images
It’s no secret the Panthers could use a deep threat in the passing game. They could also use speed in general, something that hurt them at times in 2025. Tyson and Cooper, specifically, meet that mold. Canales even mentioned earlier this week that the Panthers are using their first pick as someone who can “help us immediately.”
When asked directly, Canales admitted that first-round pick “could be a wideout.” He also added it could be a tight end or a safety — he also added about the pass-rush class: “We still gotta see where we think the top guys are going.”
So drafting a receiver is on the mind of Canales, at least.
Just as it’s on the minds of many others.
“A receiver would be nice,” Miller said. “And again, it would be rare for them to go receiver-receiver-receiver. But the need is absolutely there.”
Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales at a 2025 preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium. Jared C. Tilton Getty Images
The Charlotte Observer
Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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