April 17, 2026, 1:35 p.m. ET

The Carolina Panthers might have to have their ducks in a line come Thursday night.

With the 2026 NFL Draft now less than a week away, Joe Person of The Athletic has named six prospects he believes could wind up as Carolina’s first-round selection. Person begins his list with University of Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, a pretty popular pick for the Panthers of late:

The Panthers brought back free safety Nick Scott on a one-year, $2 million deal after he finished with a career-high 111 tackles last season. Canales loves Scott’s leadership and what he brings to the locker room, and the veteran would still be a valuable depth piece if the Panthers draft a safety. As mentioned, Morgan would like to add a ballhawk who can cover a lot of ground. Thieneman, who had six interceptions as a Purdue freshman and boasts outstanding speed, checks both boxes.

Person goes on to note that if the round goes as expected and Thieneman is available to the Panthers at the 19th overall pick, he’d be their guy.

But Thieneman may have some friendly competition for that spot, with teammate and tight end Kenyon Sadiq being considered a strong possibility as well. To close out his ranks, Person writes that general manager Dan Morgan could face a “Duck-themed dilemma” if Thieneman and Sadiq are both on the board.

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

Here’s what he had to say about Sadiq’s fit:

The Panthers haven’t had a game-changing tight end in the pass game since Greg Olsen left for Seattle in 2020. That’s a long time. As the Panthers try to figure out how much Young is worth as he enters his fourth season, adding a unicorn to the offensive mix could be big for Bryce and the organization.

Sadiq reeled in 75 catches for 868 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Oregon. He’d go on to post even more eye-popping numbers at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine—where the 6-foot-3, 241-pounder recorded the same 40-yard dash time as Jonathan Taylor (4.39), the same speed on that dash as Jahmyr Gibbs (23.2 MPH) and the same broad jump as Dez Bryant (113 inches).

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