The Carolina Panthers are focused on the final three weeks of the NFL season. But there are some people in the scouting department that have their eyes on players to select in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Sports Illustrated contributor Daniel Flick recently conducted a one-round mock draft where the Panthers selected Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with the No. 15 overall pick.
“Starting linebacker Christian Rozeboom is on a one-year contract, and the Panthers need to upgrade the middle of their defense regardless of Rozeboom’s future in Carolina. Styles is a unique prospect,” Flick wrote.
“At 6′ 4″ and 243 pounds, he’s big and incredibly athletic—he transitioned from safety to linebacker in the spring of 2024, and he’s surprisingly ahead of the curve with blitzes and block deconstruction. Styles has the size, speed and skill to be an early starter, and he’s still adjusting to playing linebacker, which gives him an intriguing ceiling.”
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles leaves the field following the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Styles could be selected by Panthers
The Panthers know as a franchise how to select strong linebackers. They did so with Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson, and that carried them through the better part of a decade.
Since Kuechly retired and Thompson left the team to sign with the Buffalo Bills, the Panthers have not had that signature linebacker on the defense. Styles could possibly be the next great linebacker in Panthers franchise history.
Styles has experience as a champion with Ohio State last year, and he will be competing for another national championship bid again in the College Football Playoff.
A lot of things have to happen in order for the stars to align, but if the Panthers find themselves picking in the first half of the draft because they do not win the NFC South and fall out of the playoff picture, Styles could be on the radar for the Panthers next year.
The Panthers are playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16 for a crucial NFC South matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 PM ET inside Bank of America Stadium. Fans can watch the game on FOX or stream it on the FOX One app.
UCLA Bruins running back Anthony Woods runs the ball as Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles makes the tackle | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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