{"id":691131,"date":"2026-01-20T12:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/691131\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:32:14","slug":"4-draft-risers-the-panthers-cant-ignore-from-indianas-stunning-title-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/691131\/","title":{"rendered":"4 draft risers the Panthers can’t ignore from Indiana\u2019s stunning title run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indiana’s fairytale run<\/a> to the college football national championship was a breath of fresh air. The perennial struggler has come to life under head coach Curt Cignetti, who brought a new level of professionalism and purpose sorely lacking previously.<\/p>\n

The Hoosiers clinched the triumph with a superb victory over the Miami Hurricanes. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who’s going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>, came through in the clutch. And the program’s incredible rise to prominence is unlikely to go unnoticed by teams across the league as they head into the all-important evaluation process.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, here are four Indiana prospects the Carolina Panthers can’t ignore with eight selections at general manager Dan Morgan’s disposal.<\/p>\n

Draft prospects the Carolina Panthers must consider from Indiana’s fairytale championship triumphOmar Cooper Jr. – WR<\/p>\n

Even though the Panthers have a 1-2 punch at wide receiver in Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, the lack of growth being displayed by Xavier Legette<\/a> gives Morgan a tough decision to make. Does he keep faith with the South Carolina product or look for alternatives?<\/p>\n

If it’s the latter, someone like Omar Cooper Jr. should come under the microscope. He knows how to work the short-to-intermediate areas of the field well, and his elusiveness after the catch is something the Panthers don’t have right now.<\/p>\n

Carter Smith – OT<\/p>\n

The Panthers have a new need on the edge of their protection in front of Bryce Young. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon<\/a> in Carolina’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, meaning he’ll miss most or all of the 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n

Carter Smith may be lacking NFL-caliber length, but his pass protection was nothing short of exceptional throughout the Hoosiers’ run to the college football national championship. He’s projected as a top 50 pick, so the Panthers may need to be aggressive to secure his services in this scenario.<\/p>\n

Mikail Kamara – DE<\/p>\n

Morgan made no secret of his desire to find more explosive edge rushers<\/a> this offseason. Drafting Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen last year will not prevent the front-office leader from spending more draft capital on the position for a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n

Mikail Kamara may be a little undersized for the NFL at 6-foot-1, but his explosiveness off the snap and his ability to create leverage effortlessly make him an intriguing prospect who’ll generate real interest during the pre-draft process.<\/p>\n

Pat Coogan – C<\/p>\n

With Cade Mays and Austin Corbett both out of contract this offseason, the Panthers may not keep both around. Much will depend on what Carolina is willing to pay<\/a>, but it may be worth Morgan’s while to find a developmental backup who can become a starting center over time.<\/p>\n

Pat Coogan is tough, dependable, and athletic. Once the Panthers fill other needs, he’s worth a look early on Day 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Indiana’s fairytale run to the college football national championship was a breath of fresh air. The perennial struggler…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2075],"tags":[235,260,2567,7,6,236],"class_list":{"0":"post-691131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-carolina-panthers","8":"tag-carolina","9":"tag-carolina-panthers","10":"tag-carolinapanthers","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-panthers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115927446028110886","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}