{"id":701294,"date":"2026-01-24T11:05:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T11:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/701294\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T11:05:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T11:05:32","slug":"panthers-mock-draft-roundup-1-0-tracking-the-latest-2026-projections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/701294\/","title":{"rendered":"Panthers mock draft roundup 1.0: Tracking the latest 2026 projections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, it’s already that time of the offseason, Carolina Panthers<\/a> fans.<\/p>\n

With mock drafts popping up more and more often, especially as the playoff field whittles down, we have ourselves a pretty decent sample size of predictions for Carolina’s 2026 first-round pick<\/a>. And so far, the Panthers are going heavy on defense.<\/p>\n

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Here, in our first roundup of the year, are the latest projections for the Panthers and the 19th overall selection . . .<\/p>\n

ESPN<\/p>\n

Pick: CJ Allen, LB, Georgia<\/p>\n

Author: Mel Kiper Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n

Take: Carolina took a big step forward on defense (and overall) this season, but there’s a looming void in the middle.\u00a0Christian Rozeboom\u00a0is a free agent, and the Panthers could use a three-down middle linebacker to step in. Allen is a read-and-react player who sees it and goes. In 2025, Allen had 97 tackles. He also can chip in with the pass rush, and you’ll see him drop in coverage on tape.<\/p>\n

The Athletic<\/p>\n

Pick: Peter Woods, DL, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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Author: Dane Brugler<\/a><\/p>\n

Take: To be serious contenders in the NFC, the Panthers need more impact players on the defensive line.<\/p>\n

Woods didn\u2019t have the 2025 season that evaluators expected, but he is a nimble big man with the agility to threaten gaps and chase the football. One would like to see more proof of concept on his tape, but the flashes show an ascending player.<\/p>\n

Pro Football Focus<\/p>\n

Pick: Kayden McDonald, DL, Ohio State<\/p>\n

Author: Gordon McGuinness<\/a><\/p>\n

Take: McDonald is much more effective as a run defender than as a pass rusher, and that run-stopping prowess makes him still worthy of a top-20 selection. He earned a 91.2 PFF run-defense grade and recorded a 13.2% PFF run-stop rate in 2025.<\/p>\n

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Pairing McDonald with\u00a0Derrick Brown\u00a0on the Panthers’ interior would create a brick wall in run defense without forcing too many players at the second and third levels to sell out in the ground game.<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

Pick: Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M<\/p>\n

Author: Daniel Flick<\/a><\/p>\n

Take: The Panthers tapped into Texas A&M\u2019s well of pass rushers last season, using a second-round pick on Nic Scourton, who had five sacks in an encouraging rookie campaign. They should consider returning to College Station. Carolina needs to add a bell-cow pass rusher and few more consistently disruptive players, more dominant than Cashius Howell. Wiry and undersized at 6′ 2″ and 249 pounds, Howell may never be an above-average run defender, but he\u2019s a ready-made pass rusher. He\u2019s explosive off the snap, wins around the perimeter and on inside counters, and he has enough power to condense pockets.<\/p>\n

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CBS Sports<\/p>\n

Pick: Makai Lemon, WR, USC<\/p>\n

Author: Josh Edwards<\/a><\/p>\n

Take: Carolina has greater weaknesses than wide receiver and has invested significant draft capital into the position to little avail beyond Tetairoa McMillan. Makai Lemon is a smaller slot receiver who is grounded through the catch, a complement to McMillan’s skill set.<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports<\/p>\n

Pick: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson<\/p>\n

Author: Charles McDonald<\/a><\/p>\n

Take: The Panthers still need a ton of playmakers on both sides of the ball, but getting after the passer has been a huge problem for them, and it was again for much of Saturday\u2019s wild-card loss to the Rams. They start to attempt to alleviate that with the selection of Parker here.<\/p>\n

Follow\u00a0@ThePanthersWire<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter\/X for more Panthers content.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers mock draft roundup 1.0: Tracking the latest 2026 projections<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yes, it’s already that time of the offseason, Carolina Panthers fans. With mock drafts popping up more and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701295,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2075],"tags":[235,260,2567,10628,11404,7,6,748,236,190,7722,1453],"class_list":["post-701294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-carolina-panthers","tag-carolina","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-carolinapanthers","tag-christian-rozeboom","tag-derrick-brown","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-nic-scourton","tag-panthers","tag-pass-rusher","tag-peter-woods","tag-tetairoa-mcmillan"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115949753391249218","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701294","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=701294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}