April 26, 2026, 7:30 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
With their first NFC South title defense in a decade awaiting them, the Carolina Panthers<\/a> entered this offseason looking for more competition in their own building.<\/p>\n Their search came up big in free agency<\/a>\u2014where the front office reeled in the likes of pass rusher Jaelan Phillips, Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd and left tackle Rasheed Walker. They also retained much of their own depth, re-signing 14 in-house free agents from the division-winning 2025 squad.<\/p>\n That hunt picked up again on Thursday, with the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>. And following three long days, the Panthers are walking out of the weekend as a more potent contender than they were coming in.<\/p>\n But as the competition on the roster grows, some of the fates of the ones who were already there have changed.<\/p>\n Here are the Panthers’ biggest winners and biggest losers from their 2026 draft . . .<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a>Winner: QB Bryce Young<\/p>\n Once again, Carolina used their most valuable pick to build around their quarterback. The Panthers, in each of the three drafts since taking Young No. 1 overall in 2023, have used their first-rounder on offense.<\/p>\n This time, it was University of Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling\u2014who was nabbed with the 19th overall selection<\/a>. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound prototype at tackle, whether he’s in the starting lineup or not come Week 1, only adds to Young’s expensive and deep security detail.<\/p>\n Young will also welcome in a new pass catcher and a new center . . .<\/p>\n Loser: WR Xavier Legette<\/p>\n In allowing the value to come to them, the Panthers were able to scoop up<\/a> University of Tennessee wideout Chris Brazzell II in the third round. The 6-foot-4 first-team All-SEC selection has the eye-popping length and startling speed to stretch the field and add a fresh dimension to the Carolina offense.<\/p>\n That addition may not bode well for the team’s 2024 first-round pick in Legette, who hasn’t found his footing in the NFL. As Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker established themselves atop the pecking order in 2025, Legette struggled and saw his snap count gradually decrease as the season wound down.<\/p>\n While Brazzell is a different kind of threat in terms of play style, Legette will face some competition for the No. 3 spot in the receiver room.<\/p>\n Loser: C Luke Fortner<\/p>\n And now for the new center, Kansas State University’s Sam Hecht. Despite being considered one of the very top players at his position in this class, the first-team All-Big 12 hog molly dropped to the fifth round<\/a>\u2014and right into Carolina’s lap.<\/p>\n Hecht started 25 games for the Wildcats in his last two seasons in Manhattan, and allowed zero sacks in 796 pass-blocking snaps over that time. If he can put it together through the summer, he’ll be able to challenge Fortner, who’s only signed<\/a> on a one-year deal worth under $5 million, for the starting job.<\/p>\n Losers: OTs<\/p>\n We stay on the offensive line, but go back to Freeling. His selection certainly doesn’t add any confidence in the outlook for usual starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who is currently recovering from a torn patellar tendon<\/a> while on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.<\/p>\n Freeling’s presence is also a warning for Walker, the projected Week 1 starter on the blindside. Walker inked<\/a> a modest one-year, $4 million pact with the Panthers in hopes resetting his value for next offseason, but could\u2014at some point\u2014be nudged from the position by the organization’s shiny new toy.<\/p>\n Even longtime starting right tackle Taylor Moton might’ve put on notice. There could be a scenario in 2027 where Ekwonu returns at left tackle and Freeling takes over on the right, which could spell the end of Moton’s time in Carolina.<\/p>\n Winners: TEs<\/p>\n After being heavily linked<\/a> to some of the draft’s top tight ends such as Kenyon Sadiq and Oscar Delp, the Panthers came away with zero picks at the position. That, obviously, is great news for Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans.<\/p>\n 2026 could be make-or-break campaigns for Tremble and Sanders. The former is on the final year of his deal and the latter has been pretty underwhelming as a receiving option.<\/p>\n Evans flashed at times as a rookie. He’ll have a more open runway to the top of the depth chart.<\/p>\n Winner: LB Trevin Wallace<\/p>\n The Panthers were also expected to use an early pick on an inside linebacker such as Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. or Missouri’s Josiah Trotter. But the only ‘backer they grabbed<\/a> was Miami of Ohio’s Jackson Kuwatch\u2014all the way back in the seventh round.<\/p>\n Although he does have some exciting traits, Kuwatch is unlikely to challenge Wallace for the starting spot next to Lloyd.<\/p>\n Losers: DLs Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III<\/p>\n Not only did the Panthers take a defensive lineman in the second round, but they traded up to do so. That leap got them<\/a> some solid value at the 49th overall pick in Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-3, 318-pounder played the majority of his snaps in college at the B gap. While Hunter has lined up as a nose tackle, Brown’s spot, he may pose a bigger threat to Wharton’s burn as the Panthers look to replace A’Shawn Robinson.<\/p>\n