What should Carolina Panthers do in first round of NFL Draft? Here’s my plan
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- After making playoffs, Panthers hold the No. 19 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Oregon teammates Thieneman and Sadiq are two excellent possibilities for Carolina.
- If Thieneman and Sadiq are both gone, an offensive tackle would fit the bill.
Ah, the NFL draft: that three-day information overload in April where we are showered with 40 times, wingspans and three-cone drills. Everyone is an expert, yet no one is that much of an expert. Inevitably, there are surprises, premature grades, draft-day parties, Mel Kiper hair jokes and lots of references to Kevin Costner.
Which brings me to the Carolina Panthers, which nailed the 2025 draft and rode many of those players to their first berth in the NFL playoffs since 2017. If the 2026 draft can work out even 80% as well as that one for Carolina, I’d consider it a success.
The degree of difficulty will be higher this year, with the Panthers holding the No. 19 pick in the first round rather than their usual spot in the top 10. They picked wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 a year ago, and all TMac did was become the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and quarterback Bryce Young’s primary weapon.
At 19, the Panthers will be much more dependent on what happens in front of them. I don’t really see them trading up. This remains a team that went 8-10 last season, including the playoffs, and one that should still value quantity over quality.
But the choices will be enticing. My colleague Mike Kaye studies the draft closely, and he believes that Carolina will end up with one of these players, assuming they stay put at No. 19.
In alphabetical order, by player’s last name:
- Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion
- Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr.
- Miami outside linebacker Akheem Mesidor
- Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq
- Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman
- Whatever high-ranking offensive tackle falls further than expected
Now you could make a case for all of these players, and many more. But let’s narrow the field, shall we?
Despite general manager Dan Morgan’s protestations to the contrary, I don’t believe he will actually pick a wideout in the first round for the third year in a row. He and head coach Dave Canales will take a wideout somewhere, yes. And they’ll take an offensive tackle, too.
But in the first round? I would guess not, on either position.
And after spending all that money on Jaelan Phillips and picking two edge rushers in their first three picks in 2025, choosing another pass-rushing linebacker like Mesidor in the first round doesn’t make sense to me.
That leaves me with Sadiq and Thieneman, the Oregon teammates. Probably one will be gone by 19. But if neither are?
What a decision. I’d consider the Panthers fortunate to get either one.
Sadiq is the kind of tight end built for today’s game. He can make acrobatic catches, he can run and he would give the Panthers another chance to get the production they have missed out of that key position since Greg Olsen left the league and stepped into the broadcast booth.
Then there’s Thieneman. He makes plays all over the field and did so not only at Oregon but at Purdue in his first collegiate stop. His 40 time at the scouting combine was a dazzling 4.35. He can run and help protect the deep middle, but he’s also very good at filling a rushing lane. Safety is often an underrated position in the NFL, and the Panthers typically have filled it with role players rather than potential stars (although Tre’von Moehrig’s $51-million contract proves that this regime values it more than previous ones have).
But these days in a pass-happy NFL, having reliable safeties can make the difference between a win and a loss. If a guy like Thieneman had been on the field covering the tight end, would the L.A. Rams have sliced and diced Carolina on that final drive in the 34-31 playoff loss?
Well, that was quarterback Matthew Stafford, and he’s a future hall of famer — so yeah, the Rams might have done exactly that.
Still, Thieneman would have given the Panthers a better shot at it.
If Thieneman’s there, I would take him.
If he’s not but Sadiq is, I’d take Sadiq.
And if neither one of them is? Give me an offensive tackle. You can never have enough of those.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "What should Carolina Panthers do in first round of NFL Draft? Here’s my plan."
