The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away - and to celebrate - we’re doing a two-round mock draft with trades.

Just this week, we essentially got confirmation that the first overall pick is going to be Fernando Mendoza (not that we didn’t already know this), and many analysts came out hinting that David Bailey is the favorite at the second overall pick.

Rumor season also means smokescreen season - but that also mean’s it’s the best time of year.

If you’re interested in learning more about each of the prospects mentioned in this mock draft, check out our Carolina Panthers draft guide: it’s free and available now.

1. Las Vegas Raiders - Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)

Kirk Cousins basically all but confirmed that the Raiders would be taking Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. The only question now is whether the Raiders will waste our time by using up the entire pick clock before submitting Mendoza’s name.

2. New York Jets - David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech)

This pick looks to be trending in the direction of David Bailey - who was arguably the most accomplished pass-rusher in college football in 2025. He’s someone that requires less projection than Arvell Reese, and he’s got prototype-type length for the position.

3. Dallas Cowboys - Arvell Reese (EDGE, Ohio State)

*Cowboys trade picks 12 & 20 to the Cardinals for pick #3.

Surprise! Everything Dallas has done over the past six months has indicated they want to be aggressive. Arvell Reese being available at pick #3 would be a unique circumstance, and while the Cardinals certainly could stick and pick him, they have so many holes on their roster. Dallas, in this scenario, values Reese more than any two players in the mid-first round.

4. Tennessee Titans - Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State)

All of the speculation here is about Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, but I can’t get over the opportunity that the Titans have to add to their horrendous receiving core. Tate is the best receiving prospect in the draft. The Titans still will have the opportunity to take a RB on day two (Jadarian Price, maybe?).

5. New York Giants - Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)

John Harbaugh values the linebacker position, and Styles is the best prospect at the position that we’ve seen in a long time. This is another spot where we could see Love, but it’s harder for me to see a world where the Giants pass up on Styles.

6. Cleveland Browns - Makai Lemon (WR, USC)

One of the trends I think we’ll see is wide receivers going earlier than expected. Lemon was the most productive pass-catcher in college football last season, and he should be someone that the analytically-minded front office in Cleveland values. Truthfully, there’s just not an offensive lineman worthy of this pick, even with Mauigoa still on the board.

7. Washington Commanders - Jeremiah Love (RB, Notre Dame)

This, to me, is the spot for Love. The Commanders are a team that needs the juice but has some proof of concept as a playoff team already. Rather than being what the offense is built upon, Love is an accelerant for what should be a solid base already.

8. New Orleans Saints - Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)

The Saints could truly go in any direction here. With two receivers off the board as well as both Reese and Bailey, this pick came down to Delane and Bain.

But looking at the Mickey Loomis draft history, New Orleans almost exclusively opts for bigger defensive ends. Delane is someone that should come in and start as the team’s best cover corner on day one.

9. Kansas City Chiefs - Rueben Bain Jr. (EDGE, Miami FL)

The Chiefs aren’t a team that typically cares about size thresholds, ending Rueben Bain’s slide. For what it’s worth, I’d take Bain with the second overall pick.

10. Cincinnati Bengals - Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)

There’s an argument to be made that Downs should fall further than this due to positional value, but Downs is the best prospect in the draft regardless of position, if you asked me - and I think he walks into the Bengals defense as a game-changing secondary piece.

11. Miami Dolphins - Francis Mauigoa (OT, Miami FL)

The Dolphins are kicking off a tear-down, and most general managers prioritize trench play in this situation. Mauigoa could be selected as high as third overall, and should start in year one for Miami.

12. Arizona Cardinals - Spencer Fano (OT, Utah)

*Cardinals receive picks 12 & 20 from Cowboys in exchange for pick #3

Similarly to the Dolphins, Arizona is staring down a pretty rough 2026-27 season. They need a tackle opposite Paris Johnson, and while some view Fano is more of an interior player, I think Fano is as close to you can get as a guaranteed NFL starter - at one position or another.

13. Los Angeles Rams - Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)

The Rams took Sadiq’s teammate in Terrance Ferguson last year in the second round, but Sadiq is a different caliber of player. The Rams have been looking for a field-shifting tight end for several years now, and this would be the perfect opportunity to land one.

14. Baltimore Ravens - Vega Ioane (OG, Penn State)

The Ravens need to fortify their trenches, and after rescinding the Maxx Crosby trade, they have a few different options with this pick. Ioane would slot right into their interior, though, and is the cleanest plug-and-play guard in the entire draft class.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Akheem Mesidor (EDGE, Miami FL)

There’s older players, and then there’s Akheem Mesidor. The Buccaneers are one of the teams I could see taking Mesidor as a win-now pass-rusher. Tampa has struggled for a while with juice off the edge, and with a coach on the hot seat, he may be the best bet for pressuring the quarterback in 2026.

16. New York Jets - Omar Cooper Jr. (WR, Indiana)

There’s a lot of different receivers to pick from here, and Omar Cooper is certainly a dynamic option. The Jets look to be building out the infrastructure for a potential QB pick in 2027, and Cooper gives New York an exciting Robin to Garrett Wilson’s Batman.

17. Detroit Lions - Kadyn Proctor (OT, Alabama)

There is going to be a team that sees Kadyn Proctor’s physical traits and takes him early. In this case, he’d be the future right tackle of the Detroit Lions.

18. Minnesota Vikings - Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)

Everyone has type-cast Dillon Thieneman to Minnesota, but I think McCoy makes too much sense as an outside corner if he falls to this spot. The Vikings signed James Pierre to a small deal, but McCoy might have been a top-5 pick if he played at all in 2025.

19. Carolina Panthers - KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)

I maintain the stance of Carolina’s biggest need being wide receiver in spite of their heavy investment at the position recently. They simply do not have any dynamic element on their offense. On draft night, I think this pick comes down to one of Omar Cooper, KC Concepcion, Kenyon Sadiq, or an offensive tackle.

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20. Arizona Cardinals - Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)

*Cardinals receive picks 12 & 20 from Cowboys in exchange for pick #3

The Cardinals picked up this pick when they moved down from 3 to 12 in this mock. Thieneman is a dynamic safety that can play in a variety of roles. For a team that needs to add building blocks in any way possible, Thieneman makes sense as a chess piece on the back end of the defense.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers - Monroe Freeling (OT, Georgia)

The Broderick Jones experience at left tackle could be going better, but moving Jones to guard while Freeling steps in at tackle is a plan I could get behind.

22. Los Angeles Chargers - Chase Bisontis (OG, Texas A&M)

The Chargers need more pieces on the interior of their offensive line, and I think they will be determined to avoid their OL catastrophe from 2025.

23. Philadelphia Eagles - Max Iheanachor (OT, Arizona State)

I could see a world in which Iheanachor goes much, much earlier than this. But he feels like a Howie Roseman-type pick, right? He’s a toolsy tackle that moves well, is developmentally young, and showed some of the better flashes of any tackle in this draft.

24. Cleveland Browns - Caleb Lomu (OT, Utah)

Despite the Browns passing on OL earlier in this mock draft, they are still able to grab a left tackle prospect that should start for them in 2026.

25. Chicago Bears - Keldric Faulk (EDGE, Auburn)

Chicago could attack a variety of different spots in their front seven, but Faulk has fallen far enough. He’s a big defensive end that should be an NFL starter simply because of his edge-setting ability.

26. Buffalo Bills - Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)

The Bills gave up a second-round pick for DJ Moore already, but Tyson is a talent that could complete their receiver room. He’s a big, fast receiver with unreal ball skills but medical red flags. Brandon Beane needs to ensure his pass-catchers don’t let down Josh Allen again.

27. San Francisco 49ers - Keylan Rutledge (OG, Georgia Tech)

The 49ers have needed offensive line forever, and Rutledge is a versatile piece that could start at any interior spot.

28. Houston Texans - Peter Woods (DT, Clemson)

Peter Woods was once considered a no-doubt top-five pick. This season didn’t go as planned, but there’s a scenario where the talent wins out and the Texans make out like bandits with this pick.

29. Kansas City Chiefs - Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)

The Chiefs’ current starting secondary is rough, and Hood is a corner that projects as an immediate starter. He’s provide help on the outside, though there likely are some growing pains - like most rookie corners.

30. Miami Dolphins - Malachi Lawrence (EDGE, UCF)

After adding Mauigoa with their first pick, the Dolphins turn right back around and grab a front-seven player. The buzz for Lawrence in the first round is real, and the Dolphins need to stack talent along the defensive line. Lawrence is a very fun fit alongside Kenneth Grant and Chop Robinson.

31. New England Patriots - Blake Miller (OT, Clemson)

The Patriots still have a need for offensive line, and none of the receivers available here make sense in New England’s offense. Blake Miller could compete from the jump with Morgan Moses, and in the worst-case provides depth in year one. I don’t think Vrabel wants to take chances on the offensive line.

32. New Orleans Saints - Denzel Boston (WR, Washington)

*Saints trade pick #42 and a third-round pick to Seattle for pick #32

In this scenario, the Saints receivers being plucked off the board and move up to grab someone that would fit really well in their offense. Denzel Boston is a true X-WR that can bring down contested grabs. He’d play a valuable role - one that teams value more than people think.

Round Two

33. New York Jets - CJ Allen (LB, Georgia)

34. Arizona Cardinals - Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama)

35. Tennessee Titans - Jadarian Price (RB, Notre Dame)

36. Las Vegas Raiders - Germie Bernard (WR, Alabama)

37. New York Giants - D’Angelo Ponds (CB, Indiana)

38. Indianapolis Colts - Elijah Sarratt (WR, Indiana)

*Texans trade pick #38 to the Colts for pick #47 and a third-round pick

The Colts went from having a ton of receiving talent to being down to two starting-caliber players at the position. Sarratt is a player that could play the Pittman role, even if he’s not going to be as good of a player in 2026.

39. Cleveland Browns - Emmanuel Pregnon (OG, Oregon)

40. Kansas City Chiefs - Max Klare (TE, Ohio State)

41. Cincinnati Bengals - Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)

42. Seattle Seahawks - Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State)

*Saints trade pick #42 and a third-round pick to Seattle for pick #32

The Seahawks getting Chris Johnson this late would be a steal. He’s an uber-fluid corner that could step in and start from the jump. I find it very likely that Seattle trades down from the 32nd overall pick, given they only have four selections in 2026.

43. Miami Dolphins - Avieon Terrell (CB, Clemson)

44. New York Jets - Gennings Dunker (OG, Iowa)

45. Baltimore Ravens - Christen Miller (DT, Georgia)

46. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech)

47. Houston Texans - Connor Lew (C, Auburn)

*Texans receive pick #47 and a third-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts for pick #38

48. Los Angeles Rams - Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo)

*Rams receive pick #48 from the Atlanta Falcons for pick #61 and a third-round pick

Kenyon Sadiq and EMW is quite the haul for a team that didn’t really lose all that much in the offseason.

49. Minnesota Vikings - Caleb Banks (DT, Florida)

50. Detroit Lions - Zion Young (EDGE, Missouri)

This just feels like a Brad Holmes pick, right?

51. Carolina Panthers - Anthony Hill Jr. (LB, Texas)

I think general manager Dan Morgan will love Anthony Hill. He’s long, athletic, and a 3-year producer at Texas. For a team that wants more pressure on the quarterback, Hill provides a unique skill set that could help in certain packages. He’s almost like a diet version of what Carolina could have had in Jalon Walker.

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52. Green Bay Packers - Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)

53. Pittsburgh Steelers - Chris Bell (WR, Louisville)

54. Philadelphia Eagles - Oscar Delp (TE, Georgia)

55. Los Angeles Chargers - T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson)

56. Jacksonville Jaguars - Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech)

57. Chicago Bears - Treydan Stukes (CB, Arizona)

58. San Francisco 49ers - Antonio Williams (WR, Clemson)

59. Houston Texans - Eli Stowers (TE, Vanderbilt)

60. Chicago Bears - A.J. Haulcy (S, LSU)

61. Atlanta Falcons - Caleb Tiernan (OT, Northwestern)

*Rams receive pick #48 from the Atlanta Falcons for pick #61 and a third-round pick

The Falcons trading back seems inevitable - general manager Ian Cunningham has stated that they want to get more picks. The easiest way to go about that is trading back.

62. Denver Broncos - Josiah Trotter (LB, Missouri)

63. New England Patriots - Ted Hurst (WR, Georgia State)

64. Seattle Seahawks - Mike Washington Jr. (RB, Arkansas)

The Carolina Panthers Draft Guide is AVAILABLE NOW to ALL SportCLT subscribers. We’ve worked countless hours to bring this guide to you, and we’re incredibly excited to deliver an interactive, team-specific product.

You can look further into each feature below.

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Features:

• Top-100 Player Ranking, including profiles for each player

• Roster Breakdown, including potential draft fits for each position

• Our Guys: a list of 4-5 players each analyst is higher on

• Your Guys: Pick the players you’re higher/lower on and write about why. Then you can save your picks and share it on social media

• Open a Pack: We’ve got a retro sports card theme for the draft guide, and this feature allows you to “open a pack” of those player cards

• Draft Bingo: Play along with SportCLT as we play draft bingo during our livestream of the first round of the NFL Draft. Many, many cliches to be repeated.

The Panthers Draft Guide features:

• Top-100 Players, along with a player card for each one.

• Roster breakdown that covers every player and position, as well as players highlighted as roster fits at each position.

• “Our Guys” - SportCLT draft expert favorite players (no preview for this one 😉)

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:

• “Your Guys”

Have a hill you want to die on? Claim your takes prior to the 2026 draft with a tool that allows you to pick your guys, and your guys to avoid. Explain your reasoning and share your hot takes with friends.

• “Open a Pack”

Open a pack of cards to learn about the top-100 players. Each pack contains three colorful, stylish cards that give an overview of a draft prospect. We’ll have some SportCLT-related contests for this feature in the near future.

• “Draft Bingo”

Think you’ll spot all the draft night cliches during the first round of the NFL Draft? We’ll see, because you can generate a draft bingo card to compete against your friends (or in the SportCLT community).

The last time we spoke, the Hornets had dropped two straight at home and sat in the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. The best-case scenario looked like the eighth seed, as everyone around them seemed to be blowing out some tanking team every time they took the court. Fast forward to now, the Hornets are coming off a 4-0 week and now sit just a half-game out from the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

While the 5th seed is all but wrapped up by Atlanta, skipping out on the play-in altogether is still in play. However, barring rest, the remaining three games for Charlotte are against the current top-3 seeds in the Eastern Conference.

While the team should obviously shoot for as high as they can climb, winning 1-2 of these final three games is essentially a must, as falling into a three-way tie with the Florida team would boot Charlotte back into the 9/10 play-in game as the 9 seed. This would mean that the best-case scenario would be having to win two games to grab the 8th seed… yikes.

The Official Hornets Fan Rooting Schedule

Monday (4/6):

• New York Knicks over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM ET

  • You could flip this and say the Hawks, so the Knicks are stuck at 3 and rest against the Bugs on the 12th, but that is unpredictable, so I am not going to bank on lineup decisions.

• Detroit Pistons over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

• San Antonio Spurs over the Philadelphia 76ers - 8:00 PM ET

Tuesday (4/7):

• Charlotte Hornets @ Boston Celtics - 8:00 PM ET

• Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors - 7:30 PM ET

  • Major dilemma. While I lean Miami due to the 6th seed being in reach and the Raptors standing in the way, the Heat being pushed further down is only good for the Hornets due to the tiebreakers. These two teams meet again on the 9th. I say it is more of a “push” for this one, and we will re-evaluate our rooting interests for the matchup on the 9th.

Wednesday (4/8):

• Cleveland Cavaliers over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM ET

• Minnesota Timberwolves over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

Thursday (4/9):

• Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors - 7:30 PM ET

  • See April 7th write-up.

• Houston Rockets over the Philadelphia 76ers - 8:00 PM ET

Friday (4/10):

• Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons - 7:00 PM ET

• Washington Wizards over the Miami Heat (Revenge for Bam’s 83 plz) - 7:00 PM ET

• Cleveland Cavaliers over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM ET

• New York Knicks over the Toronto Raptors - 7:30 PM ET

• Indiana Pacers over the Philadelphia 76ers (AHHHHHHHH) - 7:30 PM ET

• Chicago Bulls over the Orlando Magic (Young Bull legacy game?) - 8:00 PM ET

Saturday (4/11):

• No NBA Games this night

Sunday (4/12):

• Charlotte Hornets vs New York Knicks - 6:00 PM ET

• Boston Celtics over the Orlando Magic - 6:00 PM ET

• Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat - 6:00 PM ET

  • We’ll probably end up cheering for Atlanta by the time this game comes around, but who knows.

• Milwaukee Bucks over the Philadelphia 76ers (Let Giannis Play!) - 6:00 PM ET

Brooklyn Nets over the Toronto Raptors (Who are we kidding) - 6:00 PM ET

Tiebreaker Central

Charlotte Hornets:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Won 3-1 vs ATL

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 3-1 vs ORL

• Lost 1-3 vs MIA

Miami Heat:

• Losing 0-2 vs TOR (4/7, 4/9)

• Winning 2-1 vs ATL (4/12)

• Won 2-1 vs PHI

• Lost 4-0 vs ORL

• Won 3-1 vs CLT

Orlando Magic:

• Lost 2-1 vs TOR

• Lost 0-4 vs ATL

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 4-0 vs MIA

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Philadelphia 76ers:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Lost 4-0 vs ATL

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Lost 2-1 vs MIA

• Won 2-1 vs CLT

Atlanta Hawks:

• Lost 4-0 vs TOR

• Won 4-0 vs PHI

• Won 4-0 vs ORL

• Losing 2-1 vs MIA (4/12)

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Toronto Raptors:

• Won 4-0 vs ATL

• Tied 2-2 vs PHI

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Winning 2-0 vs MIA (4/7, 4/9)

• Tied 2-2 vs CLT

NBA Tiebreaker Rules

My big picture, Weekly State of the Hive Address:

I’d like to start here with a quote from someone whom I’ve watched a lot over the years of my life, thus far:

“Everyone… stay calm – EVERYONE STAY F****NG CALM!”

While the Charlotte Hornets fans are all in different varieties of panic mode right now, similar to the above-quoted Michael Scott during a fire drill – I think we all need to collectively take a breath of either: 1. Fresh air, or 2. A Xanax (if prescribed!)

A glass of water may even help, with so many of you on Twitter losing your voices with concern. Talking-head Dry-Throat Syndrome Lives matter, too.

I, and others before me, have called this Hornets season a ‘house money’ year. I’d like to really illustrate that real quick, so you all have an idea of where my head is at.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve only actually gambled on a few occasions. I don’t particularly love the firm grasp that gambling companies have in our world right now, so I consciously try to stay away.

But let’s imagine a world where I’m not protesting The Man in my own way (don’t worry, that’ll never actually happen).

Imagine not only a world where I gamble, but one where I’m a degenerate who’s lost all my money to the casino(s). I’m walking out towards the front doors, wallet empty, tears in my eyes… no hope. I’m down for the count, right? That’s the Charlotte Hornets of yesteryear. Gambled until broke, everything lost in a bout with the (metaphorical) NBA casino.

Left with 19 wins, and a wonder of if your star player(s) could even be on the court long enough to ever be a star player again.

Now, let’s take that degenerate gambler who’s bet their life into irrelevancy again. Our multiple-year sub-20 win Hornets, if you haven’t caught the drift by now.

You’ve finally finished the walk of shame to the front door with your pockets empty, your dreams, or soul, crushed, likely both, and you just don’t know where to turn.

Until, and this is how you know this is an allegory for certain, a casino worker walks up to you. He looks familiar, and he tells you his name is Bradam Tilver. He offers you a million more dollars to go gamble for free. Gamble once, Tilver says, and after? You can take the rest home if you’d like. On the house!

Well, it wasn’t Adam Silver or Bradam Tilver, but that’s exactly what our beaten and bruised multiple-season struggle bugs were gifted this offseason.

House money. At points this season, the complete overhaul has truly felt like a gift from the basketball gods. If you’ve watched years of dreadful Hornets basketball, that’s what this has felt like – so absurd and unbelievable that I can only compare it to a casino worker dupe of Adam Silver offering you free money that you can have on the house with no strings attached.

These Hornets have 42 wins after beating the Pacers on Friday night, guaranteeing a winning season for the first time since 2021-2022. Before that, 2015-2016, 2013-2014, and 2009-2010.​

The latter three seasons listed are the only times the Charlotte Hornets and Bobcats (since expansion in 2004-2005) have ever made the playoffs outright. 2021-2022 was a blowout in the first-ever NBA Play-In Tournament, not an outright appearance. Those 2021-2022 Hornets are still the highest-finishing tenth seed since the invention of the Play-In Tournament.

None of those years left you with the swell of future hope that this Hornets team has right now, internally and externally, regardless of their end-of-season outcome. Only a first-game bounce, particularly a blowout, in a play-in game could change the temperature gauge from where it is now.

Strings of bad games are going to happen, guys. Especially against good teams. These guys in purple and teal haven’t seen high-leverage basketball like this in almost 4 years. Some of them have never been in it at all.

It takes punches from elite NBA teams to learn how to eventually deliver blows of your own.

It was never going to happen this year. This is all for fun, a free one million dollars to gamble or take home, if you will, and to see where next year can take us. We all eventually get past the euphoria of a surprise team.

Even after the disillusionment sets in, everyone try and enjoy it while you can… This magical season is rapidly approaching its conclusion. Let’s not forget the joy that these 82 have given us along the way.

I don’t care how it ends, as long as it’s respectable (Please. I can’t watch another blowout in the play-in.)​

I just can’t wait to get there and see how it ends, instead of talking about it ad nauseam… again.

The other three segments of Owen Watterson’s weekly column will be posted at 5:00 PM EST, Saturday, April 4th, and can be found here.

I’m not so sure.

Sure, it probably isn’t great asset management to select three consecutive first-round receivers, or not have a single defender selected in Round 1 since 2021 (Jaycee Horn).

However, this offense still lacks an actual explosive playmaker - Carolina has ranked in the bottom ten in yards per play over the last two seasons, and is ranked 26th (2025) and 32nd (2024) in terms of total yards after the catch (YAC) during that same span.

With the modern approach to offense relying on explosive plays, Carolina really needs to add a playmaker who can create after the catch. Free agency only brought Bryce Young’s college teammate, John Metchie III, who is more of an underneath receiver as opposed to a tackle-breaking home run hitter.

Therefore, barring a late trade, the draft is the best solution to this issue.

Yes, Carolina can always add a receiver in Rounds 2-7, but the impetus of really adding a difference-maker means drafting one early. Luckily, there’s a local prospect that Carolina can add with pick 19 or in a potential trade-back scenario.

Let’s take a look at KC Concepcion.

Profile

Kevin “KC” Concepcion started his football journey in the Panthers’ home city of Charlotte. The phenom wide receiver helped lead Julius L. Chambers High School (formerly Vance High School) to consecutive 4AA state championships before earning his 4th star as a recruit.

Concepcion committed to NC State in 2022, a short two-and-a-half hour drive from his high school stomping grounds. Following two strong years where he recorded 124 receptions for 1299 yards and 16 touchdowns, Concepcion became one of the prizes of the 2024 winter transfer portal.

After taking visits to many high-tier programs, Concepcion eventually transferred to Texas A&M, where he would gain 61 receptions for a career high 919 yards and an SEC-leading 9 receiving touchdowns. Concepcion’s breakout season earned him a spot on the 2025 All-American team.

Pros

It’s easy to see why Concepcion was able to average a career-high 15.1 yards per reception this season - he’s electric after the catch. Along with high-end speed, Concepcion also possesses elite burst, giving him the ability to change directions quickly and accelerate to avoid tackles.

Not only does Concepcion do a good job of taking plays the distance, but he also operates as a deep passing threat in general.

Here against South Carolina, Concepcion tracks the ball well down the field and makes a contested catch through with two defenders ready to tackle. Despite the smaller frame, Concepcion can take contact.

Speed off the line of scrimmage and fluid open-field route running allowed KC Concepcion to dominate against a pretty good South Carolina secondary that will have at least two players drafted in a few weeks.

Concepcion’s 7 receptions for 158 yards in this game helped overcome a 30-3 halftime deficit to give A&M the win.

In general, shifty receivers with smaller frames are usually typecast into the slot receiver role. However, Concepcion can line up across the formation and will thrive doing so in the NFL.

In last season’s Lone Star Showdown, Concepcion starts in the slot but receives a jet sweep handoff to take a 10-3 lead going into halftime. Even with a lighter frame, Concepcion can still fight through contact to gain extra yards.

Ideally, you’d like for players to avoid contact rather than taking it, and Concepcion avoids contact like the plague. His ability to change direction should translate to the NFL from the moment he steps on the practice field for rookie minicamp.

Cons

While the frame reportedly isn’t as small as it looked on film, Concepcion still is not the traditional size teams might want for a Round 1 receiver. At 5-foot-11 and just under 200 pounds, Concepcion will likely struggle to break tackles from larger NFL DBs.

The other key blemish to Concepcion’s game are the drops - he amassed 19 through three seasons of college football.

There’s no way to sugarcoat this - 19 drops isn’t great. Perhaps the more troubling stat is that Concepcion had 7 drops in both 2024 and 2025, amounting to drop rates of greater than 10% in each of the last two seasons.

Some of this can be explained away with poor QB play, but it is almost certain that Concepcion will have a more consistent downfield thrower in the NFL than Marcel Reed was last season for the Aggies.

Regardless, KC will have to spend time on the Jugs machine during the offseason.

Team Fit

If Carolina decides Concepcion is too good to pass up, he could certainly be in play at Pick 19 or in a trade-back scenario. The scarcity of true first-round talent in this class could force a number of different prospects to be selected in the back half of Round 1.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and in my opinion, Concepcion would be an excellent fit in the Panthers offense.

What Carolina still lacks on offense, despite heavy draft investment, is juice, and as you can see in our SportCLT Draft Guide KC Concepcion card above, he brings the juice.

Explosive plays are the next frontier for this offense - and partially the reason that Brad Idzik is now the play-caller for this team. If Concepcion is added, it seems likely that Carolina understands how he can unlock the offensive potential.

In terms of snap count and overall lineups, it would be hard not to have Concepcion as the starting slot receiver in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs). It might sting to relegate former first-round pick Xavier Legette to the bench, at least on certain plays.

But bringing Concepcion’s explosive ability back to Charlotte to pair with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker may be too tough to pass up.

With three more weeks to go until the draft, it’s still hard to tell which direction Carolina will go with their first pick. Two years ago, Xavier Legette basically told the world the Panthers were drafting him, but last year the McMillan pick caught most fans by surprise.

Still, I wouldn’t rule out another first-round receiver, at least until Carolina finds the juice they’re desperately searching for.

For more draft content, check out SportCLT’s Draft Guide! Included are 100 Player Cards similar to the one above, a Draft Night Bingo game, our staff’s preferred players, and more.

We are thick in the weeds of draft season. The scouting combine is in the rearview mirror, pro days are wrapping up, and by the time a lot of people read this, we will officially be in the month of this year’s NFL Draft.

Since Day One of the NFL Draft is only a few weeks away (4.23), it’s time for the first installment of SportCLT’s Panthers Mock Draft Mondays.

Today’s mock comes from some of the group that put together our draft guide: Dylan Jackson and Jacob Lequire. Some quick rules before we get into it:

• Because there are two of us, this mock draft will only be three rounds

• Each of us must select a reasonable player for each pick - as much as we might want Sonny Styles at 19, he probably won’t be there

• No trades, it’s too far out to try and predict the intricacies of draft pick trades

With that settled, it’s time to see who each of us thinks the Panthers might take in Rounds 1-3.

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Round 1 - Pick 19

Dylan - Avieon Terrell, DB, Clemson

The Panthers were rumored to be exploring the nickel corner market during free agency, and it’s a significant area of need. Terrell is arguably the best defensive back in the back end of the entire draft and fits well into the Panthers’ defensive scheme.

Jacob - Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

While this may be a bit of a redundancy, the Dan Morgan regime hasn’t drafted a single OL to date. The potential Week 1 starters are in place, but at an enormous cost (Carolina has the most expensive offensive line, according to OverTheCap). Adding a rookie who has the potential to play both tackle spots and could take over for Taylor Moton in the future is a good pick for talent and financial reasons.

Round 2 - Pick 51

Dylan - Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern

It’s hard to find players as big as Caleb Tiernan who move as well as him. The addition of Rasheed Walker makes it to where the Panthers don’t have to invest a first-round pick at tackle, but they should still plan on using one of their first three selections at the position. Tiernan provides immediate competition to Walker as a potential starting left tackle in 2025, with a long-term goal of replacing Taylor Moton at RT.

Jacob - Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia

Draft fans are catching on to Delp as a prospect due to his recent success at Georgia’s pro day, but SEC fans have known how good he is all along. Delp is a legitimate receiving threat who can create after the catch. He is a plus blocker as well, giving the Panthers a perfect 12 personnel player (Carolina was 17th in 12 personnel rate in 2025 per FTN). This pick might seem a bit rich, but I’d be willing to bet Delp goes much higher than the consensus board has him right now.

Round 3 - Pick 83

Dylan - Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State

Bryce Lance is one of my favorite fits for the Panthers in this year’s draft. There will be questions about competition level, but the Panthers love these bigger receivers, and Lance has outstanding speed and field-stretching capabilities. That skill set is exactly the one missing from the Panthers’ current WR room.

Jacob - LT Overton, EDGE/DL, Alabama

Overton’s player profile might say “edge,” but don’t be fooled, the 278+ lbs lineman has the size and strength to play inside. The former 5-star has spent the last two years aligning at multiple spots for the Crimson Tide, and while the production stats might not be the best, Overton has the chops to make life easier for his teammates. Overton could play the edge on run downs and move inside to give Carolina’s OLBs favorable matchups on passing downs.

The Hauls

Dylan - Avieon Terrell (DB, Clemson), Caleb Tiernan (OT, Northwestern), Bryce Lance (WR, NDSU)

Jacob - Blake Miller (OL, Clemson), Oscar Delp (TE, Georgia), LT Overton (EDGE/DL, Alabama)

Both of us were keen on addressing the offensive line early in this class. Despite the signings of Rasheed Walker and Luke Fortner, the Panthers really need to look at obtaining rookie contract offensive linemen.

We also both selected weapons for Bryce Young within the Top 100 picks. While Carolina has added their fair share over the last two years, more explosive potential is still necessary for the team.

Throughout April, SportCLT will have mock drafts coming down the wire - this is just the first installment. Stay tuned to see how the rest of our staff sees Carolina attacking the draft.

For a more in-depth look at some of the potential prospects that the Panthers might add, check out our Draft Guide! Included are a 100 Player Big Board, Draft Night Bingo Cards, a gacha game for our Player Cards, and more.

Coming off a disappointing end to what was otherwise a very successful home stretch, the Hornets are still in the thick of the seeding race at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Although the loss to Philly cost the Hornets a potentially valuable tiebreaker over the 76ers, and the loss to Boston certainly did not help the cause, the Hornets remain within striking distance of reaching the 7/8 seed play-in game. Or at minimum, at least a chance at the 9 seed to earn homecourt advantage in the 9/10 seed play-in match. Either way, every game from here on out is essentially a playoff game for the bugs in a race to try to position themselves to qualify for the 1st Round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-2016 season.

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Standings Overview

The Official Hornets Fan Rooting Schedule

Monday (3/30):

• Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat - 7:00 PM ET

  • You could go either way here, but I lean towards cheering for Miami to lose, as they are much more attainable for the Hornets to catch.

• Boston Celtics over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:30 PM ET

Tuesday (3/31):

• Charlotte Hornets @ Brooklyn Nets - 7:30 PM ET

• Phoenix Suns over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

• Detroit Pistons over the Toronto Raptors - 8:00 PM ET

Wednesday (4/1):

• Washington Wizards over the Philadelphia 76ers (lol) - 7:00 PM ET

• Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

  • I lean towards cheering for the Magic to lose here, for the same reason as wanting Miami to lose on Monday.

• Boston Celtics over the Miami Heat - 7:30 PM ET

• Sacramento Kings over the Toronto Raptors (sigh) - 8:00 PM ET

Thursday (4/2):

• Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns - 7:00 PM ET

Friday (4/3):

• Charlotte Hornets vs Indiana Pacers - 7:30 PM ET

• Minnesota Timberwolves over the Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 PM ET

• Brooklyn Nets over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:30 PM ET

• Memphis Grizzlies over the Toronto Raptors - 8:00 PM ET

• Dallas Mavericks over the Orlando Magic - 8:30 PM ET

Saturday (4/4):

• Washington Wizards over the Miami Heat (oh come on) - 3:00 PM ET

• Detroit Pistons over the Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 PM ET

Sunday (4/5):

• Charlotte Hornets @ Minnesota Timberwolves - 7:00 PM ET

• Boston Celtics over the Toronto Raptors - 3:30 PM ET

• New Orleans Pelicans over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

Tiebreaker Central

Charlotte Hornets:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Won 3-1 vs ATL

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 3-1 vs ORL

• Lost 1-3 vs MIA

Miami Heat:

• Losing 0-2 vs TOR (4/7, 4/9)

• Winning 2-1 vs ATL (4/12)

• Tied 1-1 vs PHI (3/30)

• Lost 4-0 vs ORL

• Won 3-1 vs CLT

Orlando Magic:

• Lost 2-1 vs TOR

• Losing 0-3 vs ATL (4/1)

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 4-0 vs MIA

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Philadelphia 76ers:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Lost 4-0 vs ATL

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Tied 1-1 vs MIA (3/30)

• Won 2-1 vs CLT

Atlanta Hawks:

• Lost 4-0 vs TOR

• Won 4-0 vs PHI

• Winning 3-0 vs ORL (4/1)

• Losing 2-1 vs MIA (4/12)

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Toronto Raptors:

• Won 4-0 vs ATL

• Tied 2-2 vs PHI

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Winning 2-0 vs MIA (4/7, 4/9)

• Tied 2-2 vs CLT

NBA Tiebreaker Rules

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My big picture, Weekly State of the Hive Address:

We’re staring down a way-too-familiar tiebreaker situation at the back of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

For the Hornets (fans), at least.

I can imagine it now. There are nine games left, so bear with my daydreams for a moment here. Charles Lee is in the locker room. Last game of the season against New York is over, and the Hornets got the crap end of a big Eastern Conference tiebreaker.

“It’s okay, everyone. Home-court, play-in, playoffs – doesn’t matter. We’ll take anyone, anywhere.”

Lee gets a clap from his team, they break down the huddle, and move on.

Lil ‘ole me? Oh, I’ll never move on.

Easy for you to say, Charles! How inconsiderate of you not to think of the Hive and me!

You’ve done lots for the Hive, Charles. I’ll be transparent about my tiebreaker PTSD, so maybe you can understand why none of us want to see it happen again.

Let’s just… end the season on a fourteen-game win streak and call it a day.

Who can possibly stand another instance of 2015-2016?

Or the Finale 2013-2014 Bobcats, oh-so-close to avoiding the LeBron-led Heat, who were undefeated against the Bobcats and Hornets in his Heat tenure?

Most commonly known, the ‘15-’16 Hornets finished sixth in a four-way tiebreaker from the third-seeded Heat down to sixth-seeded Charlotte. I’m sure Steve Clifford gave an eerily similar message (I wasn’t there) to his team in ‘15-’16 after the season’s finale that my fake Charles Lee gave to a non-existent, hypothetical entity.

That didn’t matter in game seven of 2016 in Miami after the seeding doomed the universe to see Dwyane Wade clash with Purple Shirt Guy in game six, leading to a South Beach blowout versus the Hornets in game seven.

That same speech was rendered irrelevant in April of 2014, too, after another collision course with Miami occurred because the Washington Wizards did not lose on the regular season’s finale day.

The Bobcats beat the third-seeded Chicago Bulls to end the ‘13-’14 year; the Bulls, whom, had the Wizards lost on finale day, the Bobcats would have played instead of Miami.

The one time Charlotte DID own the tiebreaker in the past twenty years when it mattered, the Wiz of all teams (no offense, John Wall; that song was awesome when I was 14!) took care of business and didn’t give the ‘Cats the upper hand.​

If the Hornets had anything like their own version of the Red Sox “Curse of the Bambino” lingering around, we’ve seen this 2025-2026 version of the Hornets and the real Charles Lee squash most of whatever it was.

Hornets fans have seen lots of crap ends of the draw in the past two decades. From the lottery to bad draft selections to bad tiebreaker outcomes.

Hell, Charlotte hits big on another top-four selection for the third time in five years, and the NBA and Adam Silver COINCIDENTALLY come up with the most convoluted ‘anti-tanking’ solutions any of us have ever seen in pro sports.

Let’s keep busting the status quo, Charles. It starts tonight against the Sixers.

The last three segments of Owen Watterson’s weekly newsletter can be found here.

The Carolina Panthers Draft Guide is AVAILABLE NOW to paid SportCLT subscribers. We’ve worked countless amounts of hours to bring this guide to you, and we’re incredibly excited to deliver an interactive, team-specific product.

Paid subscribers will be getting instant, early access to the Carolina Panthers draft guide, while free subscribers will gain access on April 10th, 2026.

Supporting SportCLT by becoming a paid subscriber is the best way to ensure we can continue to make content that is engaging and interactive, like an entire draft guide website.

Become a paid subscriber to SportCLT to use the Draft Guide today. Become a free subscriber to gain access on April 10th.

The Panthers Draft Guide features:

• Top-100 Players, along with a player card for each one.

• Roster breakdown that covers every player and position, as well as players highlighted as roster fits at each position.

• “Our Guys” - SportCLT draft expert favorite players (no preview for this one 😉)

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:

• “Your Guys”

Have a hill you want to die on? Claim your takes prior to the 2026 draft with a tool that allows you to pick your guys, and your guys to avoid. Explain your reasoning and share your hot takes with friends.

• “Open a Pack”

Open a pack of cards to learn about the top-100 players. Each pack contains three colorful, stylish cards that give an overview of a draft prospect. We’ll have some SportCLT-related contests for this feature in the near future.

• “Draft Bingo”

Think you’ll spot all the draft night cliches during the first round of the NFL Draft? We’ll see, because you can generate a draft bingo card to compete against your friends (or in the SportCLT community).

If you are a paid subscriber to SportCLT, you can access the guide below. If you are a free subscriber, upgrade to gain access. Otherwise, you’ll get to use the draft guide on April 10th.

Supporting SportCLT by becoming a paid subscriber is the best way to ensure we can continue to make content that is engaging and interactive, like an entire draft guide website.

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The Charlotte Hornets will be immortalizing a jersey in the rafters of Spectrum Center on Thursday, adding to the lone Hornets name of the late Bobby Phills, and there is no better candidate than Phills’ teammate, Dell Curry.

The two shared the hardwood 55 times and were a part of the 97-98 Hornets team that handed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls their 21st loss of the season in the second round of the playoffs.

Now, the pair will be side-by-side in the rafters of Spectrum Center.

The history of the Charlotte Hornets and of Dell Curry began on the same date: June 23, 1988. The newly established team in Charlotte selected Curry with their first expansion draft pick.

And with that, he became the first-ever Charlotte Hornet.

Dell Curry wore the classic Hornets pinstripes for the next 10 seasons, becoming a legend in purple and teal. He holds what is still a franchise record of 701 games played, operating as one of the league’s premier shooters.

That shooting ability would earn him a slot representing the Hornets in two 3-point contests at the 1992 and 1994 All-Star weekend(s).

Curry averaged 2.9 3-point attempts per game across his 16 years in the league, with the ball finding home in the basket 40.2 percent of the time.

His best ball was played from ‘92 through ‘97, when he averaged 15 points for a Hornets team that reached the playoffs three different times.

Curry was an incredible bench scorer during that stretch. Consequently, received votes for sixth man in four of those years, and won the award itself in 1994 when he averaged a career high 16.3 points.

Curry remains the only Hornet to win the award.

When the time came to retire, Curry had become the franchise leader in points (9,839), field goals (3,951), 3-point field goals (929), and games played (701).

To this day, he remains in the franchise’s top ten for minutes played, assists, steals, and points, where he was only overtaken by the great Kemba Walker in 2018.

Curry was one of the true pioneers of the 3-pointer, helping to lay the foundation for the style of play that came after him. Upon his retirement in 2002, Curry was 10th in all-time 3-point field goals.

Curry would not stay out of basketball upon his retirement, though.

Mirroring his beginning with the Charlotte Hornets, he was working in the front office of the Bobcats upon their inception. He began work as the Bobcats’ Director of Basketball Relations in 2003. A year later, his role changed to become the Director of Player Programs.

Next, he held a brief role on Sam Vincent’s coaching team in 2007, but would pivot into a community role to follow his two sons in their young basketball careers.

Those sons, of course, were Seth and Steph Curry.

Seth has had a strong 12-year career in the league as a knockdown shooter with a career average 3-point percentage of 43%. Seth even played for the Hornets for a season and a half, where he, of course, wore the iconic ‘Curry #30’ jersey, invoking nostalgia amongst original fans who witnessed Dell play.

Seth naturally became a fan favorite, registering a career-high 45% 3-point percentage.

As for Steph, well, he went on to become the greatest shooter of all time.

Steph propelled the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships, winning two regular-season MVP awards along the way, among a long list of other awards and accolades. Naturally, he is the league’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals, with a staggering 4,233 to his name, and rising. Steph is widely regarded as a top-2 point guard of all-time.

Starting in 2009, Dell began calling Hornets broadcasts as a game analyst, which he continues to this day, now alongside play-by-play commentator Eric Collins.

The duo bounces off one another, making for an enjoyable viewing experience, regardless of the quality of basketball on court over the years.

They’re an incredible pairing and have since gotten their flowers on the national stage as they landed spots on Amazon’s Prime coverage for the 2025-26 season.

Curry frequently provides those broadcasts with sweet honey in the form of little pieces of information and insight that only a player of his locality, quality, experience, and understanding of the game could convey to the viewers.

Curry still represents the Hornets wherever he goes in an ambassador role. In 2019, when All-Star Weekend rolled into Charlotte, Dell participated in a 3-point charity shooting event alongside NBA legends Ray Allen, Glen Rice & Mark Price.

From 1988 to 2026, Dell Curry has proven it is only fitting to retire his jersey and honour his incredible legacy to the organization and city.

When current and future Hornets step out on that hardwood and peer into the rafters they’ll see “Curry #30”. Dell has and continues to give the franchise, city, and community his all.

He is what a professional athlete should be. He is an exemplary human being.

He’s THE Charlotte Hornet.

Dell has bled purple-and-teal for a rather fitting 30+ years. That level of loyalty and commitment is rare not just in the sports world, but in life.

His on-court play helped revolutionize the game. His charitable and personal efforts speak volumes to who he is.

Dell Curry represents what we should aspire to be: that of someone who represents and helps their community.

Not because there is some extrinsic reward attached, but because it’s the right thing to do.

Thank you Dell,

from Buzz City

As is now the precedent, a 30-pick mock draft has been completed to ensure that the selections on our board are as fair and reasonable as possible. The Hornets are now under our control - sorry, Jeff.

As of March 16th, the Charlotte Hornets own the 13th overall pick (their own) and the 20th overall pick (least favorable of ORL/PHX, via Nurkic trade).

Since the previous Mock Draft Monday installment, the Hornets’ lone 2026 second-round pick has been sent to Miami for the Terry Rozier situation.

With the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Hannes Steinbach - Forward - Washington

Hannes Steinbach will not be taking the court in the upcoming NCAA tournament following what could best be summed up as a disappointing season for the Huskies. Washington really struggled to form any sort of solid offense outside of what Steinbach provides, which is a blend of interior creation both as a scorer and playmaker, and what could be the best rebounding talent in the 2026 class.

Steinbach averaged 18.5 points per game making 61.8% of his two-point attempts. He shot 10.3 shots per night from inside the arc, and secured 4.2 offensive rebounds per contest.

The three-point shot, though not perfect, shows promise as he shot 34% from beyond the arc on nearly two attempts per game.

It’s easy to lump the 6-foot-10 center who lacks game changing athleticism into the defensive liability category, but Steinach actually averaged 2.3 stocks (steals + blocks) per game, and when you pair that with a nearly-unheard of 25% defensive rebounding rate, you see where his value comes from on that side of the ball.

Steinbach may not be a defensive playmaker, but with his good timing and glass dominance, he ends possessions after the first shot.

The Hornets are fond of this style of defense as we’ve seen this season, where rebounding has become their means of limiting opposing teams’ shot totals. Steinbach probably doesn’t offer the anchor style defense that lots of our fellow armchair general managers would insinuate that the Hornets need, but he does fit into the scheme Charles Lee has installed on defense, while significantly raising the capabilities of the offense with his at-the-rim creation and spacing potential.

Honorable Selections: Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. - Michigan

With the 20th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Tounde Yessoufou - Wing - Baylor

Baylor, like Washington, really struggled this year, but in a much more volatile way, with some very high highs and some pretty poor lows. Scott Drew’s offense really lacked a true initiator following the last-minute departure of now-BYU guard Robert Wright III.

Yessoufou was being touted as a lottery guarantee before the season, but has since slid quite a ways down draft boards. This all being said, we feel that his perceived decline has been due to a misunderstanding of what Tounde is at his best, or at least where he contributes the most at the NBA level.

Yessoufou, a 6-foot-5 wing who totes a very impressive and NBA-ready frame at a reported 215 pounds, is an athletic monster. We’ll learn more of his athletic testing at the NBA Draft Combine, but for now what we know is that Yessoufou is one of the premier transition finishers in all of college basketball.

His length allows him to generate steals that led to quick fastbreak scores for himself and others, and he converted his two-point field goals at a 57.1% clip, fairly respectable for what is otherwise an undersized wing. The big question mark around Yessoufou is the three-point shot, where he shot 30%, however that was on 5.4 attempts per night. Those shots, we’ll add, were not being set up for him a good majority of the time.

His self-creation is the key to unlocking some serious potential, but in a system with guards such as LaMelo Ball and Coby White to initiate, and the scoring gravity of Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, he will get lots of chances to do what he does best: finish plays.

The Hornets have gotten great production from the energy and defensive efforts of Josh Green, and while I do think Green’s role isn’t a key position of need for the Hornets, we view Yessoufou as potentially the best possible version of that particular archetype. Yessoufou will rebound, dive for loose balls, run in transition, and is just a physically dominant player who can guard nearly anybody on the perimeter. He embodies Hornets DNA, and whether you like it or not, Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson value that.

Honorable Selections: Joshua Jefferson - Iowa State and Nate Ament - Tennessee

This class adds players who, despite being typecast for their skills on one side of the court, provide help on both ends.

We see a world where Steinbach can play in place of or even alongside the likes of Moussa Diabate and/or Ryan Kalkbrenner given Steinbach’s ability to pass on the inside and his promising spacing potential.

Steinbach is a very skilled center who can make a mismatch pay in multiple ways. His mobility allows the Hornets offense to keep its pace more than many of the other center prospects would allow them too in this class.

Yessoufou has a mountain of potential, but the physical acumen alone makes the upside swing on a player this versatile worth it. He can quickly become somebody who, like Sion James, can be trusted early with key defensive assignments, and will be able to score as the game comes to him.

For what it’s worth, there aren’t many players who would be more fun to watch catch lobs from LaMelo Ball, than Yessoufou.

The NBA Draft cycle is in full swing with March Madness having arrived, and my personal big board has been tweaked relentlessly over the past few months.

This draft class is like none I’ve ever covered before: there is more talent at the top of the draft and there is more talent deeper in the draft. I can say it’s the “best” class of the past decade from a pre-draft evaluation.

The conversation at the top of the class will be an interesting one, with all three top prospects (Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and AJ Dybantsa) having a case to be the first overall pick.

Before we get into it, let’s talk about some of the traits I value, and the traits I tend to avoid.

Age and developmental curve: I really try to avoid ranking much older prospects higher, particularly if they were a late breakout. You’ll see players such as Yaxel Lendeborg and Thomas Haugh ranked lower here. Those are players that are a bit older and don’t have as much upside as other younger players in this class, to me.

Decision-Making: I tend to value players with a high feel for the game and quick processing speed. The faster a player makes a decision (dribble, pass, shoot), the better off they are at extending advantages and making up for athleticism deficiencies.

Rarity: I will usually value a skill set that is harder to come by. I like ball-handling wings, bigger playmakers, bigs that move well or shoot. I’m less inclined to rank common skill sets higher: smaller guards, power scorers, rim-running bigs.

As for now, my board goes as follows:

Tier 1: Worthy of #1 Overall

All three of these players are worth the first overall pick.

1 - Cam Boozer - F - Duke

I really do think Cam Boozer has continued to make himself the most valuable player in this draft class. I struggle to nitpick weaknesses in his game. While some will point to a lack of vertical athleticism and undercooked defensive prowess at times, Boozer has the makings of an elite offensive engine from the power forward spot.

Boozer is averaging 23-10-4 on elite shooting splits. He’s also doing that at 18 years old. That’s just not a player that comes around often.

While you could make a case for any of the top-3 prospects in this spot, my personal preference is Boozer, who I think has the highest floor and easiest scalability of any of the three. I think his ceiling is comparable to both of Peterson and Dybantsa, as well.

2 - AJ Dybantsa - W - BYU

AJ Dybantsa is a shot-hunting wing that had arguably the single-best game of any draft prospect this season against Arizona last month, tallying a stat line of 35 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 stocks.

NBA teams salivate over tall wings with ball-handling ability, and I’d currently bet on Dybantsa being the first overall pick.

3 - Darryn Peterson - G - Kansas

There are a ton of questions about Darryn Peterson’s time at Kansas, but looking from the outside - I’m willing to waive away some of those concerns based on his high school film.

In a perfect world, we’d have seen the explosiveness and playmaking that Peterson was able to show prior to his Kansas days, but a nagging injury and some general weirdness has dragged him down.

Still, I think there’s a scenario where a week into the NBA season, everyone recognizes that Peterson was very-much overthought as a prospect.

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Tier 2: Better Than The Rest

Caleb Wilson deserves his own tier.

4 - Caleb Wilson - F - UNC

Caleb Wilson is a long forward that showed many of the traits that NBA teams love - defensive intensity, rebounding, and flashes as a ball-handler and scorer.

Wilson reminds me a lot of Pacers forward Pascal Siakam from a length and movement standpoint. And while Siakam has grown as a shooter throughout his career, opinions about Wilson’s outside shot will determine how high he goes on draft night.

Tier 3: Early Lottery Grades

This tier is comprised of players that I think are worthy of being selected in the top-half of the lottery (first seven picks) in a normal draft class.

5 - Kingston Flemings - G - Houston

I’m fascinated to see the order at which the next four guards are taken on draft night, and I think it comes down to a team’s lead decision-maker’s “favorite flavor.”

Mine happens to be Flemings, who has explosiveness and playmaking that makes me think he is, at a bare minimum, going to be a franchise point guard for a long time.

I love how Flemings operates in the pick-and-roll, he generates rim pressure and is efficient in creating open, consistent looks for others.

My main concerns are around his shot diet. I’d like to see a greater volume of 3-pointers and free throws, but I’m all-in on Flemings being a primary creator at the next level.

6 - Keaton Wagler - G - Illinois

Since the start of 2026, Keaton Wagler is averaging 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game on 44/39/80 shooting splits. That’s incredible for a freshman guard.

There are some concerns about his athleticism, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a limiter on his potential. It’s hard to find guards that have the skill level of Wagner, and I’m willing to bet on his shooting and playmaking translating to the NBA level.

Wagler is a bit reminiscent of a prime Malcolm Brogdon - a high-efficiency guard that can flourish on or off the ball.

7 - Mikel Brown - G - Louisville

In the 20 games prior to sustaining a nagging back injury, Mikel Brown was climbing into the top-5 conversation, averaging 19/3/5 on 42/36/84 splits. He’s a really exciting young point guard prospect that thrives on his scoring ability.

I’d like to see some improvement regarding his efficiency across the board - as a shooter and playmaker, and making his 6-foot-5 frame a bit more pronounced on the defensive end.

8 - Darius Acuff - G - Arkansas

Darius Acuff is one of the most polarizing prospects I can remember. He’s unbelievably talented as a point guard. Acuff is tremendous as a scorer and playmaker for Arkansas. He’s averaging 23/3/6 on 49/44/80 shooting splits.

That’s just outrageous, and not something that should be normal for a 19-year old guard.

My questions around Acuff’s game are based on his defense. It’s bad, he is one of the worst guard defenders I’ve evaluated. And if he’s going to be so bad on defense, that will limit his value. Especially when it’s hard to see him getting much better on that end.

I mean, we just saw the theoretical Acuff ceiling comparison (Trae Young) get salary dumped at the trade deadline.

I’m far from being out on Acuff, I think he can be the offensive engine for an NBA team, but my questions about his value in a playoff setting (and defensive drawbacks) lead me to being lower on him than most.

9 - Brayden Burries - W - Arizona

I think Brayden Burries will be a consistent top-10 pick in Mock Drafts come June. I like his two-way style of play, and he’s productive as a 20-year old on one of the premier teams in college basketball.

He’s got size as a two-guard, can generate consistent rim pressure, and has shown efficiency from three.

10 - Labaron Philon - G - Alabama

I don’t think Labaron Philon goes this high in the NBA Draft due to the amount of guards in the lottery, but you can count me as a fan of his game.

Philon has tons of scoring ability, can playmake for others, and has shown some real “want-to” on the defensive end of the floor. I have concerns about his ability to hold up against the physicality of the NBA level, but think his game should translate nicely.

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Tier 4: Late Lottery Grades

Players that I think are worthy of being selected in the lottery most seasons. Generally I will have 10-12 players graded out at lottery prospects. This is not a normal draft class, however.

11 - Nate Ament - F - Tennessee

I get that Nate Ament has been falling on draft boards lately, but I can only drop him so far. Ament is a 19-year old, 6-foot-10 forward that had a 16-game stretch averaging 20/6/2.

That’s really good! Especially as an SEC freshman.

Ament could go as early as the fifth overall pick or as late as the 20th overall pick. I believe in the offensive talent, and think that the right coach and system could get the most out of him.

12 - Braylon Mullins - G - UConn

I believe that Braylon Mullins will be a pre-draft process riser. He’s got a lot more to his game than he was able to show at Connecticut this past season.

Mullins has some real athletic bounce, more of a handle than he’s shown, and, of course, the shooting. While I doubt he measures in at a true 6-foot-6, I think Mullins is more than worth a bet in the lottery.

13 - Jayden Quaintance - B - Kentucky

Jayden Quaintance is a pretty massive projection based on what he showed at Kentucky this past season. But my reason for believing in him comes from what he accomplished at Arizona State as a 17-year old in 2024-25: he averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks.

That is incredible for a player that should be a senior in high school.

I get the injury concerns, but Quaintance has been a special defender when on the floor. He’s worth a bet early.

14 - Morez Johnson - B - Michigan

Morez Johnson is my kind of big prospect. He’s big, long, moves well for his size, and has shown some real flashes of being able to shoot it from NBA distance. Johnson is efficient inside, has real touch from the free throw line, and brings elite rebounding.

I think Johnson will be able to hang defensively in the NBA, but his ceiling will be determined by how far his shot will develop. If it’s consistent and at volume, he could become a very valuable starter.

15 - Koa Peat - F - Arizona

I just can’t quit Koa Peat. He’s a physical presence that crashes the rim offensively, and shown some good positional versatility on defense.

It’s really hard for players with the physical tools and motor of Koa Peat to fail at the NBA level. And I think he’s got some solid feel for the game in his decision-making.

16 - Hannes Steinbach - B - Washington

Hannes Steinbach is one of the more under-discussed freshmen in college basketball, but he had quite an amazing season for Washington, averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds on 58/34/76.

Steinbach is the best rebounder in this draft class, though I’m not sure he will be able to consistently guard centers at the next level. And if he can’t do that, he will almost certainly have to continue to develop his outside shot.

17 - Christian Anderson - G - Texas Tech

While I’m not sure Christian Anderson declares for the draft this season, he would immediately bring two elite skills to the NBA: his shooting and passing.

Anderson is currently averaging 19 points and eight assists per game on 48/43/80. He’s a special perimeter talent, though I have questions about his ability to work inside the arc.

Texas Tech will almost certainly do their best to retain Anderson, in which case he’d be one of the best players in college basketball in 2026-27.

18 - Chris Cenac - B - Houston

Chris Cenac is a modern big prospect who moves well for his size (while not skipping out on any of the physicality). Cenac is a fairly unpolished prospect, he's not overly consistent as a shooter (and was not all that great at the FT line this season), but he’s a clean fit for almost any team that needs help in the front court.

A while back, Nic Claxton coined the term “project that can play.” Cenac fits into that mold, in my opinion.

19 - Karim Lopez - F - INTL

Karim Lopez is one of the more intriguing players in this draft, to me. He got much better as the NBL season went along, and was fairly productive considering his age.

It’s a weird profile, Lopez doesn’t move all that well for his size and has shown some inconsistency in his shooting, but he has length, great instincts on the basketball court, and a solid handle for his size.

20 - Bennett Stirtz - G - Iowa

I am not generally a fan of prospects this old, but Stirtz broke out the moment he was on a D-I college basketball team.

This season, he’s been absurdly efficient, averaging 20/3/5 on 49/38/85 splits on an Iowa team that is a slog offensively. I think, bare minimum, Stirtz will be a backup point guard, with the potential to be much more.

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Tier 5: First-Round Grades

These are the players that I think are worthy of being selected in the first round in most draft classes.

21 - Amari Allen - F - Alabama

22 - Ebuka Okorie - G - Stanford

23 - Yaxel Lendeborg - F - Michigan

Yaxel Lendeborg is a really good college basketball player, but I’ve got a lot of concerns about his age and NBA projection. Lendeborg will be 24 years old before stepping on an NBA floor for the first time.

And while the age in itself is not an issue (we’ve seen older prospects succeed in the NBA), Lendeborg isn’t really the ready-made role player he’s generally made out to be, in my opinion.

If he’s going to be a power forward, I’m not super confident in the long-range shot. Lendeborg has been inconsistent from outside throughout his college career, and only shot 34% from three on 4.3 attempts per game.

I see more Lendeborg more as a center, he’s versatile defensively and consistently generates both steals and blocks. But ultimately, I’m just not sure how much I value that type of player - especially if he will be entering the league at 24 years old.

I can see the vision, but Lendeborg just isn’t the bet I would make in the top-20 - particularly in this draft.

24 - Thomas Haugh - F - Florida

25 - Maleek Thomas - G - Arkansas

26 - Isaiah Evans - W - Duke

27 - Billy Richmond - W - Arkansas

28 - Tyler Tanner - G - Vanderbilt

I’ve come a bit more around on Tanner. While the size does scare me, I do buy into him being a defensive playmaker for his size, even if he will be targeted defensively due to his size.

29 - Cam Carr - W - Baylor

30 - Patrick Ngongba - B - Duke

Pat Ngongba is a very impactful interior defender when he’s on the floor, but the injuries scare me a bit with him.

31 - Tounde Yessoufou - W - Baylor

32 - Dailyn Swain - W - Texas

33 - Flory Bidunga - B - Kansas

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Tier 6: Second-Round Grades

These are the players that I would deem worthy of second-round picks in an average draft class.

34 - Aday Mara - B - Michigan

35 - Motiejus Krivas - B - Arizona

36 - Joshua Jefferson - F - Iowa State

37 - Henri Veesaar - B - UNC

38 - Dame Sarr - W - Duke

39 - Allen Graves - B - Santa Clara

I’m very intrigued by Allen Graves. He’s been very good when he’s on the floor for Santa Clara (and will test will in analytical models). I think the idea of Graves is probably much better than the actual prospect, in practice.

40 - Neoklis Avdalas - G - Virginia Tech

41 - Milan Momcilovic - F - Iowa State

42 - Maliq Brown - F - Duke

43 - Dash Daniels - W - INTL

44 - Alex Condon - B - Florida

45 - Zuby Ejiofor - F - St. John's

46 - Jaden Bradley - G - Arizona

47 - Tarris Reed - B - UConn

48 - Miles Byrd - W - SD State

49 - Tyler Nickel - W - Vanderbilt

50 - Paul McNeil - G - NC State

My big picture, weekly State of the Hive Address:

I’ve seen this prompt floated around a lot in radio and on national shows; fodder, in general. Not upset about that, in the slightest — it’s an incredibly fair question.

Michael Jordan and his 23XI NASCAR success since departing from the Charlotte Hornets as majority owner is what I’m referring to, of course.

You mean to tell me you guys don’t think about random, unifying, overarching sports-storyline themes throughout the week, too????

Shocker.

It seems to me that the big picture idea people want to believe when they think of Jordan’s quick success in racing is that he just cares more. More than he did about the Hornets, at least.

To be honest with you all, and I’ve done my fair share of Jordan ownership shaming, let’s be clear here; that couldn’t be further from the truth, in my eyes.

His whole issue with the Hornets is that he cared too damn much. People have the whole premise of the question they’re asking backwards.

This whole thought experiment about Jordan grew out of my anticipation for the start of F1.

Most people think American football is the premier team sport. It’s not even close – it’s racing. It may have always been racing. F1, NASCAR, or otherwise. To have an entire team of car engineers, a race engineer (crew chief equivalent), a pit crew, and a singular driver in the driver’s cabin all working in unison is a sight to behold.

It also takes a s*** ton of money, and people who know more than you do about engines, racing, strategies, and what makes a good driver.

Clearly, Jordan accepted incredibly quickly that he wasn’t the savant of NASCAR. That acceptance as an owner in the NBA, or a lack thereof, is what drove his Hornets and Bobcats teams to 0 total playoff series victories with MJ in charge.

Jordan thought that his standing as the best player to ever touch a court meant that he knew best about what would become great on a court, too.

I think immediately to 2015, Frank Kaminsky, and the four draft picks MJ and Charlotte turned down for the No. 9 pick from Boston and Danny Ainge, which became the Wisconsin Power Forward instead.

I’ve started to think that Jordan’s partial involvement in NASCAR in the years before selling the majority of the Hornets’ shares is what led him to give up 1/30 of the Governor’s seats. In my fantasy “People realize their own mistakes” world, at least.

It’s completely probable, though. What I said about racing is true. It’s totally dependent on trusting the people you’ve hired, and that’s the last thing MJ did in his tenure with the Hornets. Maybe his jump into racing made him realize all his flaws as an NBA owner.

After all, you could see it in the Last Dance as he reflected on how people viewed him during the 90’s: with tears in his eyes and an understanding on his face that he wasn’t perfect, but knowing he did what he had to do. Contrary to popular belief, the man behind the image feels emotion.

I like to look back and think that, despite my frustration with the Jordan era, all this success and excitement over the future that Charlotte has now?

Leads back to more than a simple decision to sell the team.

I like to think it goes back to MJ seeing a real race team and eventually telling himself, “Yeah, I haven’t been doing this right. Maybe these fans do deserve better, and I need a new challenge.”

That’s most certainly the dreamer in me.

You can read the final three segments of Owen’s weekly Hornets column here.

From the start of the offseason, much of what we’ve heard about the Carolina Panthers is that they wanted to be aggressive in their approach.

And, wow, were they ever.

On Monday, the Panthers were one of the biggest spenders (and actually handed out the biggest contract in all of free agency).

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Carolina rounded out their roster a bit more with some depth signings. And while the team certainly is not done making moves yet, I think we’re in a good enough place to grade the most notable transactions.

Paid subscribers will have early access to this article. Free subscribers will be able to access this post on Friday, March 13th.

Panthers sign wide receiver John Metchie III to a one-year contract.

John Metchie has had a rough go at it during his NFL career. Before playing a snap for the team that drafted him (Texans), he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Houston then found contributing receivers elsewhere, and taking a year off of football can really make things hard from a developmental standpoint.

Metchie has since bounced around from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Jets, totaling 29 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns in nine games for New York.

To date, that’s his best season in the NFL.

And look, I’m not going to kill the Panthers for adding a player that is essentially on a training camp contract, but I would be surprised if Metchie made this Carolina roster come fall, especially with the amount of competition there looks to be thus far.

Who knows, maybe there will be some leftover chemistry from the Alabama days with Bryce Young?

Grade: D

Panthers sign left tackle Stone Forsythe to a one-year contract.

Stone Forsythe is going to be competing for a swing tackle job on this Panthers roster. He’s nothing special, but has made starts for a Las Vegas team that had one of the worst offensive lines in football last season.

And to be honest? I actually don’t hate the process here. Many will point to how poor things were throughout the 2025 season for Forsythe, but if I’m being honest?

Sometimes a change in scenery can turn a bad offensive lineman into a respectable one.

I’m not saying Forsythe will be a consistent starter for the Panthers (or even someone that makes the roster), but there are so many offensive linemen that are put in untenable coaching situations and look much worse as a result. And that Raiders offensive coaching staff last season was a mess.

But Joe Gilbert and company? Maybe they’ll find something in Forsythe. I don’t hate the swing.

Grade: B

Panthers release defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, save $10M.

A’Shawn Robinson was one of the more underrated players on this Panthers football team this past season.

He was a consistent early-down run defender that paired well alongside Derrick Brown, and even filled in well in Brown’s absence during the 2024 season.

Robinson tallied 64 tackles and eight sacks over two seasons in Carolina. That’s solid production for being in a heavy rotation.

I think Robinson is a good player, and the Panthers should have been more aggressive in finding a way to keep him on the roster.

$10M isn’t a cheap price tag, though, especially with some of the moves we’ll be talking about in a minute.

But usually is it not a great sign when a player is released that he's immediately signed for more money than you saved. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ouch) almost instantly signed Robinson upon him hitting the market on a one-year, $10.5M contract.

Grade: C

Panthers maintain special teams unit.

The Panthers re-signed Thomas Incoom, JJ Jansen, Isaiah Simmons, and Akaleb Evans, each to one-year contracts.

All four of those players were a big part of Carolina’s special teams approach. Simmons in particular really shined as he joined the team late into the season, even blocking a punt in the Panthers’ wild card matchup against the Rams.

Grade(s): A

Panthers sign center Luke Fortner to a one-year, $4.75M contract.

I will grade this alongside letting Cade Mays sign with the Detroit Lions on a 3-year, $25M deal.

I think Luke Fortner is actually one of the better bets that Carolina could have made at center, especially in the absence of Cade Mays.

The Saints offensive line actually performed much better as the season went along, as Fortner took over for the injured Erik McCoy. Granted, some of the production can be attributed to the team switching from Spencer Rattler to Tyler Shough, but typically rookie quarterbacks are more reliant on their centers pre-snap.

I’m not saying Fortner was responsible for the Saints offense just exploding down the stretch, but I do think he had a part to play.

Fortner had the 7th-best pass blocking grade among centers, according to PFF.

Losing Cade Mays is a big loss for Carolina, but I think Fortner is someone that should come in and start for this Panthers team - and be consistent in doing so. In terms of an on-the-margins move, this one saved money while maintaining quality at the position.

I still would like to see Carolina spend a late-round pick on the interior offensive line, though.

Grade: A

Panthers sign quarterback Kenny Pickett to a one-year, $5M contract.

I get it, I get it, this is standard backup quarterback money. But man, this is just really underwhelming (especially when the Panthers are still going to be paying Andy Dalton in some capacity).

Kenny Pickett just isn’t good, even as a backup quarterback. In his last three starts, Pickett has three touchdowns, three interceptions, and two fumbles. That’s just not tenable, even as a backup quarterback.

He’s more mobile and will fit the Canales/Idzik offense more than Dalton did, but that’s about it. I would’ve preferred someone with a bit more promise (and variance) like Zach Wilson.

I’ve also never been a huge fan of paying real dollars to a backup quarterback. If the goal is to never want to turn to them, why invest serious roster cash into them?

I’m hoping the Panthers use a day three pick at the position.

Grade: F

Panthers sign linebacker Devin Lloyd to a three-year, $45 million contract.

Devin Lloyd was downright awesome for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025, and a big reason as to why the team won 13 games.

Lloyd accrued 81 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and five interceptions on his way to becoming a second-team All-Pro in 2025. He’s got first-round pedigree and has consistently gotten better throughout his career.

The Panthers are getting Lloyd as he enters his prime.

For the price, it’s somewhat surprising to see Jacksonville let him sign elsewhere. $15M per year for an All-Pro linebacker (even if it is just one season) feels like a bargain. I mean, Lloyd is set to make as much as Jamien Sherwood and Nick Bolton (despite getting less guaranteed money than both of those players).

Dan Morgan attacked the linebacker position (like he said he would in his combine media availability), and Lloyd should pair well with Trevin Wallace on passing downs.

Lloyd had the third-highest PFF grade (89.1) among all linebackers for the 2025 season. It’s hard to see any issues with the process from Carolina here.

Grade: A+

Panthers sign edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million contract.

I, like many, was the victim of a massive sticker shock when I first saw this contract. I thought there was a realistic shot that the Panthers would target Jaelan Phillips in free agency, but I did not anticipate it being in the $30M/year range.

That’s not to say Phillips isn’t a good player. And the more I’ve sat with the deal, the more I’ve come around to like it:

1. Phillips is a perfect scheme fit for Ejiro Evero’s defense. You can drop him in, he’s ready to go from day one. The Eagles run an almost-identical scheme.

2. Phillips is the 8th-highest-paid edge rusher in terms of average annual value. That will almost certainly decrease over the course of his contract, and more edge rushers are paid.

3. Phillips is a really good player that, while not having the elite sack production that typically warrants a deal of this caliber, consistently generates pressure.

Put simply, there were not many ways for the Panthers to guarantee that their pass rush would be upgraded for the 2026 season (draft picks are never guaranteed to work out, just look at Xavier Legette).

Phillips was one of the best edge rushers available this offseason, is coming off of a very productive and healthy season, and will only be entering his age-27 season.

That combination is hard to come by, so it’s easy to see why the Panthers were in on Phillips in such a major way.

We have to address the red flags though.

Phillips has had three different major injuries - one to his neck in college, one to his ACL, and one to his achilles.

The fact that Phillips is even able to perform how he did in 2025 is a testament to the work that he can put in, but we do have to acknowledge that he is simply going to be more prone to missing games.

This is a high risk-high reward signing that undeniably could prove worthy for the Panthers. A lot needs to go their way on this one, but I think it could happen.

Grade: B

NFL Free Agency is getting started at Noon ET on Monday. The SportCLT team will be keeping you updated on the latest moves from the Carolina Panthers.

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Each new update will be the closest to the top of this article so you don’t have to scroll.

March 10, 12:00 PM: Cameron Wolfe: Panthers looking for slot corner

Cameron Wolfe went on NFL Network to discuss the Carolina Panthers’ free agency signings to this point.

In doing so, he mentioned that the Carolina Panthers “are still looking for a slot corner.”

There aren’t many slot corners left on the market after the Amik Robertson and Alontae Taylor signings - but one name that the Panthers might find interesting is Roger McCreary.

McCreary was a slot corner who was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Rams for a late-round pick swap. He was hurt shortly after the trade, but would be worth a flyer on a deal up to $5-6M annually. McCreary would be an upgrade over former sixth-round pick Chau Smith-Wade.

March 9, 10:10 PM: Day 1 Recap

The Carolina Panthers walked away with a top EDGE and LB from the SportCLT big board.

Through one day, the Panthers free agency class consists of:

EDGE Jaelan Phillips (4 x $30M, $80M guaranteed)

LB Devin Lloyd (3 x $15M, $25M guaranteed)

QB Kenny Picket (1 x $5M)

March 9, 10:00 PM: BREAKING: Carolina has agreed to a 3-year contract with former Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

March 9, 6:19 PM: BREAKING: Carolina has agreed to a 1-year contract with former Raiders QB Kenny Picket, per Adam Schefter.

March 9, 12:42 PM: BREAKING: Carolina has agreed to a 4-year $120 million deal with EDGE Rusher Jaelan Phillips, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter

March 9, 11:45 AM: Keep an eye on Carolina for Jauan Jennings, per NFL Network’s Judy Batista:

March 9th, 10:30 AM: Follow the SportCLT big board as free agents are signed today. We’ve got a list of about 15 players each to keep an eye on for Carolina.

March 8th: Jeremy Fowler reports that the Panthers are in the market for Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd and Chargers EDGE Odafe Oweh:

“Carolina is lurking in several markets, likely seeking pass-rush and linebacker help. Players such as edge rusher Odafe Oweh and linebacker Devin Lloyd are considered good fits for the Panthers' defensive scheme.”

Takeaway: There’s been a lot of smoke around Devin Lloyd’s name in Charlotte media. We wouldn’t be surprised if this is a deal that happens relatively quickly when the tampering period opens.

The Sermon on the Spectrum (Center)

My big picture, weekly State of the Hive Address:

This was a last-minute idea, but I quickly realized (after I brushed off writing the whole sermon on this too quickly) that there are so many young fans who may not know who Gil McGregor is.

I’d like to change that, at least a little bit, for the ones who don’t. Young, or not.

Gilbert McGregor Sr. was the long-tenured partner of historic Charlotte Hornets’ PBP voice, Steve Martin. That’s what those of you who know of him probably think of him most for.

What you may not know is that Gil was one of the first few African-American men to play basketball for Wake Forest University. He was also part of the first group of students to integrate Hoke County High School in Raeford, North Carolina, as a teenager in the 60’s.

Wake was the first ACC school to award a scholarship to an African American during the integration era and the end of Jim Crow in 1965, to Norwood Todman. A friend of Todman in New York, Brooklyn Tech’s Charlie Davis, would be the second black basketball player at Wake, with Gil being the third. Davis was McGregor’s teammate, and in Gil’s senior year in 1970-1971, Charlie Davis was the first African-American to be named ACC Player of the Year.

Gil was, very literally, a real-time and active member of Atlantic Coast Conference and North Carolina basketball history.

Gil also played at Wake Forest despite receiving offers from John Wooden and UCLA (Where Lew Alcindor was their starting center), Dean Smith and UNC, Norm Sloan and NC State, Lefty Driesell and Maryland (right after his Davidson stint), and more.​

I think my favorite thing about Mr. McGregor from afar, and really, what made me want to briefly write about him, is that when he speaks on this, he is incredibly reluctant to refer to himself as a trailblazer.

How often are we all so quick as humans to want the credit for anything and everything? The first thing Gil will do is tell you that he didn’t go through it alone. He’ll also tell you that there is still so much work to be done today.

An excerpt from Kerry M. King’s profile on Gil in 2024, for the Wake Forest Magazine website:

“I don’t call myself a trailblazer because I was one of the first, but I wasn’t by myself. There were about 20 students who left Upchurch (the all-Black high school) to go to Hoke County High School. I don’t know how many came from Hawkeye (the Native American school). We didn’t have a lot of problems, there weren’t a lot of disruptions or fighting, and not a lot of racial issues that I can recall. I thought that was a good start, and I was part of that start.

“I can recall being on an activity bus going to a game in Dunn (North Carolina) and seeing a billboard on the side of the road with a picture of a klansman on a horse, and the sign says, ‘Welcome to Dunn: Fight integration and Communism.’ Seeing that didn’t make my foul shooting any better, but we gave it to them pretty good that night, and I got my revenge.”

McGregor continued in his same answer to King’s question of why he is reluctant to consider himself a trailblazer:

“Going to Hoke was not part of some movement. My parents and I didn’t go to a church where there were a bunch of people saying, “You have to represent the Black community and go to the white school.” My parents just said, “What would you like to do?”

“In 2017, which was the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation, I was asked to come back and be a part of that ceremony. I didn’t go because I was feeling that things have changed, but not as much as they should have changed. I’m not using the word “token” as it was used back in ’67, but I didn’t want to go back as a representative of how far we’ve come when we haven’t come that far. (In hindsight, he writes, he should have gone. “It’s all right to celebrate past success, but let’s not party too long before we get back to work.)”

Gil Sr. would serve as an academic adviser at Wake after his professional basketball career ended, before spending the rest of his career with the Hornets as a broadcaster.

Mr. McGregor retired in 2012 due to his declining eyesight from Glaucoma. For a long time beforehand, Gil already had vision problems. They dated back decades for him, King says in his WFM article, going back to multiple hits in the face from basketballs, as well as a detached retina injury suffered playing overseas in Italy.

“For a long time, I was a pretty good one-eye basketball player,” Gil told King. “Nobody knew.”

Isn’t that insane to you all? Not in a bad way, of course. I mean simply that, by way of watching Gil on old Hornets broadcasts, you’d never know he’d been dealing with this until he retired in 2012, or if you read his memoir, “The Blind Truth: Lessons from a basketball life.” He speaks with so much joy, and extremely little regret, if any at all.

My stepfather, who may as well just be my dad, has dealt with the early stages of this. It’s a very difficult thing to reconcile with.

My dad got to the same place Gil did, even though he hasn’t lost his sight completely yet: he knows he can’t change the hand he was dealt, and he makes the absolute most of his life still. Whatever that may look like.

Something that most of us struggle with, even with 20/20 vision. It’s a mindset that’s hard to tap into. I can’t recommend his memoir enough to those who love a good sports read and want advice on hardships of MANY shapes and forms, and how to deal with them elegantly.

Just like so many in the old guard and the new guard of Charlotte sports media, Gil spends much of his time nowadays imparting his wisdom to the youth.

He does lots of motivational speaking, and just had a wonderful ceremony thrown for him at Wake Forest earlier this week alongside his son, Gil Jr., who also played basketball at WF. (More below.)

Gil Jr. also covers the Phoenix Suns for PHNX Sports, and ahead of the Hornets/Suns game tomorrow, you guys should absolutely go give your views to Hornets legacy people like him. He’s a great dude.

All this said:

I’m not sure if I went into this with any point to prove or make. I only wanted to share some things from someone I’ve been reading a lot about recently. Well, in retrospect, that is the point of a Sermon, after all, right?

To share a little bit about the legacy of someone whose impact on the Charlotte Hornets, even in his later years, matters deeply.

Steve Martin was incredible, but just like Eric Collins has Dell Curry?

Steve had Gil, and they were an incredible duo.

Lifelong Hornets fans may have seen some bad basketball, but they’ve never once seen a bad broadcaster.

To The Point (Or Die Stinging)

If I don’t get to the point quickly enough here, I succumb to death-by-hornet; I am often left on the floor, full of welts, with no EpiPen in sight:

• With their loss to Miami on Friday night, the Hornets fell to 0-3 against the Heat this year, leaving one game left in the regular-season series. It could get murky at the end of the season in a tiebreaker situation with the Hornets’ divisional foes from way-too-far down south. Sidebar: Have you ever driven all the way to Miami? Going one direction on 95 South for 10 hours straight is hell. That’s just going down the state of Florida. It’s crazy.

• With only 18 games remaining in the season, the Hornets have the 14th-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. They play Boston, New York, Phoenix, and Sacramento twice, and have one game left against the Spurs, Pistons, Timberwolves, Pacers, Nets, Grizzlies, and Trailblazers. Buckle up, buttercups.

• Charlotte beat Boston so badly that Joe Mazzulla said, “Enough.” Tatum looked great in his first game back for the Celtics, their first game after losing to Charlotte. He was three assists short of a triple-double in just 27 minutes.

• Cool Hornets History note: Gil McGregor Sr., former long-time Charlotte Hornets color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Steve Martin, was inducted into the Wake Forest basketball Hall of Fame on March 1st. Editor’s note: I wrote this before the Sermon on the Spectrum became about Mr. McGregor. The current Sting Zone was the original sermon, but the whole point was putting a spin on the term ‘fanalyst’, as you’ll read below. I think real-time updates like this are cool in writing. If you don’t – Ice Cube once said the same thing I’d rebuttal with: “If you don’t like how I’m livin’, well…”

• The Hornets, despite their loss to the Heat that ended a six-game win streak, are still carrying a 10-game all-time road winning streak into Phoenix tomorrow.

The Biggest Pain in My Thorax

What’s really bothering my bee-hind this week?:

The dreaded Miami Heat.

Will this pain ever end? The Hornets have been a physical embodiment of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” for 25 years now. You’d think he was a Hornets fan by how bad that ring of fire burned, burned, burned.

They’ve been bothering my bee-hind ever since I witnessed LeBron James stare down Michael Jordan in Game 3 of the 2013-2014 Bobcats/Heat playoff series. Through all the joy that this 2025-2026 Charlotte Hornets team has given those who follow the team…

It figures this is the roadblock that they stumble at. Now, I want to give the Hornets a lot of credit here, too. Friday night’s game at the Spectrum Center was absolutely electric, and the list of Hornets games from this season that will go down as all-timers in this team’s history continues to grow. Even in a loss.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago… but young teams have to lose close games against playoff-experienced players and NBA veteran staffs like the Heat before they can continue to dominate elite teams on a regular basis. It’s a rite of passage for teams filled with youth.

I also mentioned the Hawks in an NBA rivalry rant in this same segment recently. I’m scrapping it.

Direct all your rivalry hatred down way south. Lord knows it has to travel further than if we directed it solely at Atlanta, because no matter how much turmoil the Heat go through, they show up in games like this, year after year.

Just when you think Miami’s down, they turn into your (awfully specific personal metaphor) very overzealous and eager younger brother, who just keeps coming back to the door of your room 20 minutes after you’ve been clear they should go away.

They just keep showing back up when you think they’re finally out.

Erik Spoelstra always has his teams ready for bigger games, especially against less-experienced opponents. Those are the teams, even if talented, that Miami having Spo as the guy in the coaches’ box gives them a virtual sixth man on the court. It allows the Heat to win games sometimes, just like they did last night, where they aren’t considered as ‘talented’, or as ‘hot’ as another team. Spo has done this his whole career.

Credit to Charles Lee for having the stones, and most importantly, the coaching ability to hang with Erik Spoelstra: a no-doubt, sure-fire, hall of fame coach who gave the Hornets his fastball yesterday.

Miami knew how hot Charlotte was. We in the hornetsphere were ALL discussing how important that tiebreaker could be.

There’s no doubt in my mind that’s one of the many reasons we saw Miami’s A+ game yesterday. It was clear from how Miami ran its offense that it had been hard at work prepping for this game.

Kon’s flare/ghost screens weren’t as open as often last night. Brandon Miller had to affect the game differently in the second half after Miami’s adjustments. Miami ALWAYS had a body on Moussa Diabaté. Bam Adebayo was their most important guy all night because of that, and he didn’t even have a great night from the field.

Charlotte only won the battle on the boards by four and had only one more offensive rebound. An uncanny amount of Charlotte’s turnovers down the stretch were self-inflicted, more than they were Miami’s doing – the Heat forced a MASS of difficult shots all night, though.

This game was blow-for-blow all night, and the Hornets didn’t back down, despite the Heat’s preparedness.

Miami may frustrate me to no end; however, they don’t scare me anymore. It’s clear the Hornets (finally) have no fear against their division rival, either.

The proverbial hump wasn’t gotten over against Miami last night – but it’s coming.

Unfortunately, it may not be this year… Like a lot of other historical humps the Hornets have already cleared like Olympic Hurdles.

We can’t have it all in one year. That would take away all the fun of the process along the way.

The Sting Zone (Formerly Known as the Spin Zone)

There’s a reason Madonna said “Girls just want to have fun,” and not “NBA Journalists and Media just want to have fun.” As Hornets fans, we need to help the NBA break the stigma of a ‘fanalyst’:

There were a few things that made me want to write this portion today:

James Plowright’s Buzz Beat+ Substack column on how the fans deserve this current run the Hornets are on, and Russell Westbrook. The former may be easier to explain first.

James was dead on – Charlotte fans have earned this joyous Hornets moment through years of shared suffering. What struck me about James’ article was how he framed his immediate standing within the Hornets world. Not the article itself.

“I’m what you would call a ‘fanalyst’,” James said early in his post. “I cringe every time I hear the word, but fine… it fits.”

My issue has nothing to do with James. Frankly, I’m not even sure if he cringes at the word for the reasons I want to discuss it; namely, because most NBA media frown upon the notion of a ‘fanalyst’ and their untraditional paths.

The word ‘fanalyst’ for James very well could have just had the same effect on him as the word ‘moist’ did on a strangely large number of girls that I went to high school with… I didn’t ask him.

Maybe I should’ve — but I say this to be clear: I’m using his words here to critique them, only because they reminded me of the stigma many folks hold on the word, and it gave me something to write on.

Gosh, you have to be so crystal clear on the internet nowadays. Before I know it, I’m gonna be tagged in a lithouse tweet. Only proper nouns get capitalized, and I don’t think there’s much proper about that operation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re better off for it.

Anyways.

Now, I truly believe that ‘fan analyst’ applies to at least 50% of the current Hornets media. Journalist, or not. In part because, for the longest time, the fans were the only people outside of a few salaried beat writers who covered the Hornets, who cared enough to make this team in Charlotte what they lived and breathed.

Given the history of this Charlotte team since the Bobcats gave the NBA a round 30 teams in 2004-2005, it’s understandable. The team is just not very well understood outside of Charlotte.

See, I think sports need more ‘fanalysts.’ In today’s age, more than ever.

I truly believe Rick Bonnell was as close to the line between beat writer and fan that you could be, which, how could he not have been after covering the team since its inception? Of course, he had his optimistic ways, but he was NEVER afraid to tell the truth when it was time. Rick just did it with a lot of grace.

That loops me back around to Russell Westbrook, who had some very serious words to say to the Sacramento Kings media this past week. Words he’s clearly been thinking about for a while on how some of their media portray things about the team.

Now, it’s important to add: real beat writers have to say things that the teams, or a player, doesn’t like. It’s part of their job. But there’s a reason that after 33 years, Rick Bonnell never had this kind of issue with a player like Sacramento media saw with Russ this past week.

And Rick covered his FAIR share of bad teams, in the same vein as this year’s Kings’ team. He just always approached things with class.

The same kind of classiness I witness from most (Charlotte-specific) ‘fanalyst’ media.

Not to call you all out by name, but I’m about to: Doug Branson. Walker Mehl. Matt Alquiza. Brian Gesigner. Richie Randall. Spencer Percy. David Walker. ‘Nata Edwards. James Plowright. Evan Hale. Dylan Jackson is currently headed up this path, as well, just like I’m trying to do. I feel like I’m FORGETTING people, too.

While each of these people gives their own opinions, sometimes harsh, sometimes not, on the Hornets…

It doesn’t even come close to resembling the overbearing criticism that other markets can see from their media, often for clicks or engagement, ‘fanalyst’ or not. The same kind of baseless criticism stuff that Westbrook was mad at his current media in Sacramento for.

Rick had the same kind of respect for how he did his reporting on the team that most Hornets ‘fanalysts’ also have… because, in a different way?

They respect the organization a ton because of their lifelong attachment to the team, just as much as Rick respected the team because of the duty he felt as a living memory of the Hornets. The way Rick treated people and how this team was covered for so long had bled into the Charlotte media culture well before Rick’s tragic passing in 2021.

I really believe the ‘fanalysts’ of Charlotte set the national precedent for how you are supposed to act when given the opportunity to cross the boundary between being a fan and being a media figure. It’s really hard to make, but there’s a reason you see all of them nitpicking small things sometimes. There’s a reason why.

Once you cross that boundary, you HAVE to catch yourself in the act of being overly biased. Especially in writing, but even more so in reporting. That’s incredibly difficult to do. Bill Simmons made an entire career on just deciding that it’s too hard. Leaned into his Boston fandom instead.

The fans of Charlotte gave back to themselves via their own media, and I think it’s a beautiful thing. Just like the quintessential black sheep… nobody wanted us — our attention, clicks, none of it.

People didn’t care about Charlotte unless it was to stir up rumors about LaMelo Ball, most of the time. That’s changed, and it’s important we honor the shepherds (of the Hornets narrative) who provided content through sub-30-win seasons for… years.

Now that everything is changing, those people and ‘fanalysts’ who endured the awful years of basketball deserve just as much credit as the fans.

That sounds dramatic to say, but it’s true. They say make what you love your job, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Making your escapism-from-the-world passion your job, though, even if you love it, can take the shine from the thing you used to run towards to feel no worries. Now, watching can mean a million worries if your mind goes there. That’s a tough transition, guys.

They were there for the sickos when nobody else cared to be… and now they get to be the figureheads of a Charlotte Hornets basketball team that people are actively looking to learn more about at every turn. They deserve it, and I want to say thank you if nobody else will.

I love it; what can I say? I’m a sucker for a poetic ending.

Rest in Peace, Rick.

Until next week... stay sharp.

- O

The Carolina Panthers made some clear progress throughout the 2025 season, but there are still many improvements to be made. The hardest part about making the playoffs as a sub-500 football team is staving off regression.

It appears the Panthers braintrust knows that. All signals from the front office indicate that Carolina is going to be aggressive in their approach - and that’s not shocking considering Dan Morgan’s previous free agency strategy.

The Panthers have always signaled that 2026 was the year they wanted to make the leap. They arrived to the playoffs a year early, and this mock draft is designed to help keep them there.

19. Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

The Panthers were rumored to be looking at offensive tackles in last year’s draft prior to selecting Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan. And while they clearly made a great pick, the team needs an offensive tackle now, much more than they did then.

OT Ickey Ekwonu sustained a long-term injury in the Panthers’ playoff game against the Rams, and is unlikely to play in the early part (or any of) the 2026 season.

Freeling has a massive frame, moves well as a run blocker in space, and graded out as one of the better pass protectors in college football last year. By all accounts, he’s a tremendous tackle prospect.

And he might not even be available.

Freeling is climbing up boards after a great showing at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last month.

Alternate Picks: Spencer Fano (Utah OL), Peter Woods (Clemson DL), Caleb Banks (Florida DL)

51. Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri

Josiah Trotter is an instinctive run-defending linebacker prospect who brings speed, processing, and blitzing prowess. He’s a prospect that I think general manager and former linebacker Dan Morgan will love.

Trotter struggles in certain passing-game matchups, but would fit well in a linebacker room that already has Trevin Wallace (who thrives as a passing-game defender) and presumably another starting linebacker in free agency. Trotter would have an immediate role as an early-down linebacker that could grow into becoming an every-down starter.

Trotter had 84 tackles, 13 TFLs, and 2.0 sacks last year in the SEC and has an NFL bloodline: His father, Jeremiah Trotter, was a two-time All-Pro LB for the Philadelphia Eagles. His brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., is a current linebacker for the Eagles.

Alternate picks: Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt TE), R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma EDGE), D’Angelo Ponds (DB, Indiana)

83. Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

The Carolina Panthers need speed on offense. As things stand now, Carolina has one of the slowest skill position groups in the NFL (if not the slowest).

Brenen Thompson gets typecast as a speedy gadget player, but he brings much more to the table as a receiver. He’s as good as a down-the-field catcher and can provide much-needed juice on screens, slants, and sweeps.

The biggest missing component of the Carolina Panthers offense in the Dave Canales era has been the complete lack of a consistent downfield threat. Having a “field stretcher” opens up so much spacing for the offense underneath, and Thompson would be a great tertiary receiver without needing a ton of touches.

Oh, he was the fastest player at the combine, too.

Alternate picks: Zach Branch (Georgia WR), Taurean York (TAMU LB), Eli Raridon (Notre Dame TE)

119. Logan Jones, iOL, Iowa

The Carolina Panthers are likely to lose center Cade Mays in free agency, and while they could go the veteran route, this draft class has a ton of prospects who could become starting-level centers in the NFL.

Enter: Logan Jones, an athletic and agile center who played for an offensive lineman factory in Iowa.

Jones could be a fit for a Panthers team that, as Dan Morgan always says, wants to draft and develop their talent.

Ideally, Jones isn’t a week-one starter. He’s a player that could use some work as a pass protector and could struggle against bigger defensive tackles (like division rival Vita Vea.

But he can block in any run scheme and gets downfield, which Carolina loves in their interior offensive linemen.

157. Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas

I get the impression that Dan Morgan wants to add competition to the backup quarterback room. Talen Green is one of the best athletes to play the position in a long time.

Last year at Arkansas, Talen Green totaled 27 total touchdowns (eight of these came from rushing). He’s a physically gifted player that I’m sure “quarterback whisperer” Dave Canales would like to develop in the film room.

The idea of Green is great in practice, but he’s going to need lots of refinement. If the Panthers select him, you can at least expect preseason to be worth watching, but I’d expect Carolina to roster three quarterbacks if Green were picked (probably a veteran that’s ahead of Green in the pecking order while he develops).

158. Tacario Davis, CB, Washington

Tacario Davis is one of those classic Seattle Seahawks corners that you probably know about. He’s lengthy, fast, and could use some development. Those first two traits are some that Carolina seeks for their roster.

Another thing the Panthers covet? Special teams. Consistently over the course of the past two draft cycles, general manager Dan Morgan has used his media availability to talk about the importance of special teams for day three prospects.

With the traits that Davis has, he’s likely to be a heavy special-teamer if he’s brought in by Carolina.

200. Sam Roush, TE, Stanford

The Carolina Panthers can save money this offseason by moving on from Tommy Tremble. And while Tremble brings value as a run blocker, I think that skill set can be replicated by a day three draft pick.

Sam Roush is one of the few players tight ends in this draft that brings a truly distinctive skill set as a run blocking tight end. It’s easy to project his role (which is a valuable one), and this type of selection can save Carolina money in an offseason where there’s not a lot of savings to be made.

234. Joshua Braun, iOL, Kentucky

Yep. Another offensive lineman. The Panthers are very overdue for investing in cost-controlled talent in the trenches.

Braun is a bigger guard prospect who plays with good pad level and has solid athletic traits. He’s a work in progress, but the size and athleticism will get him drafted on day three.

Full Draft Class

1.19 - Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

2.51 - Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri

3.83 - Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

4.119 - Logan Jones, iOL, Iowa

5.157 - Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas

5.158 - Tacario Davis, CB, Washington

6.200 - Sam Roush, TE, Stanford

7.234 - Joshua Braun, iOL, Kentucky

Message from the developer:

I’m incredibly excited to be launching the Hornets GM Game. We think it’s really fun and that you’ll love it.

We poured a ton of hours into creating this experience tailored to Charlotte Hornets fans. We are not paywalling this game, but you do have to become a free subscriber in order to access it.

In order to play the game:

1. Subscribe to SportCLT for free.

2. Check the email that you signed up with. The link to the game will be in that welcome email. It should be sent to you within 15 minutes of you subscribing.

3. Enjoy the game!

**NOTE: If you are already a free subscriber, an email was sent to your inbox including the link to the game.

About the game:

• You 🫵 are the new general manager of the Charlotte Hornets. You’re in charge of fielding trade offers, making draft picks, and signing free agents.

• Your job is to put the Hornets in the best position possible for the 2026-27 season.

• Trade offers, free agents, and draft picks are dynamic. You should never have the same play-through twice.

• Media will react to every move you make.

• Track the salary cap to make sure you don’t go over the luxury tax threshold.

• At the end of your decision-making process, you’ll simulate the 2026-27 season to see how you did. You can get fired, make it to various playoff stages, or win the finals (if all things go well).

Some screenshots from the game:

Adrenaline.

The Charlotte Hornets beating the Boston Celtics in the fashion that they did last night had me reacting physically to every basket, steal, dunk, etc.

It was one of the most ethereal basketball games I can remember viewing as someone who has followed the team for as long as I have.

And for good reason: I’ve never seen the Charlotte Hornets win a playoff series.

So for the Hornets to go to Boston on the second-half of a back-to-back (especially knowing the airplane troubles they had the night before), and not only win, but do so in an overwhelming matter - that was special.

It means something to me, man.

This season has been incredible for so many reasons. The turnaround (4-14 at one point), the explosive new rookie (Kon Knueppel), the third-year breakout (Brandon Miller), the new franchise center (Moussa Diabate), and the engine of it all (LaMelo Ball).

That’s Hollywood.

For so long, the Hornets would be in the wrong place at the worst time. They’d draft the worst possible option, lose players (including the franchise GOAT) in free agency, and refuse to try to win on the margins.

And even when they’d show an ounce of promise, there would be something that messed it all up: money woes in the Bobcats era. The salary cap spike in 2016-17. The entire 2022 offseason.

I say all this for one meaning: enjoy the journey. The Hornets are currently playing a brand of basketball that feels “freeing” to many. It’s the type of basketball that gets kids interested in watching the sport consistently. It’s the type of basketball that brings back fans that couldn’t take it anymore after the years of losses compounded.

It’s the type of basketball that renews your love for the game.

I, myself, had begun to grow apathetic towards Charlotte basketball after some time. There’s only so many 20-win seasons you can take before you begin to tune in less, to pay less attention.

Enjoying the journey isn’t just about cherishing the wins, it’s about feeling the roller coaster ride that is a season of professional basketball.

We’ve already seen the lows from this Charlotte team - they started 4-14, faced a ton of injuries early on, and it looked to be yet another lost year for the franchise.

They weathered the storm, and as a result, I think we’ve gotten a season much more rewarding than the average barely-over-0.500 record would suggest.

I was born in 2002. I’ve never known the feeling of watching the Hornets and actually expecting them to win against other competent basketball teams. That’s a special feeling.

There will never be another season like this, whether it’s the beginning of something great, or just a one (half) season wonder.

A closing thought.

There’s a few tweets that have stuck with me after the win against Boston. It’s the reason I’m writing this article right now. It’s the reason I’m pleading you to enjoy the journey.

Ashley Mahoney tweeted this on Wednesday night - and it hit me like a brick wall.

I’m sure many have had a similar thought come across their mind over the past two months. I certainly have.

Nobody knows what this team will accomplish over the next few months, years, or decades. Anything can happen.

Enjoying the journey isn’t about the wins. It’s not about the losses. It’s about finding and feeling community in your own manifestation. It’s about feeling the emotion that comes with those wins and losses.

We will be seated for all of it.

And at the end of the day, live for the moments that the journey gives you, not the results. Everything else is extra.