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.

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Features:

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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.

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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).

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.

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.

Read more

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 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

The Carolina Panthers are back. After a grueling seven seasons, the Panthers did the unthinkable, winning the NFC South for the first time since 2015 and hosting a home playoff game. Just listen to that crowd pop on Jalen Coker’s go-ahead score.

Although the outcome wasn’t what fans wanted, appearing in the playoffs (and putting up a good fight against the eventual MVP) is a significant step for a team that has spent the last half-decade in the gutter of the NFL.

So what’s next? In order to build off of a season of overachieving, GM Dan Morgan and his staff must continue to improve their roster. While the NFL Draft commands the eyes of NFL fans in the spring, free agency takes place even sooner.

By the time this article hits the airwaves, it will be less than two weeks before teams can begin negotiating with free agents. While the League New Year is officially 4pm EST on March 11, the “legal tampering” window, where teams can agree to terms with free agents, will begin at noon on March 9.

Before diving into exactly which free agents Carolina can target, it’s important to understand both current and potential cap figures for the team.

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How We Got Here

As it currently stands (Feb. 25), the Panthers have $12,574,504 in 2026 cap space, good for 18th in the NFL according to OverTheCap. This number is sure to fluctuate over the coming weeks, but for now, Carolina doesn’t have a lot of spending room.

For a team that’s been at the bottom of the league for half a decade, you might expect a lot more cap space. However, poor decisions from the previous regime has largely mired the Panthers’ ability to be big spenders.

While free agency comes first on the NFL calendar, long-term team-building begins with the NFL Draft. Draft selections bring young, talented, cost-controlled players that allow teams to build their depth over time.

In the four NFL Drafts that predate Dan Morgan’s promotion to General Manager (2020-2023), the Panthers made a total of 29 selections. Of those 29, only seven remain on the current roster, four of which are top ten selections: picks you are expected to hit.

When a team is unable to build via the draft, they have to rely upon free agency to supplement to the missing depth, and in the Panthers’ case, starters. Talent will always be more expensive at the veteran level compared to collectively-bargained rookie-scaled contracts.

The poor drafts and subsequent overpays have created a cycle in which the Panthers had to constantly extend and restructure contracts to make spending room.

However bad the cap moves may have been in the early 2020’s, Dan Morgan and Vice President of Football Operations Brandt Tilis have positioned the team in a good spot moving forward, and can even create more space this season without compromising the future.

Potential Cap Outlook

Carolina’s Morgan/Tilis brain trust has been very deliberate in their first two offseasons; never pushing more money down the road than they have had to. A large part of the team’s success has been because of this flexibility.

Now, however, the process may see a bit of a change.

Winning the NFC South and hosting a playoff game could signal a shift in the timeline. No longer should the Panthers be looking to sign free agents just to field an NFL roster. Rather, this team should be looking to compete in the postseason.

In order to have postseason aspirations, the Panthers need high-level talent. Acquisition of said talent can come from the draft, via trades, or in free agency. Whichever avenue(s) Carolina intends to explore, they will ultimately need more cap space.

There are many methods a team can employ to create space, but teams mainly use cuts and restructures to add financial flexibility.

A cut is simple - you release the player from the roster in exchange for cap space. Cutting a player will often result in dead cap space, a cap charge resulting from guaranteed money already paid. In the grand scheme, however, dead cap is a sunk cost - you’ll have to pay this charge anyway, so it shouldn’t stop Carolina from creating more space in the short and long terms.

Restructures are a bit more complex. There are many different ways to restructure a player’s contract, from including the movement of guaranteed money, to adding bonuses, to signing a contract extension which can change a contract’s hit on the salary cap.

The simplest restructure is aptly known as a simple restructure: pushing money into future years on the player’s contract. Repetition of this can create long-term problems for undisciplined teams, but restructuring star player contracts is generally fine in moderation.

With these methods in mind, Carolina has a reasonable path to having mush more wiggle room in free agency. Restructuring defensive stars Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn adds close to $24 million in cap space.

Cutting players in the last year of their respective deals, such as defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and tight end Tommy Tremble also yields around $16.5 million in cap space.

Both players impact the game in positive ways, but could be reasonable cuts given their pending free agency next offseason.

Carolina’s staff could go crazy with the cuts and restructures, ultimately creating upwards of $70 million worth of cap space, though it’s hard to envision them being reckless. Somewhere between $25-50 million is likely where the Panthers will end up over the next few weeks.

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Panthers Free Agency Plan

In the two offseasons Dan Morgan has been at the helm, there has been a deliberate plan in free agency.

First, in 2024, Carolina dished out big money for guards Robert Hunt (5 years, $100 million) and Damien Lewis (4 years, $53 million) in an attempt to fix the offensive line woes. Both guards have provided immense returns, helping stabilize the interior offensive line for quarterback Bryce Young.

Last offseason, the Panthers shelled out on the defensive side of the ball, adding defensive tackles Tershawn Wharton (3 years, $45.05 million) and Bobby Brown III (3 years, $21 million), as well as star safety Tre’von Moehrig (3 years, $51 million). These signings were part of an effort to fix the worst defense in NFL history.

With Morgan and his staff’s persistence in adding to both sides of the trenches, it makes sense that they would continue to attack the offensive and defensive lines.

Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu’s injury could prompt a short term investment at that position. Competent blindside protectors rarely hit free agency, but with San Francisco and Trent Williams at an impasse, the star left tackle could become a good, albeit costly stopgap.

On the other side of the ball, edge rusher has not been a place where the Panthers have spent big in free agency. Former first rounders Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, and Bradley Chubb all would provide immediate upticks in sack production - a spot Carolina ranked tied for 30th in the league.

Inside linebacker is the other key spot the Panthers have been linked to during the offseason. Throughout the franchise’s history, ILB has been a legacy position.

From Sam Mills beginning the Keep Pounding mantra, to Dan Morgan himself as a Pro Bowl player, to recent Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Luke Kuechly, linebacker has been the through line for Panthers football.

In recent years, the team hasn’t had a standout player at the position. If he isn’t placed on the franchise tag, Jaguar’s Devin Lloyd makes a lot of sense as a star in the middle of the defense. After a breakout season, Lloyd will certainly be commanding a heavy contract in a few weeks.

While there may not be a lot of star power in free agency this year, there are many serviceable linebackers Carolina could attempt to sign. Cheaper options than Lloyd could include players like Leo Chenal, Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, or former Falcon Kaden Elliss.

Although potential external additions will gain a lot of attention, the Panthers have a few internal free agents that make sense to bring back.

Offensive linemen Yosh Nijman, Cade Mays, and Brady Christensen all make sense to keep for continuity and depth purposes. Mays will likely be the most expensive to retain, but his connection with Bryce Young might force Carolina to keep him in house.

On defense, starters Christian Rozeboom and Nick Scott are set to hit the open market. It makes sense to try to upgrade at their positions (linebacker, safety), but continuity and communication on defense may prompt Carolina to bring them back.

Free agency will be upon the Panthers in less than two weeks. Given Dan Morgan’s comments during his media availability at the NFL Combine, I’d imagine Carolina will be willing to be aggressive in adding to areas of need.

With a plan in place and the goal of winning the NFC South for a second consecutive season, fans should prepare themselves for at least a few free agent fireworks.

One doesn’t usually see a head coach give up playcalling duties in the offseason with seemingly little pressure to do so, but that’s exactly what Dave Canales publicly did in a pre-Combine press conference on Tuesday when he announced that he would be ceding playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.

That’s not the only change the Panthers’ offensive staff has undergone in the past several days; Darrell Bevell has also joined the staff with the title of Associate Head Coach and Offensive Specialist (the Panthers haven’t officially announced Bevell’s hiring, but team press has alluded to it in this article about Canales’ decision).

Idzik has been Canales’ right-hand man since they were in Tampa Bay together, while Bevell was Canales’ superior when they both worked in Seattle – so neither of these moves really signals wholesale changes to what we can expect to see from the Panthers’ offense this fall. But they’re also not moves that a team and coach make if they don’t expect to see anything change.

While Canales’s stated reasoning was that playcalling was detracting from his ability to manage the whole game as a head coach, something does need to change with the offense. The vibes around the Panthers’ offense were better in 2025 than the previous year, thanks mostly to a couple of monster midseason games from the Carolina rushing attack and Tetairoa McMillan’s breakout season, and also the fact that the team scored enough to win 8 games, get into the playoffs and put up 31 points when they got there.

Statistically, however, they arguably regressed. The 2024 Panthers ranked 25th in the league in score percentage and 22nd in points per drive, while last season’s edition ranked 27th and 26th. Both squads ranked in the league’s bottom 7 in explosive play rate. The 2024 Panthers converted in the red zone much more frequently, 62% to 53.3%.

The numbers aren’t directly comparable because of how different the two seasons were for Carolina, but they still don’t paint a very flattering picture of the 2025 offense. If this team is to take another step forward and become capable of winning a couple of playoff games, Idzik will have to take this offense from “good enough” to just plain good. How he might go about doing so is a bit of a mystery, as he has just about no history of calling plays at any level of football.

Idzik isn’t bringing a new playbook, but he can differentiate himself in the way he sequences plays, approaches high-leverage situations, and the level of aggression he brings. And we do actually have some information on what he might be bringing in those aspects.

The Preseason Games

Idzik’s only documented experience of calling plays for a football offense comes from a few Panthers preseason games from the past two years. Idzik called plays in the second half of preseason matchups with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills in 2024 as well as for the Panthers’ exhibitions against the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans in 2025.

After the Cleveland game, Canales told reporters, “[Brad] kind of worked through a flow, worked through the openers, the first 15, so he kind of had his good amount of plays right there, the situational stuff, and I kind of was just in his ear with just the place, the style of plays that we were running,” or, in other words, that Idzik had the most control over the “first 15” and in particular situational calls, presumably red zone, short-yardage, and the like, while calls elsewhere were more up to what the Panthers’ decision-makers wanted to see in their evaluation process.

This means that we can glean from these games a little bit about his situational acumen and sequencing even though they were preseason games with little rhyme or rhythm to the game script.

One of the situations I think is illuminating in playcaller evaluation is how a playcaller treats second and short. Canales raised some eyebrows after a loss to the Patriots when he called second-and-short “an opportunity to run the ball” rather than a chance to be explosive, knowing you have one to two chances to get the yardage anyways.

It was a frustrating moment for a lot of fans, and it was at odds with the fact that the Panthers ended up as the team with the 2nd-most 4th down conversion attempts in the league – a team that willing (and able, given that the Panthers were 3rd in 4th down conversion rate) to go for it on 4th should be similarly willing to let it fly on 2nd.

Curiously, Josh Parasar at Paraball Notes has found that the numbers suggest that while 2nd and 1 specifically is a great passing down, the same isn’t really true of 2nd and 2-4. Anybody can get 1 yard when they need it, I suppose, but getting more against a short-yardage defense is not an automatic proposition.

Against the Browns, I saw Idzik strike this very balance. On two opportunities on 2nd and 1, he called pass plays and let his quarterbacks attack downfield, but on a couple of slightly longer second downs, the Panthers handed the ball off. Especially given the personnel deficiency the Panthers were working with as both teams’ reserves came in, this was an impressive bit of situational aptitude.

Less sterling was Idzik’s attempt at a two-minute drill to end the first half of that game. It was somewhat hampered by execution, but with 30 seconds and 3 timeouts to try and find about 45 yards for a potential field goal attempt, Idzik did not put his team in good situations.

On first down, a run surprised nobody and wasted a timeout while gaining just two yards. On second and third down pass plays, too many receivers ran to the short middle area of the field, which simultaneously bled time and crowded the area so that after-catch opportunities were limited. The Panthers went 3 and out, and it wasn’t just because backups were playing.

I suspect that 2-minute is an easier thing to learn than particular down-and-distance tendencies, so I think what I saw from preseason action is more encouraging than anything else – but there will probably be some growing pains that feel like elementary mistakes.

The Bevell Factor

Canales knows Darrell Bevell from their shared time in Seattle with Russell Wilson, but when he talked about the hire on Tuesday, he focused on Bevell’s most recent stop as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in Miami under Mike McDaniel and working with Tua Tagovailoa, in an offense that has been among the league’s most explosive as long as Bevell was there (even in a down 2025, they ranked 10th in explosive play rate).

Bevell has long been a coach who puts a lot in his quarterback’s hands, back to when Wilson was improvising his way to being the league’s best deep-ball passer in the mid-2010’s. On the flip side, many Panthers fans and media noted that Canales’ playcalling, especially earlier in the season, appeared to reflect an incomplete trust in Bryce Young to execute on shots downfield and to get yardage in chunks.

While we can’t make any judgments about Idzik on this scale, the fact that Bevell has been brought in to help with the transition and be a “sounding board” indicates that Canales wants Young to operate more like a Tagovailoa or Wilson than as a chain-mover. Young has shown the ability, ranking first in PFF’s Big-Time Throw Rate and Passing Grade on 20+ yard passes in 2025, but some combination of Canales’ playcalling and his own confidence and willingness to throw those passes meant that the Panthers still didn’t create enough explosives. It stands to reason that part of Idzik’s job will be to put Young in positions where he’s both more willing and more able to sling it downfield and make this offense easier and more effective.

Wrapping Up

It has been unclear the last two seasons what role Idzik has actually played in the Panthers’ offense. Canales called him his “primary architect” in this press conference, which seems to imply that his influence has most been felt in the Panthers’ most scripted situations: opening drives, two-minute drills, and the like.

But, if anything, the fact that Canales has ceded playcalling duties reflects that he sees that the offense needs some changes and that he’s not the one who can most effectively bring them. It seems pretty clear where those improvements can come, and Idzik has already, in preseason action and through the influence he apparently has had on the Panthers’ success on opening and game-winning drives, shown some ability to affect exactly those marks – it’s no sure thing, but there does appear to be a direction with this move.

It’s audacious and a bit mysterious, but one also can’t really help but to root for a move that required this level of ego-shelving. Maybe some of these predictions are rooted in projection and expectation more so than observation, but as I said in the opening, this isn’t a move Canales makes if he doesn’t expect to see change result from it.