KDE'S MOCK DRAFT
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KDE'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON APR 1, 2026

Ken 0401

  • KDE DRAFTING FOR THE
    Panthers
Draft Selections
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 19 RND: 1 (CAR)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Caleb Tiernan Head Shot
PICK: 51 RND: 2 (CAR)
Caleb Tiernan
OT Northwestern
Jake Slaughter Head Shot
PICK: 83 RND: 3 (CAR)
Jake Slaughter
C Florida
Bryce Lance Head Shot
PICK: 120 RND: 4 (CAR)
Bryce Lance
WR North Dakota State
Charles Demmings Head Shot
PICK: 158 RND: 5 (CAR)
Charles Demmings
CB Stephen F. Austin
Cole Payton Head Shot
PICK: 159 RND: 5 (CAR)
Cole Payton
QB North Dakota State
Riley Nowakowski Head Shot
PICK: 200 RND: 6 (CAR)
Riley Nowakowski
TE Indiana
Draft Picks Received
Bryce Lance Head Shot
PICK: 120 RND: 4 (GB)
Bryce Lance
WR North Dakota State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (GB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
J.C. Davis Head Shot
PICK: 119 RND: 4 (GB)
J.C. Davis
OT Illinois
Draft Grade — Panthers
Overall B
ValueB- NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
The Panthers did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B.

The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Panthers reached some 39 spots for Cole Payton, and value like that does not grow back. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.

That Lance pick is the receipt they will wave around later. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.

They went 6 of 9 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. They trusted the board more than the depth chart.

Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.

Pick Analysis
Pick19 Rnd1 Sonny Styles
In the 19th overall pick they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick51 Rnd2 Caleb Tiernan
A straight-up fair deal on Caleb Tiernan at pick No. 51, value and slot in agreement. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick83 Rnd3 Jake Slaughter
They barely believed it either: Jake Slaughter still on the board at Round 3, Pick 19. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick120 Rnd4 Bryce Lance
Bryce Lance in the Round 4 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick158 Rnd5 Charles Demmings
They let Charles Demmings come to them and pounced at pick 158. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick159 Rnd5 Cole Payton
They left a pile of value on the table to take Cole Payton this early at No. 159. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick200 Rnd6 Riley Nowakowski
A premium they did not need to pay, Riley Nowakowski a notch or two before his time. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.