Panthers GM Dan Morgan’s comments downplay two positions of need fans are begging the team to address after the draft
The Carolina Panthers filled plenty of holes during the 2026 NFL Draft and had a solid haul for the second consecutive year, but fans are still concerned about two positions of need.
The Carolina Panthers had another successful draft class under the watch of general manager Dan Morgan, with many national outlets ranking the Panthers among the top draft classes.
It wasn’t how anyone expected the draft to go, but Morgan landed absolute value swings with basically every single draft pick he made last weekend, starting with offensive tackle Monroe Freeling in the first-round.
While the Panthers filled multiple positions of need, fans are still worried about two spots coming out of the draft. And it doesn’t sound like the team will be in a rush to address those spots.
Linebacker
Linebacker was one of the positions the Panthers swung big at to address in free agency after landing a three-year, $45 million contract with Devin Lloyd. However, Morgan noted the Panthers would attempt to use free agency AND the draft to completely overhaul the second level of the defense.
The main target on the team’s radar was Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, who was instead drafted 43rd overall by the Miami Dolphins. Talking to Kyle Bailey on WFNZ, Morgan noted the team wanted to add another option but it never worked out in the team’s favor as the board went down.
“There was definitely guys that we liked,” Morgan explained. “It just really didn’t present itself for us to be able to take one of those top guys. But, we wouldn’t have been shy to take one as long as they were there. It really didn’t present itself.”
The Panthers eventually landed on a rookie option in the seventh-round when the team selected Jackson Kuwatch with the 227th overall pick. It’s not a surefire answer the Panthers would have preferred, but Morgan still likes his options at the LB2 spot.
“We feel good about our young linebackers that are still developing,” Morgan added. “Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott, there’s a lot of guys that we have belief in there as well along with our rookie that we drafted in the seventh-round. I think he has a lot of talent and I’m looking forward to seeing all of those guys compete.”
It doesn’t fully rule out an external addition, such as a Bobby Okereke or Bobby Wagner or maybe even a reunion with Shaq Thompson, however the Panthers might honestly feel like they have enough young talent in-house to play alongside Lloyd.
Tight End
The other position of need the Panthers were expected to address in the draft was tight end. Kenyon Sadiq in the first-round always felt like wishful thinking, and I’m not totally convinced the Panthers would have even drafted him if he was there at pick No. 19.
Two players on Day 2 the Panthers were linked to included Oscar Delp and Eli Stowers. Instead, the Panthers moved up in the second-round to draft defensive tackle Lee Hunter.
After exiting the draft without a new face in the tight end room, it’s worth bringing this quote back up that Morgan said ahead of the draft.
“I feel good about our tight end room,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of guys in that room that are still developing and there’s guys that have been here and we know who they are and they bring a skill set that we really like.”
Those players are Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans. This week, fans have been begging for the Panthers to go out and sign a top remaining free agent like David Njoku. Some experts seem to agree with that idea.
Personally, I just don’t think it’s a position this offense values that highly to spent significant resources on addresses. Carolina has really good size at the wide receiver position and a solid complement of pass catchers in that room.