Here's who Mel Kiper Jr. has the Panthers taking in his final mock draft
Mel Kiper Jr. , the godfather of the NFL draft, put out his final mock on Wednesday. Here's who he has the Panthers taking .
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The godfather of the NFL draft has made his final predictions. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. put out his last mock draft for the 2026 cycle on Wednesday.
His two-round projections have the Panthers starting with Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren with the 19th overall selection: Carolina might decide to use this pick to help quarterback Bryce Young on offense. The 2023 No. 1 draft pick took a step forward last season, but the offense was still 25th in ESPN's Football Power Index.
Even so, getting an impact safety to pair with Tre'von Moehrig behind the Panthers' really solid cornerback duo could be the team's next savvy move on defense after signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. And drafting McNeil-Warren would actually help Young -- by getting him the ball more often. McNeil-Warren had five interceptions and an incredible 10 forced fumbles over four seasons in college.