After three whirlwind days, the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books. While the undrafted free agent frenzy is about to begin, let’s take a moment to review the Carolina Panthers freshly minted draft class. From surprise first round pick Monroe Freeling to the virtually unknown seventh round pick Jackson Kuwatch, these are the rookies who are going to have the biggest impact on Carolina’s 2026 season.

The good news for Panthers fans is that almost all of these guys were highly rated. Up to at least Sam Hecht, these picks were all considered at least second round talents by at least one analyst or outlet. I’m sure general manager Dan Morgan will tell us they all had Day 2 grades on them.

Gone are the days of the repeated head scratcher picks on Day 3 of undersized guys from never-before-or-since-heard-from universities. While there are still some questions to be had about the value of the Day 2 trade, Morgan’s finesse on the phone on Day 3 more than made up for it. In the end, this is the second class in a row of solid, well regarded players taken mostly at an intersection of good value and team fit. That’s hard to complain about.

Round 3 (83): Chris Brazzell, Wide Receiver, Tennessee

Round 4 (129): Will Lee III, Defensive Back, Texas A&M

Round 7 (227): Jackson Kuwatch, Linebacker, Miami University

Carolina #Panthers Draft Picks, where they were selected, and where the player was ranked on the consensus board:19. Monroe Freeling – 1849. Lee Hunter – 4583. Chris Brazzell – 57129. Will Lee – 119144. Sam Hecht – 80151. Zakee Wheatley – 88Values at every single pick.

Just going to leave this here…We will discuss this at length on next week’s episode of JJ and Luke!h/t: @sfdata9ers pic.twitter.com/CkOoLpRCp2

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