Biggest winners and losers from the Panthers' 2026 NFL Draft

Young will also welcome in a new pass catcher and a new center . . .

Loser: WR Xavier Legette

In allowing the value to come to them, the Panthers were able to scoop up University of Tennessee wideout Chris Brazzell II in the third round. The 6-foot-4 first-team All-SEC selection has the eye-popping length and startling speed to stretch the field and add a fresh dimension to the Carolina offense.

That addition may not bode well for the team's 2024 first-round pick in Legette, who hasn't found his footing in the NFL. As Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker established themselves atop the pecking order in 2025, Legette struggled and saw his snap count gradually decrease as the season wound down.

While Brazzell is a different kind of threat in terms of play style, Legette will face some competition for the No. 3 spot in the receiver room.

Loser: C Luke Fortner

And now for the new center, Kansas State University's Sam Hecht. Despite being considered one of the very top players at his position in this class, the first-team All-Big 12 hog molly dropped to the fifth round—and right into Carolina's lap.

Hecht started 25 games for the Wildcats in his last two seasons in Manhattan, and allowed zero sacks in 796 pass-blocking snaps over that time. If he can put it together through the summer, he'll be able to challenge Fortner, who's only signed on a one-year deal worth under $5 million, for the starting job.

Losers: OTs

We stay on the offensive line, but go back to Freeling. His selection certainly doesn't add any confidence in the outlook for usual starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who is currently recovering from a torn patellar tendon while on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.

Freeling's presence is also a warning for Walker, the projected Week 1 starter on the blindside. Walker inked a modest one-year, $4 million pact with the Panthers in hopes resetting his value for next offseason, but could—at some point—be nudged from the position by the organization's shiny new toy.

Even longtime starting right tackle Taylor Moton might've put on notice. There could be a scenario in 2027 where Ekwonu returns at left tackle and Freeling takes over on the right, which could spell the end of Moton's time in Carolina.

Winners: TEs

After being heavily linked to some of the draft's top tight ends such as Kenyon Sadiq and Oscar Delp, the Panthers came away with zero picks at the position. That, obviously, is great news for Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans.

2026 could be make-or-break campaigns for Tremble and Sanders. The former is on the final year of his deal and the latter has been pretty underwhelming as a receiving option.

Evans flashed at times as a rookie. He'll have a more open runway to the top of the depth chart.

Winner: LB Trevin Wallace

The Panthers were also expected to use an early pick on an inside linebacker such as Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez, Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. or Missouri's Josiah Trotter. But the only 'backer they grabbed was Miami of Ohio's Jackson Kuwatch—all the way back in the seventh round.

Although he does have some exciting traits, Kuwatch is unlikely to challenge Wallace for the starting spot next to Lloyd.

Losers: DLs Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III

Not only did the Panthers take a defensive lineman in the second round, but they traded up to do so. That leap got them some solid value at the 49th overall pick in Texas Tech's Lee Hunter.

The 6-foot-3, 318-pounder played the majority of his snaps in college at the B gap. While Hunter has lined up as a nose tackle, Brown's spot, he may pose a bigger threat to Wharton's burn as the Panthers look to replace A'Shawn Robinson.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Biggest winners and losers for the Panthers