The Carolina Panthers selected defensive tackle Lee Hunter and wide receiver Chris Brazzwell on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. The picks raised questions due to a questionable trade and perceived reaches in their selections.
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Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter (DL15) speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Carolina Panthers left the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft with a mammoth of a defensive tackle/3-4 defensive end in Lee Hunter and a blazing fast wide receiver in Chris Brazzwell. They also, to read the comments section, executed a questionable trade and then reached a bit for their third round selection. Letās talk a bit about each player before we slap a pair of way-too-early grades on them.
The Panthers were horrible last season at getting off the field on third down. That their first defender selected in the draft is considered a two-down, run stopping mountain with little in the way of a pass rushing resume caused more than a few of us to scratch our heads.
Hunter is going to be an absolute beast against the run next to Derrick Brown. That part of this pick is excellent. Heāll probably also be a three down player in short yardage situations. But I think the hope for him is to have an impact on the defense even when he isnāt on the field. If he can massively improve the Panthers run defense, in part just by eating up a double team that lets Devin Lloyd roam freely, then the Panthers should see fewer of those easy third and short situations that they couldnāt get out of last year.
Defensive tackle wasnāt even on the poll I posted yesterday asking yāall what the Panthers were going to do to open Round 2, but this pick does fit with the same thinking that led linebacker to run away with that poll in a landslide.
The Panthers drafted defensive tackle Lee Hunter from Texas Tech and wide receiver Chris Brazzwell.
Concerns arise from Hunter's reputation as a two-down run stopper with limited pass-rushing ability, which may not address the Panthers' defensive needs.
The trade was viewed as questionable due to the perception that the Panthers reached for players rather than maximizing value.
Chris Brazzwell plays as a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers.
Giants will make a decision on Deonte Banks' fifth-year option after the draft.
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Maybe he isnāt the one-man solution to the Panthers defensive woes we were all hoping for, but he is the kind of pick that should make the next linebacker selected that much more effective. At the end of the day, I like Hunter more now than I did at the moment he was selected. I still have questions about the trade, though.
Walker Clement: B
Jon DeLong: C
Brian Beversluis: A
Daniel Belton: B+
Eric Buck: B
Reception for the Brazewell selection has been cooler across CSR than for most recent draft picks. I think there are three reasons for that.
First of all, heās a third round wide receiver who is 6ā4ā and ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the combine, of course he isnāt the most polished receiver in the draft. If he was then heād be a first round talent.
Second, heās a 6ā4ā wide receiver who ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the combine, but that doesnāt mean he is a Xavier Legette clone. The Panthers clearly have a type of wide receiver they want on their team and Brazewell fits that archetype. There is value in drafting players who fit the team you are building and not just players who the wider media agree are ābetterā in a vacuum. That kinda BPA math belongs in the first round. As for the XL comparisons, letās let him sink or swim on his own.
Third, a lot of folks saw him as a reach by a team that had wide receiver tunnel vision. NFL Mock Draft Databaseās Consensus Big Board had Brazewell as WR9 and the 57th overall prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Panthers selected him as WR14 with the 83rd overall pick. That doesnāt look like a reach to me.
As for tunnel vision, Iām not convinced. People have said that tight end, safety, and linebacker are priorities for this team and that doesnāt match their behavior over the past three seasons. Dave Canales does not historically value tight ends very highly. Ejiro Evero has spent his entire Panthers tenure screaming through his actions that he doesnāt really use free safeties the way most fans expect and want him to. And all the good linebackers were gone and, for good measure, there wasnāt a center worth the 83rd pick.
I actually like the process of standing pat at 83 and taking Brazewell there more than I do the process of dropping back 37 picks on Day 3 just to jump up two picks on Day 2 for a guy with a limited skillset. Hunter is growing on me, but Brazewell doesnāt have to overcome the trade cost to do that.
All heās gotta do for me is actually catch the ball.
Walker Clement: A
Jon DeLong: B
Brian Beversluis: A
Daniel Belton: B+
Eric Buck: B-