Signs may be pointing to Panthers targeting this prospect at 19th pick

Wide receivers and tight ends have taken up most of the attention when it comes to the Carolina Panthers and their first-round selection in next week's NFL draft. But as we come down the stretch, the speculation about that pick has taken a hard left turn.

In Mel Kiper's final mock draft of 2026, which was released on Wednesday, he has the Panthers taking a safety at with the 19th overall pick—Emmanuel McNeil-Warren out of Toledo. Now, there are more signs that Carolina might be looking to grab a safety at that spot.

According to NFL draft insider Tony Pauline, teams are expecting Oregon's Dillon Thieneman to come off the board at either No. 18 or at No. 19 to the Panthers. Pauline wrote the following for Essentially Sports yesterday:

Other than Dillon Thieneman of Oregon, few defensive backs have watched their draft stocks rise as quickly as Treydan Stukes of Arizona... The earlier Thieneman is drafted, the quicker Stukes will come off the board. Right now, word inside the league is that Thieneman could end up with the Vikings at pick 18 or the Panthers at pick 19.

Oh, and there's even more smoke around this potential fire.

On a recent edition of Steve Smith's 89 podcast, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah noted that the Panthers were looking at edge and safety prospects during the Senior Bowl:

The Panthers have since signed outside linebacker Jaelen Phillips to a four-year, $120 million deal—meaning they're less likely to use an early pick on another edge rusher. That leaves safety as a legitimate possibility in Round 1, as well as the usual wide receiver and tight end prospects.