The Carolina Panthers are picking up Bryce Young's fifth-year option. General manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales saw enough growth from the quarterback this season to suggest more could be on the way. Now, the task is to continue enhancing the weapons around him.
Money is tight for the Panthers right now. That will change once the necessary sacrifices are made, but finding the right recruits during the 2026 NFL Draft becomes all the more important.
The jury is still out on Morgan's first draft class in 2024. Things look much more promising around the 2025 crop. If he can have similar success this time around, the better Carolina's chances of defending its NFC South championship will be.
Evaluation events are underway. Morgan was recently at the Shrine Bowl, and he will be in Mobile, Alabama, this week for the Panini Senior Bowl. After that, it's the NFL Scouting Combine and pro days, and nothing is off the table.
Carolina Panthers select Jordyn Tyson in Daniel Jeremiah's first 2026 mock draft
Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network released his first mock draft of this cycle. His choice for the Panthers — Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson — was surprising. However, it would cement the team's faith in Young, and Morgan is always looking to take the best prospects available, regardless of need.
"The Panthers have a stud in Tetairoa McMillan, and I like what I saw from Jalen Coker at the end of the season, but choosing [Jordyn] Tyson would complete the WR room."Daniel Jeremiah
Tyson is projected to go much higher than this by most analysts. But Jeremiah isn't the only one who saw the wideout falling slightly. Even so, it would be a bombshell of epic proportions if the Panthers spent their third straight first-round selection on the position.
Carolina moved up for Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall in 2024, but it hasn't gone according to plan. That isn't the case with No. 8 pick Tetairoa McMillan, who is a superstar in waiting and the favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Jalen Coker is the clear WR2 and should be extended this offseason. Everything is murky aside from that, with Legette and Jimmy Horn Jr. looking like depth pieces and nothing more. Adding another explosive pass-catcher is only going to help, so Tyson may be a difficult proposition to turn down if he falls to No. 19.
Obviously, much will depend on the moves beforehand.
The defense needs some fine-tuning, and the Panthers also need a short-term stopgap to replace injured left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. But if these needs are somehow filled in free agency, taking someone with Tyson's credentials doesn't seem like such a luxury.