More than five hours before the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft began, Dan Morgan walked into Bank of America Stadium looking relaxed. He had played his usual half round of golf that morning. He was carrying the jacket he’d switch into later. He joked about only hitting one good hole all day, the last one.
That turned out to be fitting. When the Panthers were finally on the clock at No. 19 overall, the room felt steady. There was plenty of uncertainty at the top end of this year's draft, but it didn't matter to Morgan.
For once, the Panthers knew the early picks wouldn’t involve them. What mattered was when the run on offensive tackles would begin, and how fast it would go.
Carolina Panthers had nothing but purpose in the draft room pressure cooker
"I felt calm about it because there were other guys that if he did get taken, I knew that we could turn the card in and feel really good about," Morgan said. "There was always a backup plan if that scenario happened, so from my seat, I was pretty calm about it."
As the board moved through the early teens, the room watched carefully as tackle options thinned. Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa, and Kadyn Proctor came off the board in quick succession. Before the Detroit Lions picked at No. 17, Tilis made a quiet call to Mike Disner.
“Usually, teams are shopping for deals, and Mike knew that; Mike didn’t even engage with me,” Tilis said. “I was, ‘Are you picking here?’ And he kind of laughed. He was, yeah. He knew what I was doing.”
Everyone assumed Detroit would take a tackle. They had released Taylor Decker. They had options on the board. And the Panthers were convinced they knew which one.
“I thought they were going to take him,” general manager Dan Morgan admitted. He was speaking about former Georgia standout Monroe Freeling.
They went with Clemson right tackle Blake Miller instead, which was understandable. The Lions are moving Penei Sewell to the blindside, and this enabled the Panthers to get their guy.
When the Vikings made their pick at No. 18, the Panthers’ decision was immediate. There was not much drama. That’s new. In past drafts, the Panthers reacted to the board. This year, they anticipated it. They understood it. They trusted it.
And when the player they wanted most was still there at No. 19, a spot they never expected him to reach, the pick felt easy.
That’s why the room was calm. They weren’t hoping. They were ready.
Add us as a preferred source on Google