The Carolina Panthers narrowly fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round of the playoffs despite being a double-digit underdog entering the game. It came down to the final minute and while the Panthers ultimately fell short of winning the game, this team should still be proud of the effort they put in.
With the loss to the Rams, the Panthers' season has officially come to an end. Fans can now officially turn their attention to the 2026 NFL Draft and we now know where Carolina will be picking in the first round of April's draft.
Here's the updated draft order, according to Tankathon:
Number | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3-14 |
2 | New York Jets | 3-14 |
3 | Arizona Cardinals | 3-14 |
4 | Tennessee Titans | 3-14 |
5 | New York Giants | 4-13 |
6 | Cleveland Browns | 5-12 |
7 | Washington Commanders | 5-12 |
8 | New Orleans Saints | 6-11 |
9 | Kansas City Chiefs | 6-11 |
10 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-11 |
11 | Miami Dolphins | 7-10 |
12 | Dallas Cowboys | 7-9-1 |
13 | Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons) | 8-9 |
14 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-9 |
15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-9 |
16 | New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts) | 8-9 |
17 | Detroit Lions | 9-8 |
18 | Minnesota Vikings | 9-8 |
19 | Carolina Panthers | 8-9 |
Panthers officially learn their 2026 NFL Draft fate after playoff exit
The Panthers will own the 19th pick in the draft. Some might wonder why Carolina, who had a worse record than the Lions and Vikings, are picking later than those two teams. That's because the Lions and Vikings didn't make the playoffs and the Panthers obviously did. Non-playoff teams get the top 18 picks in the draft (unless they traded their first-rounder) and then the playoff teams start at 19th overall.
Since the Panthers had the worst record of any playoff team this year, they're for sure locked in with that No. 19 selection. The past few years' 19th overall picks have consisted of Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers wide receiver), Jared Verse (Rams defensive lineman), and Calijah Kancey (Buccaneers defensive lineman) so there will still be plenty of talented players on the board when Carolina is on the clock.
As far as what the Panthers need to address, they're a young team with plenty of holes to fix so fans probably wouldn't be mad at them simply going with the best player available. If they want to zero in on a specific need though, pass-rush, wide receiver, tight end, and offensive line are all positions the Panthers could look to address with that 19th pick.
It'll be a fun offseason for Panthers fans and, given how this season played out, there's a lot for the fan base to look forward to.