NFL draft live updates: Each pick, Carolina Panthers big board, best available players

The next important step of the Carolina Panthers rebuilding their franchise begins with tonight’s NFL draft.

Just like the rest of us, coaches and NFL executives are stuck at home, making their draft picks remotely and communicating digitally. Nothing about how the Panthers have gone about this offseason, from releasing Greg Olsen and Cam Newton, to hiring Matt Rhule as the their head coach, has felt normal. Why should the draft be?

If you’re a Panthers fan interested in the draft, this is the place for you. You can find our full draft guide by following this link. At the top of this page beginning around 7:45 p.m., we’ll have our live NFL draft show streaming for you to enjoy and interact with. Additionally, we’ll be updating this page throughout the night, not only with who each team selects, but how those draft picks affect Carolina’s plans for 2020. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find the Panthers’ draft board and best available players.

Refresh this page for the latest news in the live updates section. The most recent update will be listed up top.

Virtual NFL Draft watch party

If you’re looking for football fans to watch the draft with, we have you covered. We’re hosting a virtual watch party over Zoom. To join, go to tinyurl.com/panthers-draft beginning at 8 p.m. and enter the password “CLTnotCHA” (case-sensitive) when prompted.

We only have four rules:

• Try to keep the language PG. A PG-13 slip up is forgivable, but R-rated language will get you bounced.
• Keep your webcam on. If you want to temporarily hide yourself to take a bite of pizza or your child runs in the room, that’s OK, but this is meant to be about community, seeing and interacting with each other.
• Mute your mic when you’re not talking. Otherwise, there will be an audio feedback loop that will drive everyone nuts.
• Keep your clothes on. Please.

Live NFL draft updates

12:15 a.m. Closing Remarks: In closing comments, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL’s live Draft-A-Thon raised 85 million dollars to benefit COVID-19 response. Goodell says fans should keep the donations coming. “You can keep the boos coming too,” Goodell adds.

12:10 a.m., Round 1, Pick 32 (Kansas City Chiefs) LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will benefit from Edwards-Helaire’s pass-catching ability and will put forth a potent offense combined with RB Damien Williams. Edwards-Helaire is the 14th player selected from the SEC, which dominated the first round of the draft.

12:03 a.m., Round 1, Pick 31 (Minnesota Vikings) TCU CB Jeff Gladney: Two solid cornerback selections in a row, with Glandey to the Vikings as the latest, but LSU’s Kristian Fulton is still available for the Panthers.

11:59 p.m., Round 1, Pick 30 (Miami Dolphins) Auburn CB Noah Igbinoghene: A wide receiver turned corner back, Igbinoghene is considered the third best CB choice in the draft by ESPN analysts. This was one guy the Panthers could have used, but LSU’s Kristian Fulton remains on the board as a potential choice for Carolina.

11:49 p.m., Round 1, Pick 29 (Tennessee Titans) Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson: The big blocker will join Titans RB Derrick Henry and QB Ryan Tannehill. He is the fifth OT to be picked in the first round this year.

11:43 p.m., Round 1, Pick 28 (Baltimore Ravens) LSU ILB Patrick Queen: This is not a surprising pick for the Ravens, which was looking for someone like Queen to bolster its defense. Wisconsin LB Zack Baun also seemed to be a player under consideration.

11:36 p.m., Round 1, Pick 27 (Seattle Seahawks) Texas Tech LB Jordyn Brooks: The Seahawks went with promising choice in Brooks, who had 367 career tackles at Texas Tech (the seventh most in team history), and a pick that filled a need in the LB position.

11:23 p.m., Round 1, Pick 26 (Green Bay Packers) Utah State QB Jordan Love: Another trade. This time between the Dolphins and the Packers, who moved up to 26. With that selection, Green Bay went with a quarterback. Could this be the next Aaron Rodgers? And how will Rodgers feel about this choice?

11:15 p.m., Round 1, Pick 25 (San Francisco 49ers) Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk: With the 25th pick, which was traded to San Francisco by Minnesota. Aiyuk was the sixth wide receiver selected in the first round.

11:09 p.m., Round 1, Pick 24 (New Orleans Saints) Michigan G/C Cesar Ruiz: The Saints go with a selection to bolster their offensive line and assist QB Drew Brees. Ruiz is a solid choice for either the center or guard position.

11:01 p.m., Round 1, Pick 23 (Los Angeles Chargers) Oklahoma ILB Kenneth Murray: The Patriots traded a 23rd pick to the Chargers, leaving New England with 13 picks. With the upgraded pick, Los Angeles selected Murray, who is known as a quick play-maker.

10:55 p.m., Round 1, Pick 22 (Minnesota Vikings) LSU WR Justin Jefferson: The Vikings selected Jefferson, who was also a prospect for the Eagles. Jefferson notched 311 catches at LSU.

10:47 p.m., Round 1, Pick 21 (Philadelphia Eagles) TCU WR Jalen Reagor: Matt Rhule knows Reagor as a threat while Rhule was coaching at Baylor and against TCU. Philadelphia was expected to take a receiver in this slot.

10:41 p.m., Round 1, Pick 20 (Jacksonville Jaguars) LSU OLB K’Lavon Chaisson: This is a dynamic selection the Jaguars, which will benefit from Chaisson’s athleticism and ability to pass-rush.

10:33 p.m., Round 1, Pick 19 (Las Vegas Raiders) Ohio State CB Damon Arnette: The choice of Arnette this early comes as a surprise to some analysts, but Arnette is a solid cover corner. He is the fourth selection from Ohio State so far in the first round.

10:28 p.m., Round 1, Pick 18 (Miami Dolphins) University of Southern California OT Austin Jackson: The six-foot-four tackle will likely be used on the left side to protect the team’s first pick Tagovailoa.

10:20 p.m., Round 1, Pick 17 (Dallas Cowboys) Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb: The flexible receiver joins a stacked lineup at Dallas with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, but the selection prevented Lamb from joining division rival Philadelphia.

10:11 p.m., Round 1, Pick 16 (Atlanta Falcons) Clemson CB A.J. Terrell: Terrell is expected to help the Falcons’ secondary, which lost CB Desmond Trufant during the off-season. Terrell can help fill the gap left by Trufant, but he is still considered a bit green.

10:05 p.m., Round 1, Pick 15 (Denver Broncos) Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy: An impressive route-runner at Alabama, Jeudy is considered a strong pick for the Broncos in the AFC West, which has seen a trend of adding offensive players this draft.

9:59 p.m., Round 1, Pick 14 (San Francisco 49ers) South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw: The 6-foot-five defensive lineman was also a prospect under consideration for the Panthers, but the athletic lineman will join San Francisco.

9:51 p.m., Round 1, Pick 13 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs: The 49ers trade a 13th place pick for a 14th and 117th place selection. The Buccaneers use the pick on Wirfs, who had the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine. Wirfs is considered a “steal” by some analysts.

9:40 p.m., Round 1, Pick 12 (Las Vegas Raiders) Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III: A wide receiver pick was expected here, but it was a toss-up between Ruggs and Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb. At Alabama, Ruggs had 98 catches, almost a fourth of which he ran in for a touchdown.

9:34 p.m., Round 1, Pick 11 (New York Jets) Louisville OT Mekhi Becton: The Jets stayed on the defensive trend by bringing on the 368-pound Becton, who is expected to add much-needed protection to Jets QB Sam Darnold.

9:28 p.m., Round 1, Pick 10 (Cleveland Browns) Alabama OT Jedrick Wills Jr.: So far, no team in the top 10 has traded its pick. This is the first time that has happened since 2015. The Browns selected Wills, which was considered a bit of a surprise pick, but he is still a solid choice to fill in the left tackle spot.

9:24 p.m., Round 1, Pick 9 (Jacksonville Jaguars) Florida CB C.J. Henderson: This is not a surprising pick for Jacksonville, which was in need of a cornerback to fill the gaps left by A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey.

9:15 p.m., Round 1, Pick 8 (Arizona Cardinals) Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons: The Panthers also would have benefited from Simmons’ flexibility on defense. Simmons was considered a top prospect for Carolina, along with Brown.

9:10 p.m., Round 1, Pick 7 (Carolina Panthers) Auburn DL Derrick Brown: Most draft experts had the Panthers selecting Brown, whom ESPN analyst Mel Kiper think is a top three of four overall talent in the draft.

9:02 p.m., Round 1, Pick 6 (Los Angeles Chargers) Oregon QB Justin Herbert: Big QB (Herbert is 6-6) was a 3-star recruit in high school who came on campus as a sixth stringer. Three QBs have now gone in the first six picks.

8:55 p.m., Round 1, Pick 5 (Miami Dolphins) Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa: The Dolphins pick a left-hander who some injury issues, but Tagovailoa was once projected as the No. 1 overall pick. The talent is there.

8:48 p.m., Round 1, Pick 4 (New York Giants) Georgia OL Andrew Thomas: This was one of the places that Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons was projected on some boards. He’s high on the Panthers list. Thomas started 41 games at left or right tackle in college.

8:38 p.m., Round 1, Pick 3 (Detroit Lions) Ohio State DB Jeff Okudah: The top defensive back goes off the board. The top three picks in the draft all played at Ohio State. Burrow began his career there.

8:34 p.m.: Round 1, Pick 2 (Washington Redskins) Ohio State DL Chase Young: Most experts think Young is a generational talent and the best player in this draft. Former Panthers coach Ron Rivera gets a gem in DC.

8:26 p.m.: Round 1, Pick 1 (Cincinnati Bengals) LSU QB Joe Burrow goes No. 1.: No surprise there. It’s third straight year that the Heisman Trophy winner was selected with the No. 1. pick. Can Burrow help the moribund Bengals find playoff success?

7:37 p.m. Pre-Draft: To bring you the draft, ESPN has 125 people working at its headquarters, most with masks on. Companies like Verizon and Microsoft and Bose are providing technology equipment and services for a virtual draft. No matter what happens, tonight will be unusual, memorable.

7:29 p.m. Pre-Draft: Commissioner Roger Goodell tells ESPN the league is preparing to play as planned this fall, but is looking at alternatives, when he was asked about possibly playing without fans.

7:15 p.m. Pre-Draft: You ready? We’re less than an hour away from real live sports. Time to get your chips, popcorn and your drinks. Does anyone think someone other than Burrow goes No. 1?

Top players on the Panthers’ draft board

(Players bolded and italicized have already been drafted. Underlined players were selected by Carolina)

• Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
• Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson
• Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
• Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
• Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
• CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
• CJ Henderson, CB, Florida
• A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
• Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
• Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
• Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
• Julian Okwara, DE, Notre Dame
• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
• James Lynch, EDGE, Baylor
• Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming
• Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
• Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
• Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
• Matt Hennessy, OL, Temple
• Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
• Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
• Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 7:16 PM.