Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft finalized after wild-card round
The Carolina Panthers will be waiting a bit before their first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The team’s first-round selection has been solidified as the 19th overall pick in April’s draft. After finishing with an 8-9 record and the NFC South division crown, the Panthers saw their annual selection slide from eighth overall in 2025 to the late teens in 2026.
The Panthers were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 34-31, on Saturday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. That loss ended up cementing the Panthers’ selection at No. 19.
In addition to the team’s first-round pick, Carolina has control of its original second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-round picks. The Panthers also own the Minnesota Vikings’ fifth-round pick, which was acquired in the Adam Thielen trade in August. In the trade involving Thielen, the Panthers also sent their 2026 seventh-round pick to Minnesota.
The selections for the later rounds will be determined following the conclusion of the 2026 NFL playoffs and the annual compensatory pick allocation process.
Panthers’ previous 10 first-round picks
- 2025: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona (8th overall)
- 2024: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina (32nd overall)
- 2023: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (1st overall)
- 2022: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State (6th overall)
- 2021: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina (8th overall)
- 2020: Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn (7th overall)
- 2019: Brian Burns, DE, Florida State (16th overall)
- 2018: D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland (24th overall)
- 2017: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford (8th overall)
- 2016: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (30th overall)
