Carolina Panthers have never drafted at 19. History shows it could hit or miss.
In the Carolina Panthers’ 31-year history, they’ve never drafted No. 19 overall.
They drafted 16th in 2019. Brian Burns, one of the best pass rushers in the league today.
They selected 22nd in 1995. Tyrone Poole, a key defensive back throughout the Panthers’ first golden era.
But never 19th.
Look at a recent history of what other teams have done with the No. 19 spot, though, and you find it’s not a cut-and-dry place to be. It’s a place where general managers can unearth diamonds but also where franchises can swing hard for their futures and whiff.
This makes sense, largely. In today’s playoff format, the overall 19 spot in the playoffs is awarded to teams that made the playoffs but lost in the Wild Card game. It’s a place where ascending teams can accelerate their rise with a playmaker, or where solid teams can add to their depth for the future ... or, again, miss entirely.
To get an understanding of the No. 19 pick, here’s a look at the last 10 drafts. The list includes starters and reserves, active roster players and practice squadders, Pro Bowlers and players already out of the league.
2025: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Bucanneers
This is one of those home runs. Egbuka was the second wide receiver picked in the 2025 draft, 11 picks behind the first wideout, Tetairoa McMillan, who the Panthers took at No. 8. The former Ohio State standout had a heck of a year — 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns — and finished fifth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Most importantly, the drafting of Egbuka helped soften the blow for life after future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, who ultimately departed in March.
2024: Jared Verse, OLB, Los Angeles Rams
Another great pick. And a great story. Verse, who was working at a Dollar General just a few years before becoming a first-round draft pick, has paid off for the Rams and then some. In his two years in the league, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year (2024) and has made the Pro Bowl both years he’s been in the league. Life after Aaron Donald appears to be in good hands thanks to this pick.
2023: Calijah Kancey, DT, Tampa Bay Bucanneers
Here’s where the mixed bag comes in. There’s no denying that Kancey is talented. Numbers suggest that he’s among the better interior defensive linemen in the league from a pass-rushing perspect — he generated 39 pressures in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, and added on 7.5 sacks. The Bucs, however, are still weighing if they should exercise his fifth-year option — the ultimate barometer if a first-round pick worked out. A big reason why is his availability. He missed 14 games in 2025 due to a pectoral tear and has battled other injuries in previous years. He has yet to be healthy for an entire season.
2022: Trevor Penning, OT, New Orleans Saints
Penning was the fourth offensive tackle taken in the 2022 draft — again, the Panthers had the first in this one, with Ikem Ekwonu. He was traded in 2025 to the Chargers and has since re-signed with the Los Angeles franchise on a one-year deal. He’s played at most positions on the line, from left tackle to right tackle and is now a left guard. It’s tough to put a verdict on the player Penning is at this moment, but if trade terms are of any indication, he didn’t necessarily work out for the Saints: he was traded to Los Angeles for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
2021: Jamin Davis, LB/DE, Washington Commanders
Davis had a pretty promising start to his career. He played in 16 games year one and 16 in year two (even eclipsing 100 total tackles in his second season). But inconsistency and a shoulder injury in 2023 forced the Commanders to decline his fifth-year option. He was then released midseason in 2024 and played two games in 2025.
2020: Damon Arnette, CB, Las Vegas Raiders
Arnette missed most of the 2020 season with a thumb injury. Then he spent some time on the injured reserve in 2021 before being released in November. He spent some time on practice squads thereafter and as of March was on the UFL’s Houston Gamblers.
2019: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Tennessee Titans
Simmons is another triumphant story from the No. 19 spot. He’s still with the Titans and signed a four-year, $94 million contract extension in 2023. In 2025, he notched 67 tackles and 11 sacks and was named to his fourth Pro Bowl.
2018: Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Dallas Cowboys
Vander Esch was a second-team All-Pro player as a rookie and also made the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2018. He stuck with the Cowboys for a long time, even re-signing a two-year deal prior to the start of the 2023 season. But he announced his retirement from football in 2024 due to medical reasons after battling multiple neck issues over the course of his career.
2017: OJ Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Bucs
Howard was good enough for the Bucs to exercise his fifth year option in 2020. His first real setback came when he suffered a torn Achilles in 2020. He stayed on active rosters in the league in 2021 and 2022, but in 2023, he joined the Raiders as a practice squad player. He’s now the Director of Player Development for the University of West Alabama’s football program.
2016: Shaq Lawson, DE, Buffalo Bills
Lawson might not have seen his fifth-year option get picked up by the Bills, but in 2020, he signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Dolphins. He remained on active rosters through 2022, and then has been mostly on practice squads since. He’s still in the league.
