Captain Morgan

if he shows can play even below average LT after he comes back, he'll get a contract from another team at that position. The only reason he will move to guard is if no one wants him at left tackle. And then he will take the highest paying guard contract he receives.

Jared Feinberg @Jared_NFLDraft ESPN’s Carolina Panthers reporter David Newton announced his retirement today. He may have had his faults, but I appreciate a long, well-respected career. Wishing Newton the best of luck in retirement (even if everyone else is joyful of his exit lol).

finally, a home opener

summary: "let's talk about your draft, what did you think about Freeling" Dan: guys with a huge upside, can come in and compete to start. High ceiling "he does what for your offense?" Dan: it's hard to find left tackles, guys that big and athletic. We have Icky coming off an injury, we signed Walker, I believe your offensive line can never be too strong. If we're going to win the game, it's gotta be up front on both sides of the ball, so we make a point of emphasis on making both sides of the front as strong as possible. "how many mocks did you see Monro falling to you." Not many times, left tackles are gonna go a lot earlier than when we took him. We want to add the best player, in free agency or the draft" that's our philosophy, to get the best players possible. "Hunter and Brazzell." Dan: we followed the board. Lee we felt very highly of him , super strong. Brazzel so flexible and loose, can open the verticle. Will Lee we held in high regard. "you take a look at your receiver room, Coker, my goodness, your offensive rookie of the year in Tet. Lost Rico, but there is Jonathan Brooks. " Brooks coming off two knee injuries, he worked his way back, looking great, fully healthy, will help in pass and run game. Icky, not sure when he's coming back but we're excited about both "plan on extending Bryce" we'll keep talking, will keep internally. We believe in him, has such a great grasp of Canales and offense, has improved every year. "he's clearly come back from the benching, the arrow is trending up, where does he feel" Bryce knows where we stand with him, when and if a deal gets done, he knows we feel great with him, we'll get something done at the right time. "if this a prove it situation?" everyone in the building has to prove it, has to earn it. Tmac was everything we wanted, his work ethic, he's so big and talented, but he puts the work in, and is a great teammate. "your level of expectation, the building's level of expectation for 2026 "our goal is to win the division every year, we know we have to earn it. we have to put the work in every day, proving it on the practice field, and our guys know that." "schedule" we haven't opened at home in 2 or 3 years. We love prime time games, hope we get some "

once again, he/she/it has guided us through an informational jungle land to keep the Huddle aware of news, stats, opinions from national and local sources and more, and with noticeable expediency. The Huddle doesn't have much, but we have the Juan.

Joe Person @josephperson · 7m Sam Hecht had 3rd-4th round projections; Zakee Wheatley had 3rd-rd projections. Panthers draft both in the fifth.

Zakee Wheatley joined Penn State as an unheralded three-star recruit and redshirted in 2021, but took on more rotational resposibilities in 2022 following Jaquan Brisker's departure. Wheatley snagged two interceptions in his redshirt freshman season, flashing his playmaking potential, but his best play came in 2024 working in relief of Kevin Winston Jr. That year, Wheatley started all 16 games, amassing 96 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, a sack, three interceptions, and four pass breakups, earning a strong PFSN Safety Impact grade of 84.2. And amid a downturn for the entire Penn State program in 2025, Wheatley was one of the team's most consistent defenders, and backed up his play with a strong Senior Bowl showing. At almost 6'3", 201 pounds, Wheatley is a long and lean defensive back with elite explosive athleticism and impressive propulsive hip sink for his size. He's capable of managing space and hovering overtop route concepts in two-high looks, and serves as a high-quality run support presence in the box with his quick processing, closing speed, and sure tackling. As a playmaker, Wheatley is more consistent working top-down as an interception threat than he is as a deflection producer, and he maxes out in space over longer stretches. But as a split-field strong safety, Wheatley has the size, explosion, processing, half-field range, and support utility to be a quality starter.

and we're back on the clock in just a few minutes

Sam Hecht first joined the Kansas State Wildcats as a preferred walk-on in 2021, then grew to become a two-year starter and a potential early-round 2026 NFL Draft prospect at center. At a lean 6'4", 300 pounds, Hecht doesn't have domineering size or power, but instead wins with hyper-elite athleticism, positioning, and flexibility. In the run game, Hecht has the fleet-footed, explosive range to effortlessly traverse gaps and reach landmarks, and he has the hip flexibility to flip around and seal while keeping control. Meanwhile, in pass protection, Hecht is balanced, well-leveraged, patient, and synergetic, with the ability to play square and keep positioning, as well as pick up stunts. His hand strength is below-average, and he can be outreached by longer defenders, but he compensates with quality leverage game and effective anchor footwork. Hecht projects best in zone schemes where he can operate on the move and out in space, but he has the angle IQ, intelligence, and athleticism to fulfill different roles, and he has impact starter upside if he can up his play strength.

there's our center

Kipers BPA right now 1 Zxavian Harris Ole Miss DT 2 Jalon Kilgore South Carolina S 3 Keith Abney II Arizona State CB 4 Sam Hecht Kansas State C 5 Deion Burks Oklahoma WR 6 Zakee Wheatley Penn State S 7 Dametrious Crownover Texas A&M OT 8 Garrett Nussmeier LSU QB 9 Justin Joly NC State TE 10 Joshua Josephs Tennessee EDGE 11 Brian Parker II Duke OG 12 Deontae Lawson Alabama LB 13 Harold Perkins Jr. LSU LB 14 Anez Cooper Miami OG

Will Lee III began his collegiate career at the JUCO level, and built his way up to the SEC, where he grew into an all-conference defender at the highest stage. He produced two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in 2024, and while 2025 was a slight step in the wrong direction, Lee still put quality reps on tape, particularly in press-man. Lee thrives as a domineering physical presence. At 6'1", with arms near 32" long, his disruptive radius is a definite strength, and at his size, he's quick-firing and surprisingly fluid, with venerable short-area twitch, reactive athleticism, and coil on redirections. There's still room for Lee to keep refining his technique, particularly with his footwork and positioning in press and on his pedal. And without elite long-track explosiveness and vertical speed, Lee's technical margin for error is somewhat slimmer. Nevertheless, he's the kind of size-adjusted mover and competitor who has lockdown potential with his fluidity, fast recalibration, and competitive zeal. His plus processing ensures that he can react quickly in the mirror-motor phase, or manage route combinations and execute crisp speed turns in zone. He's sound and tenacious in support, and he's a consistent playmaking threat. His technical consistency will define his ceiling, as Lee's profile invites a level of inherent volatility, but he's nonetheless a starting talent with three-down respectability.

we met with Parker. But we have a center who started last year for the Saints, and I think we'll sign Brady after the draft, and he passes a physical

Jalon Kilgore profiles as one of the most unique and multifaceted defensive backs in the 2026 NFL Draft. At 6'1", 219 pounds, with sprawling length and charged-up explosion, he's taken reps at boundary CB, nickel, box safety, and field safety. Kilgore's versatility is a testament to his intelligence, vision, and football IQ -- all traits that he used in tandem with his physical gifts to rack up three TFLs, five INTs, and five PBUs in 2024.