Captain Morgan

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.

2m After the #Panthers moved down from No. 119, they are sliding down the board again. The #Bears are now at No. 124 From profootballrumors.com Joe Person @josephperson · 3m Another one: Dan Morgan going back again, this time to 129 with Chicago. Carolina Panthers @Panthers · 3m another one @Schultz_Report · 5m Trade! Bears traded up with #Panthers, per source Mike Kaye @mike_e_kaye · 7m The #Panthers are back to their pre-draft inventory of two fifths and one sixth. They went back five spots in the fourth to basically make the trade up for Lee Hunter an afterthought. getting Kilgore after all that was be great

Kilgore will probably be our 4th is he's there. Also, I think we will resign Brady once he is healthy, that's our back up center.

OL and DL in first 2....build from the trenches.

they have pick 5 and 10....this not considered a great draft with 10 to 12 players with 1st round trades, but looks like they'll get 2 of them. Or they could trade back for significant capital

wow, pick #10 traded for Lawrence https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/2045660038488817698

most recent list I've seen today Edgar Salmingo, Jr. ✌ @PanthersAnalyst · 50m With the news today, we have 29 possible reported private visits (22/30, 4 local, 3 unconfirmed meeting types*) QB Haynes King Behren Morton Diego Pavia Jack Strand RB Kaelon Black WR Denzel Boston Chris Braswell II Deion Burks KC Concepcion (local) Omar Cooper, Jr. Makai Lemon* TE Oscar Delp Justin Joly Dae'Quan Wright OT Travis Burke Caleb Lomu* Max Iheanachor OL Chase Bisontis DL Nick Barrett (local) Chris McClellan Tyler Onyedim Domonique Orange OLB Keyron Crawford CB Jermod McCoy Malik Muhammad* Karon Prunty (local) S AJ Haulcy Jalon Kilgore (local) Treydan Stukes

Joe Person @josephperson · 33m Panthers GM Dan Morgan says team will wait until after the draft before exercising the fifth-year option on QB Bryce Young. "We'll get that done once he gets back in the building."

Joe Person @josephperson · 24m Dan Morgan says he thinks the DL group this year is "a little top heavy."

Alex Zietlow @alexzietlow05 · 20m If a wide receiver is the best player available at 19, Morgan said he “wouldn’t hesitate” to draft him. Mike Kaye @mike_e_kaye · 21m #Panthers GM Dan Morgan says he doesn’t think there’s a rule against selecting a WR in the first round three years in a row. He says he’s always going to take the best player available.

update from today Edgar Salmingo, Jr. @PanthersAnalyst · 4h We now have 25 private visits (21/30 and 4 local) reported for the #Panthers: QB Haynes King Behren Morton Diego Pavia RB Kaelon Black WR Denzel Boston Chris Braswell II Deion Burks KC Concepcion* Omar Cooper, Jr. TE Oscar Delp Justin Joly Dae'Quan Wright OT Travis Burke Max Iheanachor OL Chase Bisontis DL Nick Barrett* Chris McClellan Tyler Onyedim Domonique Orange OLB Keyron Crawford CB Jermod McCoy Karon Prunty* S AJ Haulcy Jalon Kilgore* Treydan Stukes

best write up I've read across any platform this draft season, thanks

Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter · 16m Falcons OT Kaleb McGary has announced his retirement from the NFL. and they don't have a first.

Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd and the rest of the Carolina Panthers’ new recruits will begin work at Bank of America Stadium on April 20. The first phase of the offseason program will launch later this month, the team announced Friday. Organized team activities (OTAs) will begin on May 26, with six workouts spread out through June 4. Those workouts are considered voluntary. Mandatory minicamp will run June 9 to June 11. Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article315275598.html#storylink=cpy